Trump fined and threatened with jail for violating fraud trial gag order: Live

The judge in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial has fined the former president $5,000 and threatened to throw him in jail for breaking a gag order he imposed in the first week of proceedings.

On 3 October, Judge Arthur Engoron banned Mr Trump from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of his court staff, after the former president made a post on Truth Social attacking his law clerk and levelling baseless claims against her.

He was ordered to take the post down, however, while he deleted the post from Truth Social it remained on his website. It has now been deleted.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Chesebro, Mr Trump’s former lawyer and the alleged architect of the “fake electors” plot to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia.

Jury selection began this morning for his trial, the first in the sprawling indictment against the former president and 18 co-defendants, which was scheduled for Monday. On Thursday, Sidney Powell, another of Mr Trump’s lawyers who worked to subvert the election, also pleaded guilty.

Both could now testify against the former president.

Key Points

• Trump fined $5,000 after post maligning court staffer found on campaign website

• Fulton County: Former Trump lawyer pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

• New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump during fraud trial

• Trump files appeal to gag order imposed by judge in federal election interference trial

• ‘Sounds like a plan’: Trump trolled for saying he’s ‘willing to go to jail for sake of democracy’

• Judge Chutkan grants in part special counsel request for Trump gag order

ICYMI: Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

09:00 , Alex Woodward

Sidney Powell is the latest Trumpworld figure to be publicly rejected by Donald Trump after she pleaded guilty to election interference charges in Georgia in a case with the former president at its centre.

This week’s surprise guilty pleas from Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro – the architect of a fraudulent scheme to replace state electors with Trump loyalists – appeared to have caught the former president off-guard, as two of the biggest names yet from his former inner circle agreed to cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors and testify in upcoming trials.

Their new roles as cooperating witnesses in Georgia’s sweeping criminal case targeting Mr Trump and a dozen others could pose a significant legal threat to the former president as he enters several criminal and civil proceedings while he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination.

More on Trump’s latest legal peril:

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

ICYMI: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

07:00 , Alex Woodward

The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has agreed to temporarily lift a narrow gag order on the former president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan had put the order in place to limit Mr Trump’s public statements about the federal criminal case, in which he is accused of illegally attempting to undo his 2020 loss.

The Friday ruling allows Mr Trump’s lawyers time to prove why his comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has more:

Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

GOP scrambles for House speaker as candidate deadline passes: ‘I don’t care, just pick someone’

03:00 , Alex Woodward

A fresh batch of Republicans in the House of Representatives put themselves forward for speaker as the noon deadline to enter the race passed on Sunday.

Frustrations are growing, even among leading Republicans, as the branch of Congress enters its third week without a Speaker of the House and in a state of legislative paralysis.

The Independent’s Ariana Baio has more on the chaos, just weeks away from another government shutdown:

GOP scrambles for House speaker as candidate deadline passes

Liz Cheney: Trump and his supporters are fuelling domestic threats against lawmakers during House Speaker chaos

02:00 , Alex Woodward

While Republican lawmakers scramble to vote for a new House Speaker three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy and repeatedly failing to rally around a successor, Liz Cheney is pinning the blame on the former speaker.

Mr McCarthy was “looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan,” she told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Mr Jordan was among the most prolific and vocal Republican lawmakers supporting efforts to overturn 2020 election results. He repeatedly failed this week to rally support among his GOP colleagues for House Speaker.

Domestic threats against lawmakers during the chaos are “absolutely being driven by Donald Trump and, unfortunately, some of his supporters,” she told CBS Face the Nation.

Trump, GOP candidates and Republican lawmakers don’t want Gaza refugees in the US

Monday 23 October 2023 00:00 , Alex Woodward

House Republicans and GOP candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination want the US to deny entry to Palestinians fleeing the crisis in Gaza, but decades-long international agreements have already complicated the resettlement process for many Palestinians, and the US does not intend to change course.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and are sheltering in the south of Gaza while others are stranded in its north following a barrage of Israeli strikes and a “complete siege” that has cut off food, water and fuel.

A group of House Republicans have introduced legislation to block them from coming into the US, and Donald Trump and other candidates for the Republican nomination in 2024 have pledge to reject them.

Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates reject Gaza refugees

Just in: Trump’s fraud trial faces one-day delay

Sunday 22 October 2023 23:08 , Alex Woodward

The fourth week of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will be delayed by at least one day due to Covid-19 exposures. The trial will pause on Monday and resume on Tuesday, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The trial is expected to hear testimony this week from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, a star witness for Ms James’s team. His testimony was delayed last week following an unrelated medical procedure.

