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☆ House GOP's attempt to shut down Alvin Bragg is unlikely to save Trump but could serve despots in training, say oversight experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump's formal arraignment in Manhattan criminal court sent House Republicans into a tizzy. Stretton wondered about House Republicans' attempt to defang state prosecutors they consider to be political persecutors. "It's hard to say what overstepping bounds are any more," Davis told Insider. "When you defend somebody before you've even seen the indictment, you're kind of hitching your wagon to all the investigations," Goldberg told Insider. He also warned that spotlight-chasing House Republicans risk drowning in unfinished business at the end of the term by floating new Biden-focused inquiries "every couple of weeks."

☆ Trump's team is way more worried about the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and the Georgia elections investigation, Maggie Haberman says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump and his aides are far more concerned about the Georgia elections probe and the Mar-a-Lago case. She added that his aides are privately worried about the Mar-a-Lago case, which is "clearer-cut." "Some of his aides are very worried about the documents investigation that the Justice Department has," Haberman said. She added that the Mar-a-Lago case is a "clearer-cut issue" in comparison to the other investigations. In March, the conservative lawyer and pundit George Conway told Insider that of the cases Trump faces, he's most likely to face prison time over the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ A judge warned Trump about comments that could 'jeopardize the safety or well-being' of others. 6 hours later, he attacked the judge, the judge's wife, and the judge's daughter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump started attacking the family of the judge presiding over his indictment in New York. Trump called Judge Juan Merchan and his family "Trump-hating" on Tuesday evening. Hours before, the judge warned him not to make remarks that could jeopardize the safety of others. Trump's comments blasting Merchan came six hours after Merchan warned the former president not to make comments likely to "jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals." That didn't stop Trump from slamming Merchan and his family hours later.

☆ Stormy Daniels mocks Trump, saying she'd rather be under her 'sexy man' than 'under arrest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stormy Daniels celebrated former President Donald Trump's arrest on Tuesday. "It's definitely more fun being under my sexy man instead of under arrest," she wrote in her tweet. Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, a year after he married Melania Trump. Donald Trump has denied the affair. Representatives for Trump and Daniels did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Factbox: Details from New York prosecutor's Trump hush-money indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Daniels said she and Trump had a sexual encounter in 2006, the year after he married Melania Knauss, his third wife. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign-finance charges related to the payments and said he acted at Trump's direction. Pecker made the payment after discussing it with Cohen and Trump, according to the charges, with the understanding that Trump would pay him back. Trump and Cohen discussed repayment in a conversation captured in an audio recording in September 2016 and made plans to do so. Around that time, Pecker connected Cohen with a lawyer for Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump as well.

☆ Trump may be on trial in New York just weeks before the 2024 Iowa caucuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump could be on trial just weeks before the closely watched Iowa caucuses. By December, the 2024 GOP presidential race will be nearing its peak in the final stretch before the Iowa caucuses. A final date has not yet been selected, but it's expected the 2024 caucuses will be in early February. Iowa will also be the first time that Trump has been on a ballot since losing the 2020 presidential election. Despite his popularity in Iowa, Trump also narrowly lost the 2016 caucuses to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

☆ Trump campaign raised $7 million since indictment, aide says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former US President Donald Trump sits in the rear of his limousine as he departs Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 1, 2023. Former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign raised $7 million in the days after his indictment in Manhattan, a top campaign aide said Monday. Senior Trump aide Jason Miller announced the haul as the ex-president was en route to New York City ahead of his expected arrest and arraignment on Tuesday. Trump has repeatedly decried District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe as a "witch hunt," and has attacked the DA himself in vitriolic terms. After the grand jury's vote, Trump's campaign started running Facebook ads that seized on the development.

NEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump will not be handcuffed when he surrenders next week in New York to face criminal charges, under the terms of a deal agreed between his defense attorneys and Manhattan prosecutors, defense lawyer Joe Tacopina said on Friday. There's no textbook to see how you arraign a former president of the United States in criminal court," Tacopina said. Tacopina said Trump and his defense team were surprised by news of the indictment: "Initially we were all shocked. Didn't believe they were actually going to go through with this because there's no crime here." Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New York man gets 22 years in jail over killing of Chinese immigrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - A New York City man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a hate crime in the 2021 killing of a Chinese immigrant has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, authorities said. Police surveillance video of the April 2021 attack showed Ma being knocked down from behind and kicked in the head multiple times by a lone man. Ma was a pastry chef who came to the U.S. with his wife two years before the attack, U.S. media have reported. Bragg's office said Powell admitted in his plea that he targeted Ma due to his Asian heritage. The attack on Ma came a month after a shooting spree at three Atlanta spas left eight people dead, including six Asian women.

☆ Manhattan DA office blasts House Republicans for collaborating with Trump's efforts to paint his indictment as 'politically motivated'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Manhattan district attorney's office blasted House Republicans in a letter dated Friday. Three committee chairmen have subpoenaed DA Bragg over the office's investigation into Trump. "What neither Mr. Trump nor Congress may do is interfere with the ordinary course of proceedings in New York State," the DA's general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, added. In the aftermath of the indictment, he rallied his congressional Republican allies, who had been trying to investigate the Manhattan district attorney's office, for support, according to CNN. Friday's letter says any interference in an ongoing criminal investigation would be "unprecedented and illegitimate," and jeopardize Trump's privacy rights.

☆ Lindsey Graham says Trump should 'smash some windows' and 'punch a cop' on his way to being booked
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Lindsey Graham joked that Trump should "punch a cop" on his way to being booked in Manhattan. He said that Trump would then "avoid prosecution" and be "released IMMEDIATELY!" It was an apparent joke about DA Alvin Bragg's criminal justice-focused policies. "How can President Trump avoid prosecution in New York?," asked Graham on Twitter. "On the way to the DA's office on Tuesday, Trump should smash some windows, rob a few shops and punch a cop."

A New York grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said it contacted Trump's attorney to "coordinate his surrender" on an indictment that "remains under seal." The former president is expected to turn himself in early next week, his attorney Joe Tacopina told NBC News. In the days leading up to the indictment, Trump and his allies aimed vitriol at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. Last week, Bragg received an envelope containing a death threat and a white powder, which authorities later decided was not threatening.

The specific charges are not yet known and the indictment will likely be announced in the coming days, the New York Times reported. Below is reaction to news of the indictment:FORMER REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE ADAM KINZINGER: "Today is a somber day for our nation. Donald Trump committed many crimes, but this indictment should be a reminder that in America, NO ONE is above the law. DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF ON TWITTER: "The indictment of a former president is unprecedented. SENATOR TED CRUZ ON TWITTER: "The Democrat Party’s hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds.

A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on felony charges. In a statement, Trump characterized the criminal charges from a grand jury as a political attack. The indictment's specific contents have not yet been made public, even to the defense team, as is common in state criminal cases. The district attorney's office subsequently brought David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, to testify for a second time in front of the grand jury. That post was quickly taken down; Trump attorney Joe Tacopina called it "ill-advised" and said "one of his social media people" put it up.

☆ Fox News anchors gasp on air as they announce Donald Trump has been indicted
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Chris Panella | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Fox News anchors gasped on-air as news of Donald Trump's indictment broke. Trump is now the first former US president to be charged with a crime. Manhattan prosecutors were probing an alleged hush-money payment sent to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump is now the first former US president to be charged with a crime, although it's currently unclear what Trump has been charged with. The grand jury was probing Trump's connection to an alleged $130,000 "hush-money" payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

☆ 'I feel bad for him': Fox News rallies around Trump in the moments after his historic indictment became public
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict the former president on Thursday, a historic move. "It is the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and I feel bad for the guy," co-host Jesse Watters said. Many Fox News hosts immediately rallied around Donald Trump on Thursday evening as news of the former president's indictment broke in real-time. "It is the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and I feel bad for the guy. A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump after District Attorney Alvin Bragg's two-months-long presentation to jurors.

