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First on CNN: Trump Org. controller to testify to Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments
By Kara Scannell, CNN
Updated 12:59 PM EST, Wed February 1, 2023
A top executive of the Trump Organization is expected to appear Thursday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trumpās alleged role in a hush money payment scheme, people familiar with the matter said.
The executive, Jeffrey McConney, the controller of the Trump Organization, is one of the highest-ranking financial officers at the company and has responsibility for its books and records.
McConneyās planned appearance comes as prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorneyās office are accelerating their investigation into the hush money scheme to stop adult film star Stormy Daniels from going public about a past affair with Trump just before the 2016 presidential election. (Trump has denied the affair.)
A spokesperson for District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment. An attorney for McConney did not respond to requests for comment.
In recent weeks prosecutors have spoken with witnesses central to the hush money deal. This week prosecutors met with David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer. Two weeks ago, Michael Cohen, Trumpās former personal attorney who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance charges for facilitating a $130,000 payment to Daniels, returned for his first meeting with prosecutors under Braggās leadership. Cohen told āCNN This Morningā on Wednesday that prosecutors asked for his cell phones to obtain voice recordings he made of conversations he had with Keith Davidson, the attorney who arranged the deal for Daniels. Davidson has also been contacted by prosecutors in recent weeks for a future meeting, a source previously told CNN. Davidson had previously been subpoenaed by prosecutors for records, the source said.
Prosecutors are looking into whether Trump and his company falsified business records by improperly designating the reimbursement as a legal expense. That charge is a misdemeanor in New York unless it can be tied to another crime, such as campaign finance laws.
They are presenting witness testimony before a recently empaneled grand jury, people familiar with the matter said. The start of the presentation does not mean a decision has been made whether to seek charges against Trump or anyone else. Trump has denied knowing about the hush money payment.
Prosecutors working under the previous DA, Cy Vance, had explored bringing charges related to the hush money scheme but some attorneys on the team were not convinced that a charge involving a federal election law violation would survive legal challenges, people familiar with the investigation told CNN. One of those former prosecutors, Mark Pomerantz, who resigned last year in protest after he was not allowed to seek charges against Trump, is publishing a book next week promising an āinside accountā of the past effort to investigate Trump.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/politics/trump-organization-controller-grand-jury/index.html
First on CNN: Trump Org. controller to testify to Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments
By Kara Scannell, CNN
Updated 12:59 PM EST, Wed February 1, 2023
The current focus of the DAās investigation, which was once homed in on the accuracy of the Trump Organizationās financial statements, has returned to the real estate companyās handling of the hush money payment and whether it violated New York laws, people familiar with the matter said.
McConney previously testified before the grand jury eight times, according to his testimony at the Trump Organizationās tax fraud trial last year. In New York, individuals who appear before a grand jury are granted immunity from prosecution unless they lie under oath.
McConney was not a willing witness, according to his own testimony. He testified that he refused to meet with prosecutors to prepare for his testimony ahead of trial, which ended in conviction.
The judge allowed prosecutors to treat McConney, who was identified as a co-conspirator in the tax fraud scheme, as a hostile witness after finding he gave evasive answers to the prosecutor trying to question him. The Trump Organization, McConney testified, was footing his legal bills.
McConney reported to Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer, and oversaw the general ledger that tracks payments.
At issue in the investigation is the payment made to Daniels and the Trump Organizationās reimbursement to Cohen.
According to court filings in Cohenās federal prosecution, Trump Organization executives authorized payments to him totaling $420,000 to cover his original $130,000 payment and tax liabilities, and reward him with a bonus.
