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☆ Tape recording shows Trump acknowledging he kept classified document on Iran, CNN reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors have a 2021 audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging he kept a classified Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran after leaving the White House, CNN reported on Wednesday. CNN did not listen to the recording but cited unidentified multiple sources describing it. Trump’s remarks indicated he would like to share the information but was aware of the limitations on his ability to declassify documents after leaving office, two sources told CNN. "Leaks from radical partisans behind this political persecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of President Trump and his supporters," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said on Wednesday. The Justice Department is investigating whether Trump broke the law by retaining U.S. government records, some marked as top secret, after leaving office in January 2021.

Persons: Donald Trump, Brian Snyder, Trump, President Trump, Steven Cheung, Peter Carr, Jack Smith's, Justice Department's, Trump's, Doina Chiacu, Kanishka Singh, Tim Ahmann, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Federal, White House, CNN, Wednesday, Reuters, Trump, Justice Department, Justice, White, U.S . Capitol, Thomson Locations: Manchester , New Hampshire, U.S, Iran

☆ DeSantis bashes Trump as 2024 campaign swing begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Trump, the front-runner in the Republican race, recently assailed DeSantis' handling of the COVID pandemic, when DeSantis resisted federal mask and vaccine mandates. "Ron DeSantis is not a serious person who can take on Joe Biden and bring about the Great American Comeback," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in response to DeSantis' remarks. It was little surprise, then, that DeSantis held his initial Iowa event in the auditorium of an evangelical church. DeSantis was introduced by Iowa's Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, and was joined by his wife, Casey DeSantis. The nascent DeSantis campaign has been buttressed by a well-funded Super PAC, Never Back Down, which has taken on many of the day-to-day responsibilities of a presidential effort.

Persons: Ron Desantis, Scott Morgan CLIVE, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, DeSantis, bashed Trump, he's, Trump, denigrated DeSantis, Joe Biden, Steven Cheung, politicking, Ted Cruz, Kim Reynolds, Casey DeSantis, Reynolds, Todd Jacklin, James Oliphant, Leslie Adler, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Florida, Republican U.S, REUTERS, Republican, Twitter, Trump, PAC, Liberty, DeSantis, Thomson Locations: West Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Scott Morgan CLIVE , Iowa, Florida, Iowa, Des Moines, New Hampshire, South Carolina, The Iowa, Johnston , Iowa

☆ Disney kills $1 billion development in Florida just days before DeSantis' expected presidential announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Disney canceled its plans to move jobs from California to Florida. The announcement came just days before DeSantis is expected to formally run for president. "Ron DeSanctimonious gets caught in the mouse trap," the Trump campaign tweeted Thursday. Gavin Newsom of California, who'd urged Disney not to relocate workers from his state to Florida, tweeted. Hundreds of Disney workers who already relocated to Florida will have the option to move back, per the Wall Street Journal.

☆ The countdown is on for DeSantis' presidential kickoff, just as 2024 frontrunner Trump readies powerful exit from Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Polling has him second to Trump, who has been living in Florida at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Donald Trump's permanent residence is in Palm Beach, Florida, at his Mar-a-Lago oceanside estate. New Jersey, therefore, is set to become the new go-to spot for the GOP right around the time that the DeSantis campaign kicks off. On Monday, DeSantis' political team moved to a new office in Tallahassee, NBC News reported. The DeSantis political operation declined to share details of the governor's plans, including formal rollouts and events that may come later.

The jury deliberated for just under three hours before rejecting Trump's denial that he assaulted Carroll. Trump has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot to damage him politically. Jurors were tasked with deciding whether Trump raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched Carroll, any one of which would satisfy her claim of battery. Kaplan, Carroll's lawyer, told jurors during closing arguments on Monday that the 2005 video was proof that Trump had assaulted Carroll and other women. Previously Trump had said he could not have raped Carroll because she was "not my type."

☆ Events leading up to Donald Trump sexual abuse verdict
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

2021-September 2022 - Carroll's lawsuit is largely on hold while Trump appeals Kaplan's decision. Oct. 12, 2022 - Trump repeats his denials of Carroll's claims. Oct. 19, 2022 - Trump is deposed in Carroll's first lawsuit. March 28, 2023 - Kaplan rejects Trump's request to throw out the defamation claim in Carroll's second lawsuit. April 25, 2023 - Trial gets under way.

So far this year, super PACs have spent more than $12 million, about three times as much as four years earlier, according to public disclosures. The outlays suggest an aggressive cycle ahead for spending by super PACs, who helped drive about $1 billion in independent spending in the 2020 presidential contest. TRANSFERS QUESTIONEDRegistered as a super PAC, MAGA Inc is allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums supporting candidates as long as it doesn't coordinate spending with their campaigns. Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, dismissed the Campaign Legal Center's arguments, calling the organization "a Democrat group." Campaign finance law specialists say they fear DeSantis could emulate Trump by transferring some of those funds into a federally registered super PAC to support his expected presidential campaign.

