Five Key Takeaways From New Yorks $250m Lawsuit Against Trump And What It Means For 2024
11:15John Bowden
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a massive civil suit on Wednesday accusing Donald Trump and his adult children of artificially inflating the value of multiple business entities. The suit seeks to bar them from doing business in New York state, where the family made their bones for decades.
The extent and the detail of Mr Trumps actions, with the assistance of Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, were not known until now.
Eric Garcia breaks down the main takeaways from this new effort by state officials in New York to make Mr Trump answer for longstanding allegations of fraud.
Us House Of Representatives
Running for the U.S. House of Representatives again in 2000, he won the seat in after six-year incumbent opted to run for governor of Indiana. The 2nd district comprised all or portions of 19 counties in eastern Indiana. As a new congressman, Pence adopted the slogan he had used on the radio, describing himself as a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. While in Congress, Pence belonged to the .
In his first year in office, Pence opposed President s in 2001, as well as President Bushs in 2003. Pence was re-elected four more times by comfortable margins. In the , , and House elections, he defeated Democrat .
- : Foreign Affairs, Judiciary
In 2008, magazine listed Pence as one of the ten best members of Congress, writing that Pences unalloyed traditional conservatism has repeatedly pitted him against his party elders. Pence was mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for president in and . In September 2010, he was the top choice for president in a straw poll conducted by the . That same year, he was encouraged to run against incumbent Democratic senator , but opted not to enter the race, even after Bayh unexpectedly announced that he would retire.
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Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner
Formerly senior advisers to the president in the White House, the parents of three also relocated to Florida in January, settling in the Miami area. Ivanka, 39, has only been seen at one public event, volunteering at a food distribution site in Florida in March. Shes also remained quiet on social media, outside of sharing her COVID-19 vaccine picture in April.
Ivanka and her husband, 40, may also be awaiting renovations on the so-called Kushner cottage at her fathers Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, according to documents previously reviewed by PEOPLE. Some even expect her to run for office, though recent reports she might try to take Florida Sen. Marco Rubios seat were shot down.
Shes been spending a lot of quality time with her kids and her family, as well as settling into their new home and all that comes with it,a source recently told PEOPLE. Shes been really enjoying her time.
Kushner has also remained quiet in post-White House life, though per NBC is still involved in his real estate firm, Cadre. According to a source, he is busy developing mixed-use projects in Fort Lauderdale and Miami with his father, Charles, and is said to be working on a book while remaining involved in some of the Middle Eastern diplomacy he began under his father-in-law.
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Trump International Golf Links
Mr Trumps golf resort on the Menie estate in Aberdeenshire, in north-east Scotland, has long been the subject of controversy.
Two years ago, officials stripped the site of its special status as a nationally-important protected environment after a local government watchdog said the 18-hole course had partially destroyed the 4,000-year-old sand dunes it was built on. Trump International described the move as highly politicised.
According to Ms James legal complaint, the propertys value is grossly inflated.
She said its 2014 valuation at $327m relied in large part on an assumption that 2,500 homes could be developed on the 1,400-acre land.
But investigators are said to have learned the Trump Organization had received zoning approval six years earlier for fewer than 1,500 homes, most of which were only intended to be short-term holiday rentals.
The misleading figure more than tripled the value of the undeveloped land at Trump International Golf Links, the suit claims.
Additionally, the court document asserts that an earlier valuation of the undeveloped land in 2011 had relied solely on a Trump Organization executives email to Forbes Magazine, rather than a professional appraisal.
Where Is Donald Trump Now
Since the violent riots on Wednesday, Mr Trump has appeared twice, but only via Twitter.
He posted two videos, one on January 6 from the White House grounds, in which he called his supporters special.
In an abrupt change of pace the day after, he posted another video from the property and denounced the violence.
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Running Foror Serving Inoffice
Ronny Jackson
Trumpworld role: Physician to the president
What hes up to: Jackson is nowserving as the U.S. representative for Texass 13th Congressional District.
Pariah rating: 3. His abortive attempt to become the veteran affairs secretary in 2018 revealed that he was something of a loose cannon. During his time as White House physician, which encompassed both the Trump and Obama administrations, he allegedly provided a large supply of Percocet to someone in the White House Military Office, was abusive toward staff, wrecked a government car while driving intoxicated, and drunkenly banged on the hotel door of a female employee during an official trip. Though Jackson denied the allegations, the hubbub, along with concerns that he didnt have the experience to run the department, was enough to sink his nomination. But he went on to win his congressional race in November with 79.4 percent of the voteapparently the voters of northern Texas dont seem to be too bothered by the whole scandal.
Recent sign of life:
COVID positive illegals are being resettled into YOUR community and Joe Biden thinks you cant have a BBQ with your neighbor. Incredible!
Ronny Jackson
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Trumpworld role: White House press secretary
What shes up to: Sanders isrunning for governor of Arkansas.