Trump Organization executives decided to pay monthly installments to Cohen who submitted invoices requesting payment pursuant to a āretainer agreement.ā
In one example, prosecutors said an invoice seeking $35,000 for two months was forwarded from one executive to another, who approved the payment. Prosecutors alleged the first executive forwarded that email to another employee, stating: āPlease pay from the Trust. Post to legal expenses. Put āretainer for the months of January and February 2017ā in the description.ā
Federal prosecutors alleged there was no retainer agreement and that the company falsely recorded those payments as legal expenses in their corporate books. They took no action against Trump or the company. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight crimes, including violating campaign finance laws in connection with that payment.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/politics/trump-organization-controller-grand-jury/index.html
Trump-DeSantis rivalry approaches boiling point
by Max Greenwood - 01/31/23 6:00 AM ET
The long-simmering tensions between former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) are nearing a boiling point amid signs that DeSantis and his team are actively moving toward a 2024 presidential run.Ā
DeSantisās national ambitions have long irked Trump, who sees himself as the Florida governorās political benefactor and the GOPās presumptive 2024 nominee. But Trumpās frustration became more apparent over the weekend, when he called out DeSantis during his first major campaign swing.Ā
āIf he runs, thatās fine. Iām way up in the polls. Heās going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run,ā TrumpĀ told The Associated Press in an interviewĀ after a campaign appearance in South Carolina on Saturday. āI do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over.ā
It wasnāt the first time that Trump took direct aim at DeSantis, but his latest comments come amid signs that the Florida governorās presidential ambitions may be taking on a more tangible form.
Advisers to DeSantis have begun reaching out to potential hires, including several veteran Republican staffers and operatives, according to a person familiar with the moves.Ā The Washington Post reportedĀ over the weekend that two top DeSantis campaign veterans ā Phil Cox and Generra Peck ā were involved in discussions about a 2024 run.Ā
OPINION: Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott are the ticket to beat Trump
DeSantis, who has largely avoided talking about any potential 2024 plans, hasnāt yet made a final decision on a run, though Republicans almost unanimously believe that a presidential campaign is a near-certainty, with a potential announcement expected later this year after the Florida state legislative session wraps up.
That belief has put him and Trump on an almost-inevitable collision course as they vie for dominance within the GOP.Ā
āI do think DeSantis is going to run. Ninety-eight percent chance,ā one Florida Republican operative said. āIf youāre DeSantis, I think youād love to wait until 2028. But you have a particular window. You have to keep the name ID up.ā
āOn the other hand, I think Donald Trump knows this is his last chance to run,ā the operative added. āThe idea of trying again in four years ā thatās just too much of a reach, even for him.ā
Regardless of whether DeSantis eventually launches a campaign, Trumpās patience appears to be wearing thin.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3836369-trump-desantis-rivalry-approaches-boiling-point/
A Blessing or a Curse?
Hogan giving āvery serious considerationā to White House bid, says Trump wonāt be GOP nominee
by Jared Gans - 02/01/23 12:14 PM ET
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Wednesday said he is giving āvery serious considerationā to running for president in 2024 and added that he does not expect former President Trump to become the Republican nominee.Ā
Hogan said in an interview on Fox News Channelās āYour World with Neil Cavutoā that he was willing to āstand upā and say when he disagreed with actions Trump took as president. He said he agrees with many of Trumpās policies but does not believe the former president would be the GOPās strongest nominee to win the general election in 2024.Ā
Hogan said the Republican Party needs a candidate who can appeal to a ābroader audience of peopleā and win swing voters after the party suffered defeats in the 2018 midterms, the 2020 presidential race and the 2022 midterms.Ā
Many in the Republican Party blamed Trump for the partyās performance in the November 2022 midterms, in which many of the candidates he endorsed during the primaries went on to lose in key races for the House and Senate and in gubernatorial contests.Ā
āWe have been really successful 30 miles outside of Washington, where everything appears to be broken and nothing but divisiveness and dysfunction,ā Hogan said, referring to his time as the two-term governor of a solidly Democratic state.Ā
Hogan has previously said he might jump into the race for the Republican nomination.Ā
He said Trump still has a āsolid groupā of people who support him, but an increasing number are no longer backing him.Ā
Recent polling has shown Trump with large leads over other possible Republican challengers in a hypothetical primary match-up, but he has not received a clear majority of respondentsā support.Ā
Hogan said serving as a governor is a ātraining groundā for becoming president. Experience as an executive is different than being a representative or senator, he said.