☆ Fact check: Trump’s own campaign can’t find proof for his ‘mental institutions’ immigration story
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

How we searched for proof of Trump’s storyCNN conducted a broad search for any proof for Trump’s story. These articles did not mention anything about South American mental health facilities being emptied under President Joe Biden, nor feature any quote from a doctor at any such facility. We then reached out to a pro-Trump super PAC asking for evidence for Trump’s “mental institution” story, but a spokesperson didn’t respond. We next turned to two groups that advocate for reduced immigration, the Center for Immigration Studies and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which would be good candidates to be aware of any such evidence. As a last resort, we posted Trump’s quotes on Twitter and invited the public to try to find support for them.

☆ Florida lawmakers just passed a bill for DeSantis to remain governor while running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republicans in Florida are changing the law so DeSantis can run for president and keep his job. The Trump campaign accused DeSantis of violating the law, even though he hasn't made a bid official. "If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo told reporters at the time. Hutson disagreed that with the assessment that DeSantis wouldn't be able to both operate as governor and run for president. April 25, 2023: This story has been updated with a comment from the Trump campaign.

☆ DeSantis’s Florida Is a Dump, Says President Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: AP/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyHe’s a New Yorker by birth and branding, but President Trump officially moved to Florida in 2019, a decision that made financial sense. But as the 2024 primaries near, Mr. Trump has suddenly decided it’s in his interest to claim that Florida is really a high-tax hellhole. Mr. Trump knows that Gov. Ron DeSantis could be a formidable rival, and Mr. Trump will apparently say anything to trash him. On Friday Mr. Trump issued a statement on “The Real Ron DeSantis Playbook,” which starts with a quote from spokesman Steven Cheung : “The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair.

☆ Judge makes thinly-veiled attempt to silence Trump during rape trial, advising parties against statements that could 'incite violence'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

E. Jean Carroll's rape and defamation lawsuit against former President Trump went to trial Tuesday. The judge asked both parties not to make statements that could "incite violence." Opening statements are expected to kick off today in E. Jean Carroll's defamation and rape lawsuit against Trump. The lunatics will fail and President Trump will Make America Great Again!" In her lawsuit, Carroll says that Trump's comments have "injured the reputation on which she makes her livelihood as a writer, advice columnist, and journalist."

☆ As Trump attacks DeSantis over his travel, Florida allies prepare to change the law so the governor can stay in his role while running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans in Florida want to change the law so DeSantis can run for president and keep his job. The so-called "Resign to Run" law has been changed for candidates before. The Trump campaign accused DeSantis of violating the law, even though he hasn't made a bid official. "If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo told reporters at the time. April 25, 2023: This story has been updated with a comment from the Trump campaign.

☆ Trump is privately warning religious leaders that Republicans risk 'losing big' over abortion stance, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump tells religious leaders that Republicans risk "losing big" due to its abortion stance. Three sources told the outlet that they heard Trump complain that the GOP is "getting killed on abortion." Trump has previously blamed Republicans' handling of the "abortion issue" for the party's poor performance in the 2022 midterm elections. During recent off-the-record meetings with religious leaders, Trump has tried to emphasize his previous anti-abortion record and framed himself as the "most pro-life" president in US history. There has been no bigger advocate for the movement than President Trump," he said.

☆ Trump's camp is trying to force Ron DeSantis to resign and formally declare a 2024 run, accusing the governor of 'taxpayer-funded globetrotting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis of running an unofficial 2024 campaign. In an email, the Trump campaign said DeSantis is engaging in "taxpayer-funded globetrotting." Ron DeSantis, accusing him of "taxpayer-funded globetrotting." An email from the Trump campaign on Monday accused DeSantis of not formally declaring a 2024 run, and using his salary as governor to fund unofficial campaign travels. The Trump campaign also said DeSantis is trying to go on international trips to "score some last-minute foreign policy credentials for his 2024 presidential campaign," further accusing the governor of "taxpayer-funded globetrotting."

☆ Trump appeals order for Pence to testify in special counsel Jan. 6 probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump are trying to block ex-Vice President Mike Pence from testifying in a special counsel investigation of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, NBC News reported Monday. Trump's legal team has appealed that order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., NBC reported, citing a source familiar with the litigation. The spokesman, who also derided special counsel Jack Smith's probe as a "witch hunt," said those standards "protect a President's ability to confer with his Vice President on matters of the security of the United States." Attorneys for Trump and spokespeople for Pence and the special counsel did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. Boasberg ordered Pence to comply with the grand jury subpoena late last month, NBC reported.