Recent sign of life:
Thank you to my friend Bill Barnes and @MountainHarbor for hosting an amazing event on beautiful Lake Ouachita!
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Ryan Zinke
When Did Donald Trump’s Florida Home Get Searched
Trump said the FBI conducted a search on his Mar-a-Lago home on August 8, 2022.
“My beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in a statement, adding: “They even broke into my safe.”
A person familiar with the situation told CNN that investigators appeared to be focused on one area of the estate, particularly his office and personal quarters.
Trump’s son, Eric, said in a Fox News interview that “the purpose of the raid, from what they said, was because the National Archives wanted to, you know, corroborate whether or not Donald Trump had any documents in his possession.”
Trump’s attorney, Christina Bobb, told CNN the FBI had seized documents during their search.
Bobb told the outlet: “President Trump and his legal team have been cooperative with FBI and DOJ officials every step of the way.”
She continued: “The FBI did conduct an unannounced raid and seized paper.”
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Donald Trump Jr & Kimberly Guilfoyle
President Trumps eldest child, 43, and his girlfriend, 52, recently purchased a $9.7 million waterfront home in tony Jupiter, Florida, not far from Mar-a-Lago.
Of the former presidents children, Don Jr. has emerged in recent months as his most vocal surrogate on issues and reportedly remains involved in his political decisions.
Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa have five kids Donald Trump III, 12, Chloe, 6, Spencer, 8, Kai, 13, and Tristan, 9 and Guilfoyle shares a 14-year-old son, Ronan, with ex-husband Eric Villency.
The couple spent Easter with their children and President Trump at Mar-a-Lago and are active on social media, with Don Jr. continuing to push back at critics on Twitter. In mid-April, Guilfoyle announced she would be joining disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens campaign for the Senate.
So Many Trump Scandals So Little Time
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Outrage has steadily lost its power in American politics throughout the past few years. Among Donald Trumps many political weapons, his ability to brazen his way through scandals that would derail other politicians has long been perhaps his strongest asset. His signature move is to displace talk of one mind-blowing violation by committing yet another mind-blowing violationa habit that has now produced numerous investigations of him and once again led the former President to dominate our daily discourse. Its easy to forget about the last controversy because, with Trump, youre always onto the next one.
This past Tuesday, the Washington Postrevealed that Trump apparently left office with classified information about another countrys nuclear secrets and kept it at his Mar-a-Lago country club in an unsecured storeroom. Some of the classified documents that the F.B.I. found there were so secret that even many senior national-security officials were not cleared to have access to them, the Post reported. This, surely, is an outrage worth dwelling on. Yet, by Thursday, the Trump news cycle had moved on to reports of a new wave of federal grand-jury subpoenas into Trumps fund-raising operation after the 2020 election, in which his Save America PAC raised more than a hundred million dollars by spreading baseless lies about widespread voter fraud.
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Presidential Campaign And 2011 Hints At Presidential Run
In 2000, Trump ran in the California and Michigan primaries for nomination as the Reform Party candidate for the 2000 United States presidential election but withdrew from the race in February 2000. A July 1999 poll matching him against likely Republican nominee George W. Bush and likely Democratic nominee Al Gore showed Trump with seven percent support.
In 2011, Trump speculated about running against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, making his first speaking appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2011 and giving speeches in early primary states. In May 2011, he announced he would not run, and he endorsed Mitt Romney in February 2012. Trump’s presidential ambitions were generally not taken seriously at the time.
E Jean Carroll Defamation Suit
Carroll v. Trump, No. 20-cv-07311, 2020 WL 6277814 , appeal docketed, No. 20-03977
Plaintiff: E. Jean Carroll, a journalist and advice columnist
Case Summary: In 2019, Carroll publicly accused then-President Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York City department store in the 1990s. A few hours later, Trump denied Carrolls allegation and accused her of fabricating the story to drum up publicity for her upcoming book. Carroll then sued Trump for defamation in New York state court, alleging that Trump defamed her when he publicly accused her of falsifying the assault story.
After nearly a year of state court proceedingsand with Carrolls counsel angling to sample Trumps DNA for comparison with Carrolls dress from the alleged assaultthe Justice Department moved to intervene on Trumps behalf under the Federal Tort Claims Act . This move threatened to quash the suit. In effect, the FTCA provides blanket immunity to federal employees who commit certain tortsincluding defamationarising out of their official duties. According to the DOJ, the presidents official duties include speaking to the press about public matterswhich would mean that Trump had immunity from any defamatory statements he made about Carroll.
Case Status: In the SDNY proceedings, the parties filed opposing memoranda on Trumps motion to stay in December 2020.
Update-1: Carroll filed her brief on Apr. 16, 2021, urging the appeals court to uphold the decision below.
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What Has Trump Said
The former president has been vocal about the FBI search and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Following the release of the detailed inventory, his spokesman said at the raid had been a “smash and grab”.