Last week, Mr Trump was fined $5,000 for violating Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order that blocked all parties from disparaging court staff. Though he deleted a post on his Truth Social insulting a court clerk, which initially prompted the gag order, Mr Trump had kept a copy of the post on his website.

Liz Cheney could enter the race against Trump

Sunday 22 October 2023 22:00 , Alex Woodward

One of the GOP’s most prominent Trump critics could enter the race against him for the Republican nomination in 2024.

In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on 22 October, she described Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, as “the single most dangerous threat that we face” and pledged to spend the next year “helping to elect serious people, helping to elect sane people” from both parties.

She said she has not ruled out entering the race.

Liz Cheney admits she has not ruled out running for president

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

Sunday 22 October 2023 21:00 , Alex Woodward

Sidney Powell is the latest Trumpworld figure to be publicly rejected by Donald Trump after she pleaded guilty to election interference charges in Georgia in a case with the former president at its centre.

This week’s surprise guilty pleas from Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro – the architect of a fraudulent scheme to replace state electors with Trump loyalists – appeared to have caught the former president off-guard, as two of the biggest names yet from his former inner circle agreed to cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors and testify in upcoming trials.

Their new roles as cooperating witnesses in Georgia’s sweeping criminal case targeting Mr Trump and a dozen others could pose a significant legal threat to the former president as he enters several criminal and civil proceedings while he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination.

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

ICYMI: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Sunday 22 October 2023 20:00 , Alex Woodward

The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has agreed to temporarily lift a narrow gag order on the former president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan had put the order in place to limit Mr Trump’s public statements about the federal criminal case, in which he is accused of illegally attempting to undo his 2020 loss.

The Friday ruling allows Mr Trump’s lawyers time to prove why his comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has more:

Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

ICYMI: Ivanka Trump seeks to avoid testifying in her father’s New York fraud trial

Saturday 21 October 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ivanka Trump has asked the judge in her father’s New York civil fraud trial to quash a subpoena to compel her to testify in court.

The filing late on Thursday states that Ms Trump should not be put on the witness stand because she is no longer a defendant in the case concerning the dealings of the Trump Organization and also is no longer a New York City resident. She now resides in Miami, Florida, with her husband, Jared Kushner, and their children and has distanced herself from her father’s business and political ambitions since he left the White House in January 2021.

In making their argument, lawyers for Donald Trump’s elder daughter note that an intermediate appellate court dismissed her as a co-defendant in the case against the former president under the statute of limitations in June. Further, they say, New York Attorney General Letitia James missed the chance for her testimony because her office did not depose her,

Ivanka Trump seeks to avoid testifying in her father’s New York fraud trial

Law professor and former prosecutor says Chesebro guilty plea is ‘very bad news for Trump’

Saturday 21 October 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Randall Eliason, white collar crime professor at George Washington University Law School and former federal prosecutor, weighed in on the importance of the guilty plea by Donald Trump’s Fulton County co-defendant and former lawyer Kenneth Chesebro.

He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “A few important points about Chesebro’s guilty plea: it’s a felony; Trump is a named co-conspirator in the same charge; these fake elector allegations are also central to Jack Smith’s DC case; unlike Powell, Chesebro should be a very credible witness.”

He adds: “Very bad news for Trump.”

Chris Christie roasts Trump over GOP speaker debacle

Saturday 21 October 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former New Jersey Governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie mocked Donald Trump on Twitter on Friday afternoon following the third failure of Trump-endorsed Jim Jordan to win enough party votes to become Speaker of the House.

Mr Christie wrote: “This is what winning looks like with @realDonaldTrump.

“House Republicans in crisis. Trump’s handpicked candidate to be speaker defeated three times by his own party.

“Cherry on top? Trump spent the last three days in courtrooms and on golf courses. This is what his campaign is now.”

Anti-Trump group Republicans against Trump poked fun too:

Trump fined $5,000 after post maligning court staffer found on campaign website

Saturday 21 October 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.

Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in contempt, for now, but reserved the right to do so — and possibly even put him in jail — if he continued to violate a gag order barring parties in the case from personal attacks on court staff.

Engoron said in a written ruling that he is “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage,” but decided on a nominal fine because Trump’s lawyers said the website’s retention of the post was inadvertent and was a “first-time violation.”

Earlier, an incensed Engoron said the failure to delete the post from the website was a “blatant violation” of his 3 October order, which required Trump to delete the offending message.