☆ Trump indictment pulls DeSantis-leaning Republicans back to MAGA fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Now I am absolutely voting for Trump," said White, 75, a composer and musician in Nevada. "The indictment was the last straw for me, because Trump has suffered so much political abuse. The reason was the indictment, Longwell added. Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, said in an email to Reuters that the charges had "surged" support for Trump. "Americans from all backgrounds are sick and tired of the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump and his supporters," Cheung said.

☆ Trump may have looked through Mar-a-Lago documents after subpoena was delivered, new evidence suggests, pointing to a big potential difference between his documents case and Biden's: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump may have tried to keep documents after receiving a subpoena from DOJ. The evidence indicates a difference between Trump's investigation and the one into Biden's documents. In August, an FBI search found and seized more than 100 classified documents in Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, home — months after the initial subpoena in May. "When you find improperly stored classified documents, you immediately notify the government — and you turn it over immediately." Cheung pointed to classified documents found in Biden's home, and referenced Hillary Clinton's 2016 email investigation.

☆ Justice Department has more evidence of possible Trump obstruction in documents probe, Washington Post reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Justice Department and FBI investigators have amassed new evidence indicating possible obstruction by former President Donald Trump in the probe into classified documents found at his Florida estate, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing sources. FBI agents seized thousands of government records, some marked as highly classified, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August. The FBI referred questions to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement to the Post, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said that the "witch-hunts against President Trump have no basis in facts or law," and accused Special Counsel Smith and the Justice Department of leaking information to manipulate public opinion. In addition to the New York probe, Trump faces a Georgia inquiry over whether he tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state.

☆ Justice Dept has more evidence of possible Trump obstruction in documents probe, The Washington Post reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Texas' GOP leaders are skipping Trump's Waco rally because of 'prior commitments' as possible indictments dog his 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former President Donald Trump is holding a 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday. None of the 30 Texas Republicans Insider contacted about the event said they were going. Cheung was also non-committal about whether former Trump rally companions like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia or failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake would pop up in Texas. Other Texas Republicans who said they'd be unable to huddle with Trump for unspecified reasons include Rep. Michael McCaul, and state GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi. The bigger concern, Meek told Insider, was that the high-profile visit might in any way backfire after the decades the community has spent building back from the Branch Davidian tragedy.

☆ Trump attorney ordered to testify in documents case, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday ordered an attorney for Donald Trump to give additional testimony before a grand jury investigating the former U.S. president’s handling of classified documents, according to media reports. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered attorney Evan Corcoran to testify after he invoked attorney-client privilege during a prior grand jury appearance in January and refused to answer investigators’ questions about his communications with Trump, according to CNN, the Washington Post and other media outlets. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024, has accused the Justice Department of conducting a "witch hunt" against him. Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump for the unlawful retention of national defense information at his Florida estate and he is also investigating whether Trump tried to obstruct the criminal probe. In her ruling, Howell agreed with prosecutors that there were grounds for a "crime-fraud exception" to attorney-client privilege, according to the reports.

Like Trump, Bush has experienced what it's like to watch a younger man overshadow him, a man he worked hard to support. Bush and Rubio were allies in Florida government, and Rubio was widely viewed as a Bush protége. There is nobody who can even come close to generating the excitement and enthusiasm as President Trump has and will do in 2024." In the end, Trump branding Bush as "low energy" wasn't the only thing standing between Bush and the nomination. "DeSantis is like the one person who has gotten more out of Trump than Trump has gotten out of them."

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop to unveil his leadership team, at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., January 28, 2023. A Georgia grand jury looking into possible election meddling by former President Donald Trump said "one or more witnesses" may have lied under oath and urged prosecutors to pursue criminal indictments in those cases. The special grand jury also found no significant fraud in Georgia's 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden, according to portions of the final report on its monthslong investigation unsealed Thursday. He added: "The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do." Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will determine whether to charge Trump or anyone else in the case.

☆ DeSantis got a glowing reception during a secretive, high-profile conservative summit at Trump Doral — then the ex-president called in
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An influential conservative group, the Council for National Policy, held one of its summits this weekend. The Council for National Policy held a summit this weekend at Trump National Doral, a golf club owned by former President Trump that's just on the outskirts of the City of Miami. The Council for National Policy has been meeting for roughly four decades under a shroud of silence in upscale locations three times a year. "President Trump was honored to have the Council for National Policy at the world-renowned Trump National Doral," he said. "Somebody gets you in, you sort of be loyal to that person," Trump said.

☆ Jason Miller returns as Trump advisor for campaign struggling to generate much excitement compared to 2016
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jason Miller will advise Donald Trump on the strategy of his 2024 presidential bid. He previously left the Trump campaign to become CEO of the right-wing social media platform Gettr. Miller is joining a team that is struggling to generate the same excitement as past campaigns. "It was always a matter of when and not if I returned to help re-elect President Trump in 2024," Miller said in a statement, per Politico. Former Trump White House press aide Sarah Matthews described the campaign launch in a tweet as "low-energy" and "uninspiring."

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