Mr Trump has previously said the documents taken by the agents were “all declassified” and had been placed in “secure storage” – although the affidavit revealed that the justice department had warned Mr Trump his storage was not suitable for classified material.
Mr Trump also said he would have turned the files over if the justice department had asked for them.
However, the New York Times reported that the department had actively sought additional documents from Mr Trump in the spring that it believed may have been in his possession. It said it was not clear why the recovered files were not handed over at this time.
Mr Trump has also offered shifting explanations as to why the documents were at Mar-a-Lago. He has suggested that evidence may have been planted and insisted they were declassified.
It is questionable whether it matters – in a legal sense – whether the documents were declassified. More on this later.
What Will Happen Next
Judge Aileen M Cannon, a Trump appointee, is expected to rule on whether an independent legal official known as a special master should be appointed to review the seized evidence.
Mr Trump’s team has argued that a special master is needed because some of the materials are protected by executive privilege, which allows presidents to keep some communications a secret. The justice department, in turn, has argued that an independent arbiter is unnecessary as most of the evidence has already been inspected by investigators.
Judge Cannon has issued an order suggesting she will side with Mr Trump.
As the special master battle marches along in court, the investigation continues – including into areas the public might still not know about.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, has not been charged with wrongdoing. It remains unclear whether charges will be brought as a result of the investigation.
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Only About A Third Say The Us Considers Their Interests In Foreign Policy
Despite the sharp uptick in favorable views of the U.S. and its president in 2021, most people surveyed continue to say the U.S. doesnt take into account the interests of publics like theirs when making international policy decisions. Across the 16 publics, a median of 67% say the U.S. does not take their interests into account too much or at all, while only 34% say Washington considers their interests a great deal or fair amount.
Across the European countries surveyed, there is a fair amount of variation in this assessment. As few as 16% in Sweden say the U.S. considers Swedens interests when making foreign policy, but roughly half or more in Greece and Germany do. In Germany, this represents a 32 percentage point increase since 2018, when this question was last asked. Despite this uptick, replicated across many of the European nations surveyed in both years, majorities in the region say the U.S. does not consider their interests when making foreign policy decisions.
Asian-Pacific publics also tend to say Washington discounts their interests, including 85% among New Zealanders. Around seven-in-ten in Australia and South Korea, as well as 54% in Singapore, concur that the U.S. does not consider their interests when making foreign policy.
Still, the predominant sentiment, going back to 2002 when the question was first asked, is that the U.S. does not consider the interests of countries like theirs. The election of Joe Biden has not fundamentally changed that.
Why We Refer To The President As Mr
In February 2019, Scott Pelley sought to clarify any confusion as to why 60 Minutes referred to the President as Mr. Trump. Below is the transcript from that segment.
Some viewers objected to last Sundays story Investigating the President in which we referred to President Trump as Mr. Trump.
As longtime CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller wrote on several occasions over his decades covering the White House, No disrespect is intended, just the opposite It is CBS News practice to refer to the president and former presidents on second reference with the honorific Mister. Everyone else in the political universe is referred to only by their last names.
That goes for Putin and Pelosi, Pence and Pompeo. After identifying President Trump, we use Mr. Trump, or Mr. Bush, or Mr. Obama, on second reference as a sign of respect for the office.
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Does It Matter If The Documents Were Declassified
In a legal sense, probably not.
That’s because prosecutors are investigating three potential crimes. These are:
- Willful retention of national defence information
- Obstruction of federal investigation
- Concealment or removal of government records
Crucially, none of the three criminal laws in question actually depend on whether or not the files were declassified.
This means it is uncertain whether Mr Trump’s argument about declassification would hold up in court or even be considered relevant by a judge.
There are also elements of this story beyond declassification that could prove relevant. There are laws designed to prevent national security documents from being mishandled, for example, while the Presidential Records Act dictates that presidents risk committing a civil offence if official records are not preserved.
Favorable Views Of The Us Have Rebounded
In every place surveyed except New Zealand, around half or more have a favorable opinion of the U.S. Ratings are highest in South Korea, where 77% have positive views of the U.S., and around two-thirds or more in Japan, France and the UK say the same.
These broadly positive views reflect a sharp uptick since last summer, when ratings of the U.S. were at or near historic lows in most countries. For example, in Belgium, where only a quarter had favorable views of the U.S. last year, a 56% majority say the same today.
In France, the UK and Germany, positive views have increased even since this past November and December. Surveys in these three countries found tepid views of the U.S. last December after major media outlets had called the election for now-President Joe Biden but before his inauguration and the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by a mob of Trumps supporters. Evaluations ranged from 40% favorable in Germany to 51% in the UK. Today, positive views have increased by double digits in all three countries, with around six-in-ten or more in each of these countries now saying they view the U.S. favorably.
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