Trump lawyer Christopher Kise blamed the “very large machine” of Trump’s presidential campaign for allowing his deleted social media post to remain on his website, calling it an unintentional oversight.

Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, wasn’t in court Friday. He’d returned to the trial on Tuesday and Wednesday after attending the first three days in early October but skipped the rest of the week.

Another day, another round of votes, another meeting in the House basement. And nothing is fixed.

Saturday 21 October 2023 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes from the Capitol:

For the longest time, the hard-right faction has refused whatever Republican leadership was begging them to take.

The radicals would spit out what the GOP would offer and ultimately, the Republicans would give them whatever they wanted as a means to acquire power or pass legislation. If that didn’t work, the House Republicans would eventually relent and ask the Democrats to bail them out.

The roles are now reversed in that the hard right wants power and they are on bended knee asking for establishment Republicans — by no means moderate but who still understand governing to recognize the radicals would be a disaster for governance — to give them power.

Read the full article...

Trump on trial: Friday in court at former president’s New York fraud trial

Saturday 21 October 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In addition to Donald Trump — though not present in court — receiving a stern rebuke, $5,000 fine and threat of jail time from Judge Arthur Engoron, the civil fraud trial of the former president proceeded with further testimony at the New York Superior Court in Lower Manhattan, closing out week three.

David McArdle of Cushman & Wakefield, who conducted multiple appraisals for the Trump Organization, concluded his testimony early in the day having been on the stand for much of Thursday.

Next up on the witness stand was Raymond Flores, formerly a vice president of acquisitions and development for the Trump Organization. He was questioned by Andrew Amer of the New York Attorney General’s Office.

Mr Flores says he was involved in reviewing Trump’s statement of financial condition for 2020. At the heart of the case is the NYAG’s contention that these documents were falsified to boost Mr Trump’s net worth and used to gain more favourable financing terms.

While he confirms that he worked on Trump’s 2020 statement, Mr Flores says he doesn’t remember much about it, or if he worked on the statement for 2021. He also says he doesn’t remember a call Amer asked about where valuation methods were discussed.

Amer then turned to work Mr Flores performed involving Trump’s golf courses. However, the former Trump employee repeatedly says he doesn’t recall discussing valuation methods the company used for these properties while he was employed at the company.

Mr Flores was also asked about the 2020 valuation of the Niketown building on 57th Street in Manhattan of which Trump owns a ground lease.

He continues to say that he does not recall.

Court resumes at 10am on Monday.

Mar-A-Lago: ‘The most expensive house, probably, in the world’ claims Trump

Saturday 21 October 2023 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump likes to toss around eye-watering sums when estimating the value of his Florida private club Mar-a-Lago — often in the same sentence.

“The house is worth a billion, a billion and a half, $750m,” Mr Trump said in meandering remarks outside his civil fraud trial in New York on Tuesday.

It was “the most expensive house, probably, in the world,” he added.

The true value of Mar-a-Lago has been a hotly contested subject ever since Mr Trump was ruled to have fraudulently inflated the value of his commercial and residential properties from New York to Florida in order to deceive banks and officials to claim favourable tax and insurance rates.

According to public Palm Beach property records, Mar-a-Lago was valued at $37m as of 1 January 2023, up from $31m a year before.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Trump calls Mar-A-Lago ‘the most expensive house, probably, in the world’

ICYMI: New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump

Saturday 21 October 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A woman identified as an employee of New York’s court system was arrested after approaching the front of a courtroom and calling out for Donald Trump during the 12th day of a civil trial alleging the former president and his business empire fraudulently inflated his net worth and assets for years.

The woman, whose name had not yet been released, “disrupted” the hearing on 18 October after approaching the defence table where Mr Trump was seated with his attorneys, according to a statement from a New York courts spokesperson shared with The Independent.

She began “yelling out to Mr Trump indicating she wanted to assist him,” according to the statement.

Alex Woodward has the story.

New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump during fraud trial

Texas city settles ‘Trump Train’ lawsuit

Saturday 21 October 2023 11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A 2021 lawsuit involving a “Trump Train” of motorists swarming a Biden campaign bus during the 2020 elections has been settled by the San Marcos city of Texas.

The lawsuit was filed against the City of San Marcos over the handling of the incident which the complainants said was harassment, intimidation, and heckling of Biden-Harris campaign supporters.

Campaign staff, volunteers, and former state senator Wendy Davis filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the city for not providing assistance or a police escort when their bus became encircled by a pro-Trump caravan on Interstate 35.