āYouāre out there making arguments and youāre involved in issues, but you donāt have the executive experience of running something,ā he said. āSo I think there are going to be a number of governors, and I think governors are a good place for us to look for leadership at the national level.āĀ
Hoganās comments come as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley reportedly plans to announce on Feb. 15 that she is running for the Republican nomination. Trump is the only Republican to officially jump into the race so far.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3839423-hogan-giving-very-serious-consideration-to-white-house-bid-says-trump-wont-be-gop-nominee/
Nikki Haley to announce 2024 presidential run on Feb. 15
By Aaron Navarro, Fin GĆ³mez
Updated on: February 1, 2023 / 12:03 PM / CBS News
Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, is expected to officially announce her 2024 presidential run on Feb. 15 in Charleston, according to two South Carolina Republicans familiar with her plans.
Haley would become the first Republican candidate to join former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.Ā
Haley's last hint at a 2024 run came earlier this month during a Fox News interview, in which she called for "generational change" when looking at the future of the country.Ā
"I don't think you need to be 80 years-old to go be a leader in D.C.," the 51-year-old Haley said. "I think we need a young generation to come in, step up, and really start fixing things."
"When you're looking at a run for president, you look at two things," Haley added. "You first look at, 'Does the current situation push for new leadership?' The second question is, 'Am I that person that could be that new leader?' So, do I think I could be that leader? Yes, but we are still working through things and we'll figure it out. I've never lost a race. I said that then, I still say that now. I'm not going to lose now."
In the 2022 midterm election cycle, through her "Stand for America" PAC, Haley campaigned for Republicans up and down the ticket, and took trips to Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, all early presidential primary states. She was also a closing surrogate on the trail for Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Senate candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Herschel Walker in Georgia.Ā
Haley has consistently polled third or fourth in early 2024 GOP primary surveys. In a Trafalgar Group poll in late January of South Carolina primary voters, Haley placed fourth, and got 11.6% of the vote in a field that included Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Ā
Scott, another potential 2024 contender from the Palmetto State, is traveling to Iowa for the Polk County Republican party's annual Lincoln Dinner in late February. "Nikki Haley stepped from the governor's office to the international stage at the United Nations, rounding out credentials that would prepare her for a campaign like this. It's like a countdown at NASA, T-minus two weeks and counting," said Dave Wilson, president of the Christian nonprofit Palmetto Family Council.Ā Haley notched one symbolic win against Trump last year in the primary for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, when Haley backed Rep. Nancy Mace. Mace defeated Trump's endorsed candidate, former Rep. Katie Arrington, by about nine points.Ā
Trump told reporters traveling with him Saturday to South Carolina for a campaign stop that Haley had reached out to her ex-boss to inform him that she was considering running for the White House.
"She called me and said she'd like to consider it, and I said, 'You should do it,'" Trump recounted. "I talked to her for a little while. I said, 'Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run.'"
Haley, a South Carolina native who was the first female and Indian-American governor in state history, told the Associated Press in April 2021 that she would not challenge Trump if he decided to run again. Trump nominated Haley for the U.N. ambassadorship after his win in 2016.
"I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it," Haley said at the time.
Since then, she has suggested repeatedly that she was seriously considering a run. The former South Carolina governor told Fox News that her comments about not running against Trump were made before some perceived flaws of President Biden's administration, such as the withdrawal in Afghanistan and the dramatic rise in inflation.
"When I look at that, I look at the fact [that] if I'm this passionate and I'm this determined, why not me?" Haley told Fox News.
Wilson said "it's no surprise" Haley is the first Republican out of the gate to challenge Trump in a primary.Ā
"She's the type of person who doesn't ever seem to back away from a challenge," he told CBS News.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-haley-to-announce-2024-presidential-run-on-feb-15/
GOP senators come to DeSantis' defense after Trump called him 'disloyal'
Trump called DeSantis a 'Rino Globalist' in a Truth Social post on Wednesday
By Aubrie Spady | Fox News Published February 1, 2023 11:51am EST
Republican senators are coming to the defense of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after former President Donald Trump's most recent comments targeting his potential 2024 rival.
Trump took aim at the Florida governor Saturday, saying it would be a "great act of disloyalty" if he decided to run in 2024 and claiming he mishandled the COVID-19 lockdown in his state.
"Ron would have not been governor if it wasnāt for me. So, when I hear he might run, I consider that very disloyal," Trump said on the campaign trial.
