9/11 families released an ad criticizing Trump for hosting a Saudi golf tournament
Justice Department prosecutors are preparing a legal battle to compel White House aides and officials in the Donald Trump administration to testify in the ongoing investigation, people familiar with the matter said.
Aides to the former president could be asked to testify about their conversations and actions surrounding the January 6 uprising.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has confirmed that the department has no political backlash as a result of criminally charging him.
This comes at a time when Mr. Trump is preparing to welcome the hugely controversial LIV Golf Series to his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. Both he and his son Eric will join a pro-am round today.
The fact that the league is backed by Saudi money has upset the families of 9/11 victims who have long called on the US government to come clean about what it knows about Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the attacks.
In comments to ESPN, the former president called the attack “horrific” and said “no one has gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately.”
Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to sue CNN for calling him a liar and calling his baseless claims about the 2020 election a “big lie.”
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Rural Michigan sheriff still fights to overturn 2020 election and give Trump White House
In certain Republican precincts, the 2020 election never ended.
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf in rural Michigan is still struggling to prove that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the White House, even as the former president’s claims about the election have been debunked by conclusively by numerous failed lawsuits, expert analysis, recounts and statements from former Trump officials like Attorney General Bill Barr.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Mr. Leaf from pursuing Mr. Trump’s wild electoral claims. The sheriff has been suing the courts, requesting records and even assigning deputies to question local election officials. He is convinced that the vote counting machines malfunctioned or were corrupted to switch the votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.
Reuters looks fascinating piece in this quixotic effort.
Josh MarcusJuly 29, 2022 5:58 p.m
Will Donald Trump go to jail for using the presidential seal for personal reasons? Probably not
Donald Trump has a penchant for plastering the presidential stamp on all his golf properties.
He unveiled the famous eagle crest during the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV golf tournament, which was played at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday, and has also used the logo in the past, taking charge tee markers with stamp in another of his courses in Florida.
Using the seal to convey “a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the United States government” is actually against federal law and could result in a fine or up to six months in jail.
However, such punishments are rarely meted out and it seems unlikely that the Justice Department will prosecute Mr Trump for it, as it looks at a highly explosive case against the former president over the events of January 6.
Trump places the presidential seal on the golf club during the Saudi-backed tournament
Earlier this month, the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens for Accountability and Ethics asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to criminally investigate Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club over the use of the seal.
Josh MarcusJuly 29, 2022 5:41 p.m
Kevin McCarthy claims he does not “remember” speaking to Cassidy Hutchinson on January 6th
Andrew Feinberg of The Independent tells the story:
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has said he does not remember speaking to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, despite his sworn testimony attesting to the conversation.
During his weekly news conference on Friday, McCarthy was asked if he told him not to allow then-President Donald Trump to follow through on his promise to accompany a riotous crowd of his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol to pressure Congress not to certify Mr. Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
“I don’t remember talking to her that day…if I did talk to her, I don’t remember. If he was coming here, I don’t think he would want a lot of people coming to the Capitol. But I don’t remember the conversation,” he said.
Read the full story below:
Kevin McCarthy claims he does not “remember” speaking to Cassidy Hutchinson on January 6th
Ms. Hutchinson, a former White House aide, has said under oath that she received a “frustrated and angry” call from the GOP leader when a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 5:12 p.m
Democrats release video with names, faces and districts of every Republican voting against bill protecting veterans
The Democratic Party released a video on social media highlighting the names, faces and districts of all the Republicans who voted against a bill that would have provided protections and care to veterans who were exposed to toxins and other disease inducing conditions while serving overseas.
The video features the faces of well-known Republican lawmakers, including Senators Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, John Cornyn and Tom Cotton, who built their own political careers on their previous military service.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 4:50 p.m
Kellyanne Conway is back in the picture and holding meetings with Kevin McCarthy
GOP sources they are talking to CNN They claim that former adviser to Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, infamous for using the phrase “alternative facts” without any hint of irony, attended a meeting in the office of Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Several other Republican lawmakers attended the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to set policy goals for the party should Republicans regain the majority in 2022.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 4:15 p.m
Steve Bannon threatened to ‘break’ Jared Kushner ‘in half’ over leak allegations, book says
Donald Trump’s top adviser, Jared Kushner, said he was the recipient of threats and suspicions from Steve Bannon.
He described the “toxic” work environment in the Trump White House in a new book. Read more at the link below:
Bannon threatened to ‘break’ Jared Kushner ‘in half’ over leaks, book says
Mr. Kushner writes that Bannon threatened him on several occasions
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 3:57 p.m
Trump continues to use the presidential seal as his logo – read the story here
Trump places the presidential seal on the golf club during the Saudi-backed tournament
Earlier this month, the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens for Accountability and Ethics asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to criminally investigate Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club over the use of the seal.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 3:36 p.m
Jared Kushner reveals ‘toxic’ White House battles with Steve Bannon
Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner has published a new book in which he describes having a tumultuous working relationship with far-right Steve Bannon.
Kushner said Bannon accused him of trying to “undermine the president’s agenda” and allegedly threatened to “break” Kushner “in half” if he betrayed him.
Mr. Kushner’s book is called “Breaking History: A White House Memoir.”
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 3:06 p.m
Trump-endorsed candidates trail Democratic rivals
Candidates backed by Donald Trump are struggling to keep up with their rivals, new polls show.
Fox News polls show Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman, a Democrat, leading Dr. Mehmet Oz, backed by Trump, 47% to 36%. The race for governor in that state between Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano shows Shapiro leading by 50 percent to 40 percent.
Sen. Raphael Warnock also narrowly edges his Trump-endorsed challenger, Herschel Walker, 46 percent to 42 percent, though that’s within the polls’ margin of error.
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whom Trump is desperate to remove for failing to “find” more votes after the 2020 election, leads Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, 47 percent to 44 percent. This spread is within the polls’ margin of error.
While Mr. Trump did not explicitly endorse Ms. Abrams, he once said he would prefer her to the office over Mr. Kemp.
“… Of course he has [Ms Abrams]I think it might be better than having your current governor, if you want to know what I think. It could be better,” Trump told a crowd.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 2:37 p.m
Trump still uses the US presidential seal as his brand logo
Donald Trump was spotted using the US presidential seal on numerous items presented at the LIV golf tournament at his Bedminister golf course.
According to The Washington Post, participants in the Saudi-backed golf tournament toweled off and toured the course in golf carts emblazoned with the presidential seal.
This is illegal under US law. The presidential seal must not be used in any way that would give “a false impression of patronage or approval” by the government. Trump has been criticized before for using the seal as a logo on his golf resorts.
Gracious GraigJuly 29, 2022 1:21 p.m