The legal action contended that, during the highway encounter, San Marcos Police Department personnel responded with laughter and jest when asked for assistance.

Shweta Sharma has the details.

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled

After Biden wartime trip, Trump says he too ‘may’ also visit Israel

Saturday 21 October 2023 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has now suggested that he could also travel to Israel following President Joe Biden’s historic wartime visit on Wednesday.

The former president spoke to reporters during a break in his New York civil fraud trial on Wednesday – a case that threatens to topple his business empire in the Big Apple and land him with $250m in financial penalties.

“If I was president, Israel would not have been attacked. It was visually attacked. It would not have been attacked,” he said.

“Ukraine would not have been attacked. You take a look at what’s going on throughout the world. The world right now is a mess, it’s a mess. And it’s a very sad day.”

When asked if he plans to head to Israel, Mr Trump replied: “I may. I may go, I may go.”

Rachel Sharp has the story.

ICYMI: Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Saturday 21 October 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Sidney Powell, charged in connection with a sweeping criminal case tied to Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, has pleaded guilty under an arrangement with prosecutors ahead of a closely watched trial set to begin in coming days.

Ms Powell – among Trump-linked attorneys who launched a spurious, failed legal campaign to overturn election results – was accused of playing a central role in an effort to seize voting machines in the volatile aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021.

A trial for Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro was set to begin on 20 October.

Alex Woodward reports.

Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

NY fraud trial: Trump attorney forced to apologise for being rude to female lawyers

Saturday 21 October 2023 08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

An attorney for Donald Trump has been forced to apologise to two female lawyers for his “disrespectful” behaviour in court during the former president’s high-profile civil fraud trial.

Chris Kise was chastised by New York Superior Court Judge Arthur Engoron on Thursday, following a heated and partially audible exchange during a sidebar in proceedings.

According to Law360, Mr Kise “brushed off” the judge’s principal law clerk Allison Greenfield, and questioned the intelligence of the attorney general’s counsel Colleen Faherty.

Sources familiar with the sidebar said Mr Kise told Ms Greenfield that he only wished to speak to the judge – not her – and said he “wasn’t surprised” that Ms Faherty was not able to “connect the dots” on an issue they were discussing, Law360 reported.

Such off-the-record sidebars usually take place out of earshot of other members of the courtroom, however Ms Faherty reportedly told Mr Kise to “be more respectful” loud enough for those inside the room to hear.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Trump attorney forced to apologise for being rude to female lawyers

‘Not above the law’: DoJ calls to dismiss Trump’s bid for immunity

Saturday 21 October 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

US prosecutors told a federal judge that Donald Trump is “not above the law” as they urged the dismissal of the former president’s efforts to have charges of conspiring to subvert the 2020 presidential election rejected.”

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team submitted a 54-page filing after Trump’s legal team moved to request the dismissal of four felony charges against him in Washington, DC, arguing that he should enjoy presidential “immunity”.

“The defendant is not above the law. He is subject to the federal criminal laws like more than 330 million other Americans, including members of Congress, federal judges, and everyday citizens,” wrote assistant special counsel James Pearce.

The filing argued that legal principles, historical evidence and compelling policy considerations support the idea that once former presidents exit office, they become liable to federal criminal prosecution just like other Americans.

Continued...

Full Story: Trump-allied attorney Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Saturday 21 October 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Kenneth Chesebro, the architect of the so-called “alternate” elector plot to overturn 2020 presidential election results in states that Donald Trump lost, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in a sprawling Georgia case accusing the former president of joining a criminal enterprise to subvert the state’s election outcome.

The Trump-allied attorney was set to be tried separately from 16 other defendants in the case along with Sidney Powell, who reached a plea deal with Fulton County prosecutors on 19 October, just one day before jury selection.

Mr Chesebro entered a plea in a Fulton County courtroom in Atlanta on 20 October.

He has pleaded guilty to one felony: conspiracy to commit filing false documents, the fraudulent electoral college certification for Georgia’s election results performed in coordination with Mr Trump’s campaign, according to prosecutors.

Alex Woodward reports.

Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Profile: Jim Jordan — Trump’s ousted choice for Speaker of the House

Saturday 21 October 2023 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Early in the morning of 6 October, former president Donald Trump threw his support behind Rep Jim Jordan in the race to become speaker of the House. The endorsement was not entirely surprising given Mr Jordan, an Ohio congressman, occupied the same lane in the House of Representatives that Mr Trump has as a presidential candidate and president – as an expression of conservatives who were dissatisfied with Republican leadership and a candidate who channelled their rage.