"There are Republican governors that did not close their states. Florida was closed for a long period of time," Trump told reporters. "They're trying to rewrite history."
"I donāt see it as an act of disloyalty to run for president, even people on the presidentās cabinet may get in this race," Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said of Trump's comments, The Hill reported.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also asserted that it would not be disloyal of DeSantis to take on Trump in the GOP primary.
"He ran an impressive re-election campaign for governor from an important state. It looks to me like heās polling well. I think we need some new blood and I think heād probably qualify," he stated.
TRUMP āDOES HAVE CHALLENGESā AS DESANTIS ADVISERS PREP FOR POSSIBLE 2024 RUN: KARL ROVE
Recently re-elected Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel downplayed the GOP infighting when asked about Trump's recent comments.
"This is gonna happen. There will be a little back and forth over the next year, we'll get over it," the chairwoman said during an appearance on FOX Business Network.
DeSantis responded to the comment Tuesday, saying the 2022 midterm election results speak for themselves.Ā
"I roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles," the governor said. "The good thing about it is when you're an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions. You got to steer that ship."
"And the good thing is that the people are able to render a judgment on that, whether they re-elect you or not. And I'm happy to say, you know, in my case, not only did we win re-election, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has in the history of the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
Trump ramped up the attacks on DeSantis again on Wednesday, publicly blasting him on his Truth Social account.
"The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches. Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on āTesting.ā How quickly people forget!," Trump claimed in a recent post.
The former president also previously called DeSantis "Ron DeSanctimonious," but the governor remains unfazed by the comments.Ā
Although his recent comments suggest a brewing rivalry with DeSantis, Trump previously said that he did a great job as governor during the pandemic. "I have a lot of faith in Ron DeSantis to make the right decision, he's doing a great job as governor," Trump said on the podium of the White House press room when asked about DeSantis' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump is currently the only declared contender in the 2024 presidential election, making his official announcement in November 2022. The Florida Governor has not yet entered into the race, but is considered a leading contender for the GOP nomination.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-senators-desantis-defense-trump-disloyal
Trump calls DeSantis a 'RINO GLOBALIST' as verbal attacks heat up ahead of potential 2024 campaign showdown
Trump charges DeSantis is a āRINO,ā one day after the Florida governor clapped back at the former president
By Paul Steinhauser | Fox News Published February 1, 2023 10:51am EST
Former President Donald Trump fired a new shot at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday.
Trump, the only major Republican to date to launch a 2024 Republican presidential campaign, taking aim at DeSantis ā who if he jumps into the White House race later this year would instantly become Trumpās most formidable rival ā with a new accusation on social media.
"The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches. Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on āTesting.ā How quickly people forget!," Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social site.
And the latest string of verbal punches from Trump directed at the Florida governor may be followed by attack ads from a well-financed super PAC thatās aligned with the former president.
A source in the Florida governorās political orbit who requested anonymity to speak more freely, said Trump's attacks show that "itās pretty clear that Gov. DeSantis is living rent-free in Donald Trumpās head at this point."
The newest attack from Trump follows a barrage of blistering comments the former president made on Saturday, during the first major campaign swing of his third White House run.
TRUMP TAKES AIM AT POTENTIAL 2024 GOP RIVALS, SAYING HE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH āCOMPETITIONā
"If he runs, thatās fine. Iām way up in the polls. Heās going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run," Trump said in an AP interview in South Carolina, a crucial early voting state that holds the third contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
Trump once again pointed to his crucial support which helped then-Rep. DeSantis, an underdog at the time, capture the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2018 en-route to narrowly winning election as Florida governor.
"I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over," Trump said on Saturday.
The governor saw his popularity soar among conservatives across the country the past three years, courtesy of his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a conservative culture warrior going after media and corporations.
DeSantis routinely dismissed talk of a 2024 White House race for more than a year as he focused on his gubernatorial re-election. But heās dropped some hints the past three months of a possible presidential bid, starting with his re-election victory speech in November after he cruised to an historic 19-point win in Florida, a onetime battleground state.
The governor has already pushed legislation in the opening days of his second term that is popular with conservatives in Florida and nationwide. And, as Fox News first reported, he'll be releasing a memoir, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," later this month. Writing a book is a rite of passage for many potential and actual presidential candidates.