☆ Trump live updates: Former president calls criminal probe 'new way of cheating in elections'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waco, Texas, US, on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Former President Donald Trump has ramped up criticism of the criminal investigation into his then-lawyer's hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election. Trump is framing the probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office as a new way of "cheating" in elections. Bragg's investigation is focused on the Trump Organization recording Trump's reimbursement to Cohen for the payment as "legal expenses." Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple federal crimes, including to a federal campaign finance violation for the payment to Daniels.

March 27 (Reuters) - A former National Enquirer publisher testified on Monday before a Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump's role in a hush-money payment to a porn star, said a person familiar with the matter. The grand jury's proceedings are shrouded in secrecy and the timing of a grand jury vote is unclear. [1/8] An officer from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Canine Unit checks outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., March 27, 2023. Costello testified before the grand jury last week. Trump faces several other criminal investigations, including one tied to the Jan. 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol.

REUTERS/Eduardo MunozMarch 27 (Reuters) - A Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump's role in a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels was expected to reconvene on Monday, a law enforcement source said. The grand jury, which has been meeting since January, could indict Trump over the handling of the payment, which would make him the first U.S. president to face a criminal charge in court. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been presenting evidence about the $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump's 2016 election campaign. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has said he made the payment at Trump's direction to buy her silence about a sexual liaison she says she had with Trump in 2006. Trump faces several other criminal investigations, including one tied to the Jan. 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol.

☆ Manhattan prosecutor's office says Trump created a 'false expectation' of immediate arrest and accuses House Republicans of interfering with investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office fired back at Republicans on Thursday. In a letter, the DA's office accused the GOP of interfering in a legal investigation. Former President Donald Trump had earlier claimed he would be arrested on Tuesday. The letter from Bragg's office was published Thursday afternoon by Axios. That came after Trump, over the weekend, asserted that he would be arrested on Tuesday of this week.

A Manhattan grand jury did not meet as had been expected on Wednesday, a law enforcement source said, although it was unclear why that was or how much longer the grand jury would take to conclude its work. The Insider news outlet first reported the news that the grand jury would not convene on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office declined to comment on the grand jury. Security officials are bracing for possible unrest, but so far few of Trump's supporters have heeded his call for protests. Several media outlets reported that his lawyer, Evan Corcoran, would testify on Friday before a federal grand jury in Washington investigating whether Trump mishandled sensitive federal documents.

But members of the grand jury were told to stay home on Wednesday, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss secret grand jury proceedings. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has been investigating $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump's 2016 election campaign. Security was high around the courthouse where the grand jury has been meeting, with court officers out early and barricades up around the building. On Monday, the grand jury heard from a witness, lawyer Robert Costello, who said that Cohen acted on his own. Cohen has publicly said that Trump directed him to make the payments and has appeared twice before the grand jury.

NEW YORK, March 22 (Reuters) - A New York grand jury was expected on Wednesday to resume its closed-door investigation of whether Donald Trump made illegal hush-money payments to a porn star, which could yield the first-ever criminal charges against any U.S. president. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has been investigating $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump's 2016 election campaign. Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen has said he made the payments at Trump's direction to buy her silence about Trump's extramarital affair. On Monday, the grand jury heard from a witness, lawyer Robert Costello, who said that Cohen acted on his own. Cohen has publicly said that Trump directed him to make the payments and has appeared twice before the grand jury.

NEW YORK, March 22 (Reuters) - - A New York grand jury is expected on Wednesday to resume its closed-door investigation of whether Donald Trump made illegal hush-money payments to a porn star, which could yield first-ever criminal charges against any U.S. president. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has been investigating $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of Trump's 2016 election campaign. Trump has denied the affair took place, and others in his orbit have said Cohen acted on his own. On Monday, the grand jury heard from a witness, lawyer Robert Costello, who said that Cohen acted on his own. Cohen has publicly said that Trump directed him to make the payments and has appeared twice before the grand jury.

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