Mr Jordan is now out as the nominated speaker of the House Republicans after losing an internal ballot by a large margin. According to Rep Kat Cammack, Mr Jordan lost by 112 votes to 86.

This comes after Mr Jordan lost further support on the third ballot of the full house. On the first vote, 20 Republicans voted against Mr Jordan, 22 did so on the second, and 25 on the third. Mr McCarthy took 15 rounds of voting before he managed to get across the line in January.

Acting Speaker Rep Patrick McHenry said on Friday afternoon said Republicans will return on Monday for a candidate forum following the removal of Mr Jordan.

The “election process” will then begin on Tuesday morning, he added.

Continued...

Who is Jim Jordan, Trump’s ousted choice for Speaker of the House?

Trump fined and threatened with jail time for ‘blatant’ violation of gag order

Saturday 21 October 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial hit the former president with a $5,000 fine after threatening to throw him in jail for breaking the gag order in the case.

Back on 3 October, Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a gag order on Mr Trump after he made a post on his Truth Social site doxing and disparaging his law clerk.

Mr Trump was ordered to delete the post and was placed under a limited gag order over any future related posts or comments.

Under the order, the former president is banned from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of the judge’s court staff.

Read Marth McHardy’s full report.

Trump continues to dominate GOP primary as he settles into new role: Defendant

Saturday 21 October 2023 01:45 , AP

After turns as a real estate magnate, a New York tabloid mainstay, a reality TV star and president of the United States, Donald Trump is settling into a new role: defendant.

The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination spent two days this week in a Manhattan courtroom where a civil fraud trial is unfolding. Trump is accused of grossly inflating his net worth and the value of marquee assets on paperwork used to secure financing and make deals.

In the courtroom, Trump is often subdued, sitting between his lawyers and staring straight ahead with a scowl as he studiously ignores his adversary, New York Attorney General Letitia James. But when he steps into the hallway where a phalanx of TV cameras awaits, Trump transforms into his familiar political persona, eager to spin the proceedings in his favour.

“If I wasn’t here, probably — maybe — people wouldn’t see the facts the way they are,” Trump said during one of his swings before the cameras on Wednesday.

Trump, who also attended portions of the civil trial earlier this month, is under no legal obligation to attend the proceedings. But in a preview of how he’ll likely approach the more serious criminal trials that will begin in the coming months, Trump uses the appearances as an extension of his presidential campaign, betting he can shape perceptions and portray himself as a political leader under attack.

Read more...

Trump dominates GOP primary and settles into new role: Defendant

Ivanka Trump seeks to avoid testifying in her father’s New York fraud trial

Saturday 21 October 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ivanka Trump has asked the judge in her father’s New York civil fraud trial to quash a subpoena to compel her to testify in court.

The filing late on Thursday states that Ms Trump should not be put on the witness stand because she is no longer a defendant in the case concerning the dealings of the Trump Organization and also is no longer a New York City resident. She now resides in Miami, Florida, with her husband, Jared Kushner, and their children and has distanced herself from her father’s business and political ambitions since he left the White House in January 2021.

In making their argument, lawyers for Donald Trump’s elder daughter note that an intermediate appellate court dismissed her as a co-defendant in the case against the former president under the statute of limitations in June. Further, they say, New York Attorney General Letitia James missed their chance for her testimony because they did not depose her,

Continued...

Ivanka Trump seeks to avoid testifying in her father’s New York fraud trial

Saturday 21 October 2023 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Watch: McCarthy ‘concerned where we go’ after party dumps Jim Jordan

Friday 20 October 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy spoke to reporters after Republican lawmakers voted to move on from Rep Jim Jordan’s Speaker candidacy: “I’ve never seen this amount of damage done to just a few people for their own personalities, for their own fear of what’s going through…I’m concerned about where we go from here.”

Law professor and former prosecutor says Chesebro guilty plea is ‘very bad news for Trump’

Friday 20 October 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Randall Eliason, white collar crime professor at George Washington University Law School and former federal prosecutor, weighed in on the importance of the guilty plea by Donald Trump’s Fulton County co-defendant and former lawyer Kenneth Chesebro.

He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “A few important points about Chesebro’s guilty plea: it’s a felony; Trump is a named co-conspirator in the same charge; these fake elector allegations are also central to Jack Smith’s DC case; unlike Powell, Chesebro should be a very credible witness.”

He adds: “Very bad news for Trump.”