While Trump remains the most popular and influential politician in the GOP and arguably the partyās top fundraiser when it comes to energizing the grassroots, the first two and a half months of his latest White House bid have been anything but spectacular.
Political pundits from both the left and the right torched his campaign launch, and heās been criticized by Democrats and some Republicans for controversial actions and comments heās made during the past couple of months. In the wake of a lackluster performance by the GOP in the midterm elections ā when the party underperformed in what many expected to be a red wave election ā Trump has also been blamed for elevating polarizing Republican nominees who ended up losing in November.
While the former president remains the overall front-runner in the early 2024 GOP nomination polls, DeSantis has eclipsed him in some surveys, including a new poll last week in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the White House race.
DESANTIS TOPS TRUMP IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY STATE POLL
Trump, who last autumn nicknamed the Florida governor "Ron DeSanctimonious," took aim at DeSantis over the COVID crisis while speaking with reporters aboard his campaign plane en-route to South Carolina.
"There are Republican governors that did not close their states. Florida was closed for a long period of time." Trump said to reporters on Saturday. "They're trying to rewrite history."
Moar here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-calls-desantis-rino-globalist-verbal-attacks-heat-up-ahead-potential-2024-campaign-showdown
Donald Trump Is One Day Away From Leaving a Horseās Head in Ron DeSantisās Bed
The Florida governor dared to invoke Trumpās 2020 loss on Tuesday, a move that clearly did not go over well at Mar-a-Lago.
By Bess Levin February 1, 2023
Ron DeSantis has not yet announced he will run for president in 2024, but at least one person is extremely panicked at the prospect that he will, and that person is obviously Donald Trump. We know Trump is freaking out about the possibility of having to beat out DeSantis for the Republican nomination based on his remarks about the Florida governor over the last several months, which have included but have not been limited to: claiming DeSantis would have never been elected without his endorsement; saying he āsent in the FBIā to ensure DeSantis beat Democrat Andrew Gillum; busting out the nickname Ron āDeSanctimonious,ā telling reporters āIf [Ron] did run, I will tell you things about him that wonāt be very flatteringā; and suggesting heāll treat the governor to the ole Ted Cruz special, i.e., insulting his wife and implying one of his relatives was involved in the murder of an American icon. By contrast, heās apparently told Nikki Haley she should totally jump into the race.
For the most part, DeSantis has not responded to Trumpās comments, preferring instead to busy himself with banning an AP African American studies course and waging a war on transgender people. But on Tuesday, he decided to take a moment to hit back. Asked about Trumpās most recent criticism, the governor told reporters: āI roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles, itās been happening for many, many years. The good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that, whether they reelect you or not. And Iām happy to sayāyou know, in my caseānot only did we win reelection, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has [had] in the history of the state of Floridaā¦That verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida.ā
While Trump would undoubtedly bristle at any criticism whatsoever from DeSantis, whom he apparently believes owes him his political career, weāre assuming the pointed reference to the fact that the ex-president lost the 2020 electionāsomething he continues to refuse to admitāwill not go over well. (In his only public remarks re: Trump since the midterms, DeSantis said, of the ex-presidentās attacks: āOne of the things Iāve learned in this job is when youāre leading, when youāre getting things done, you take incoming fire. Thatās just the nature of it. Weāve focused on results and leadership, and at the end of the day, I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night.ā)
Hours after DeSantis spoke to reporters Tuesday, Trump took to Truth Social to post an old clip of the governor saying he aspired to be like Paul Ryan, the former House Speaker the ex-president dubbed a āweak RINOā and āpathetic loserā last year.
Ron Filipkowski šŗš¦ @RonFilipkowski "Trump posts a video tonight of a younger Ron Desantis saying he wants to be just like Paul Ryan."
If we know Trump, and unfortunately, we think we do, this is merely a prelude to what he has in store for Ron.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/ron-desantis-donald-trump-jabs
[RON]
[kek!]
3799
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Jan 28 2020 14:39:33 (EST)
You didn't think we highlighted 'Epstein' for no reason did you?
Those who were once protected are no longer.
Timing is EVERYTHING.
Hunters become PREY.
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