Friday 20 October 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump asks for stay pending appeal of limited gag order in DC election interference case

Friday 20 October 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has asked for a stay pending an appeal of the limited gag order issued by Judge Tanya Chutkan in the federal election interference case brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

You can read the 33-page filing by Trump attorney John Lauro here, and here is our reporting on the gag order:

Judge issues partial gag order against Trump in federal Jan 6 case

Chris Christie mocks Trump over GOP speaker debacle

Friday 20 October 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former New Jersey Governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie mocked Donald Trump on Twitter on Friday afternoon following the third failure of Trump-endorsed Jim Jordan to win enough party votes to become Speaker of the House.

Mr Christie wrote: “This is what winning looks like with @realDonaldTrump.

“House Republicans in crisis. Trump’s handpicked candidate to be speaker defeated three times by his own party.

“Cherry on top? Trump spent the last three days in courtrooms and on golf courses. This is what his campaign is now.”

Another day, another round of votes, another meeting in the House basement. And nothing is fixed.

Friday 20 October 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

For the longest time, the hard-right faction has refused whatever Republican leadership was begging them to take.

The radicals would spit out what the GOP would offer and ultimately, the Republicans would give them whatever they wanted as a means to acquire power or pass legislation. If that didn’t work, the House Republicans would eventually relent and ask the Democrats to bail them out.

The roles are now reversed in that the hard right wants power and they are on bended knee asking for establishment Republicans — by no means moderate but who still understand governing to recognize the radicals would be a disaster for governance — to give them power.

Read the full article...

Full story: House GOP dumps Jim Jordan as speaker nominee to consider other candidates

Friday 20 October 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia report from Capitol Hill:

House Republicans have cast aside Ohio congressman Jim Jordan as the party’s pick to be the next Speaker of the House after he failed to gain support from a majority of the chamber on three separate ballots this past week.

Mr Jordan, a right-wing firebrand whose history of bomb-throwing and obstruction made his brand too toxic for a critical mass of moderate Republicans to stomach him as a replacement for former speaker Kevin McCarthy, lost a secret ballot election during a GOP conference meeting on Friday.

His candidacy for the speakership had been opposed by more than a dozen members on a first vote in the House chamber on Tuesday, with the ranks of his opponents growing on two subsequent roll-call votes, even as members who voted against him — and their staffers and family members — received abuse and death threats from people claiming to support Mr Jordan.

Earlier in the day, Mr Jordan once again failed to win a majority of the votes to become speaker of the House, with three Republicans from swing districts voting against him.

Continued...

House GOP dumps Jim Jordan as speaker nominee to consider other candidates

Trump on trial: Today in court at former president’s New York fraud trial

Friday 20 October 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

In addition to Donald Trump — though not present in court — receiving a stern rebuke, $5,000 fine and threat of jail time from Judge Arthur Engoron, the civil fraud trial of the former president proceeded with further testimony at the New York Superior Court in Lower Manhattan, closing out week three.

David McArdle of Cushman & Wakefield, who conducted multiple appraisals for the Trump Organization, concluded his testimony early in the day having been on the stand for much of Thursday.

Next up on the witness stand was Raymond Flores, formerly a vice president of acquisitions and development for the Trump Organization. He was questioned by Andrew Amer of the New York Attorney General’s Office.

Mr Flores says he was involved in reviewing Trump’s statement of financial condition for 2020. At the heart of the case is the NYAG’s contention that these documents were falsified to boost Mr Trump’s net worth and used to gain more favourable financing terms.

While he confirms that he worked on Trump’s 2020 statement, Mr Flores says he doesn’t remember much about it, or if he worked on the statement for 2021. He also says he doesn’t remember a call Amer asked about where valuation methods were discussed.

Amer then turned to work Mr Flores performed involving Trump’s golf courses. However, the former Trump employee repeatedly says he doesn’t recall discussing valuation methods the company used for these properties while he was employed at the company.

Mr Flores was also asked about the 2020 valuation of the Niketown building on 57th Street in Manhattan of which Trump owns a ground lease.

He continues to say that he does not recall.

Court resumes at 10am on Monday.

Trump dominates GOP primary and settles into new role: Defendant

Friday 20 October 2023 21:00 , AP

After turns as a real estate magnate, a New York tabloid mainstay, a reality TV star and president of the United States, Donald Trump is settling into a new role: defendant.

The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination spent two days this week in a Manhattan courtroom where a civil fraud trial is unfolding. Trump is accused of grossly inflating his net worth and the value of marquee assets on paperwork used to secure financing and make deals.

In the courtroom, Trump is often subdued, sitting between his lawyers and staring straight ahead with a scowl as he studiously ignores his adversary, New York Attorney General Letitia James. But when he steps into the hallway where a phalanx of TV cameras awaits, Trump transforms into his familiar political persona, eager to spin the proceedings in his favour.

“If I wasn’t here, probably — maybe — people wouldn’t see the facts the way they are,” Trump said during one of his swings before the cameras on Wednesday.

Trump, who also attended portions of the civil trial earlier this month, is under no legal obligation to attend the proceedings. But in a preview of how he’ll likely approach the more serious criminal trials that will begin in the coming months, Trump uses the appearances as an extension of his presidential campaign, betting he can shape perceptions and portray himself as a political leader under attack.

Continued...

Trump dominates GOP primary and settles into new role: Defendant

Fox News analyst showers praise on Biden’s Israel speech

Friday 20 October 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume has lavished praise on Joe Biden for his speech on Thursday evening where he pledged his support for Israel amid growing tensions between the country and militant group Hamas.

“I think it may be remembered as one of the best, if not the best speeches (sic) of his presidency,” Mr Hume said during Fox’s special coverage of the president’s address. “He was firm, he was unequivocal, he was strong, as he has been — particularly in recent days before he went to Israel, and while he was over there.”

During his prime-time address, Mr Biden asserted the United States’s vital role in global security and pledged his support for both Israel and Ukraine.

He also called for a $100bn package to help both Israel and Ukraine defend themselves and to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza

Martha McHardy has the full story here.

Read Judge Engoron’s order fining Trump for violating gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Breaking: Trump fined $5,000 after post maligning court staffer found on campaign website

Friday 20 October 2023 20:30 , AP

Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.

Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in contempt, for now, but reserved the right to do so — and possibly even put him in jail — if he continued to violate a gag order barring parties in the case from personal attacks on court staff.

Engoron said in a written ruling that he is “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage,” but decided on a nominal fine because Trump’s lawyers said the website’s retention of the post was inadvertent and was a “first-time violation.”

Earlier, an incensed Engoron said the failure to delete the post from the website was a “blatant violation” of his 3 October order, which required Trump to delete the offending message.

Trump lawyer Christopher Kise blamed the “very large machine” of Trump’s presidential campaign for allowing his deleted social media post to remain on his website, calling it an unintentional oversight.

Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, wasn’t in court Friday. He’d returned to the trial on Tuesday and Wednesday after attending the first three days in early October but skipped the rest of the week.

Which 25 Republicans took down Jim Jordan on third speaker vote?

Friday 20 October 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep Jim Jordan lost further support on the third ballot in his bid for House speaker, with the number of Republicans voting against him increasing to 25.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy took to the floor of the House on Friday to nominate Mr Jordan as his replacement as the third vote on his speakership bid got underway.

“Jim Jordan is an effective legislator. To legislate is about more than the name on the bill,” he said. “It’s about reaching compromise and working long hours. Behind the scenes to get the job done.”

Mr Jordan held a short press conference on Friday morning, lasting only about 10 minutes and taking few questions from reporters.

“Between the first one and the second vote, you all said we’re gonna lose 10, 15 votes,” Mr Jordan told the press. “We picked up a few we lost a few. I think the ones we lost can come back. So look, there’s been multiple rounds of votes for speaker before.”

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC:

Who are the 25 Republicans who took down Jim Jordan on third ballot?

Ivanka Trump tries to avoid testifying at father’s fraud trial

Friday 20 October 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ivanka Trump has asked the judge in her father’s New York civil fraud trial to quash a subpoena to compel her testimony in court.

The filing late on Thursday states that Ms Trump is no longer a defendant in the case, nor is she a New York City resident.

Lawyers for Donald Trump’s eldest daughter note that an intermediate appellate court dismissed her as a co-defendant in the case against the former president under the statute of limitations in June.

Further, New York State Attorney General Letitia James did not depose Ms Trump, who has distanced herself from her father’s business and political ambitions since he left the White House in January 2021.

She now resides in Miami, Florida with her husband Jared Kushner and their children.

“Trial subpoenas are not a means for parties to get discovery, which they failed to obtain during pretrial proceedings,” Ms Trump’s attorney, Bennet Moskowitz, wrote in the 12-page filing.

“The NYAG, which never deposed Ms Trump, is effectively trying to force her back into this case from which she was dismissed by a unanimous decision of the Appellate Division, First Department. Ms. Trump is not a party in this action. Nor is Ms Trump a New York resident. It is black-letter law that, given those two facts, Ms Trump is beyond the jurisdiction of this Court,” he added.

During the first three weeks of trial testimony and evidence, Ms Trump’s penthouse in her father’s property Trump Park Avenue was brought up.

In 2011, she signed a rental agreement with an option to buy a penthouse at the property. , In her memoir, The Trump Card, she claimed she “didn’t benefit from an insider price” and paid market value for the property.

The New York attorney general’s case states that Ms Trump had an option to buy the penthouse for $8.5m, but the Trump Organization’s financial statements valued the unit at $20.82m.

Trump ‘not above the law’ says DOJ in call to dismiss his bid for immunity

Friday 20 October 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

US prosecutors told a federal judge that Donald Trump is “not above the law” as they urged the dismissal of the former president’s efforts to have charges of conspiring to subvert the 2020 presidential election rejected.”

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team submitted a 54-page filing after Trump’s legal team moved to request the dismissal of four felony charges against him in Washington, DC, arguing that he should enjoy presidential “immunity”.

“The defendant is not above the law. He is subject to the federal criminal laws like more than 330 million other Americans, including members of Congress, federal judges, and everyday citizens,” wrote assistant special counsel James Pearce.

Shweta Sharma reports:

DoJ calls to dismiss Trump’s bid for immunity: ‘Not above the law’

Earlier: Trump threatened with jail time for ‘blatant’ violation of gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 19:16 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial has threatened to throw the former president in jail for breaking the gag order in the case.

Back on 3 October, Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a gag order on Mr Trump after he made a post on his Truth Social site doxing and disparaging his law clerk.

Mr Trump was ordered to delete the post and was placed under a limited gag order over any future related posts or comments.

Under the order, the former president is banned from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of the judge’s court staff.

While the former president complied by deleting the post from Truth Social, Meidas Touch reported on Thursday that he kept a screenshot of the identical post up on his website – meaning he possibly violated the gag order.

Read Martha McHardy’s full report.

Jim Jordan out of race to be speaker

Friday 20 October 2023 19:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump-endorsed Rep Jim Jordan is out of the race to be Speaker of the House after three failed floor votes. Republican lawmakers held a secret ballot which the Ohio congressman lost 112-86.

A candidate forum will now be held at 6.30pm on Monday.

There has been no Speaker for 17 days.

Trump fraud trial lawyer forced to apologise for being rude to female lawyers

Friday 20 October 2023 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

An attorney for Donald Trump has been forced to apologise to two female lawyers for his “disrespectful” behaviour in court during the former president’s high-profile civil fraud trial.

Chris Kise was chastised by New York Superior Court Judge Arthur Engoron on Thursday, following a heated and partially audible exchange during a sidebar in proceedings.

According to Law360, Mr Kise “brushed off” the judge’s principal law clerk Allison Greenfield, and questioned the intelligence of the attorney general’s counsel Colleen Faherty.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Trump attorney forced to apologise for being rude to female lawyers

Trump-backed Jim Jordan continues to lose votes in third bid for House speaker

Friday 20 October 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The Independent’s Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill:

Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed once again in his attempt to become speaker of the House on Friday, after he staged a third vote with 25 Republicans voting against him.

Mr Jordan said in an early morning press conference on Friday morning that he would continue his pursuit of the speakership.

“There’s been multiple rounds of votes for speaker before,” he told reporters before the vote. “We all know that. I just know that we need to get the speaker as soon as possible.”

But Mr Jordan lost the votes of Reps Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Tom Kean (R-NJ). Many of the Republicans who defected voted instead for Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry. In addition, some Republicans were absent and missed the vote, lowering the threshold of votes needed to block him.

Rep Ralph Norman (R-SC) told The Independent the House should have as many votes as it takes to make Mr Jordan speaker.

Continue reading...

Jim Jordan continues to lose votes in third bid for House speaker

Full story: Trump-allied attorney Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Friday 20 October 2023 18:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Kenneth Chesebro, the architect of the so-called “alternate” elector plot to overturn 2020 presidential election results in states that Donald Trump lost, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in a sprawling Georgia case accusing the former president of joining a criminal enterprise to subvert the state’s election outcome.

The Trump-allied attorney was set to be tried separately from 16 other defendants in the case along with Sidney Powell, who reached a plea deal with Fulton County prosecutors on 19 October, just one day before jury selection.

Mr Chesebro entered a plea in a Fulton County courtroom in Atlanta just after midday.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Friday 20 October 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Chesebro is the third co-defendant to plead guilty after Sidney Powell and Scott Hall.

Friday 20 October 2023 17:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Kenneth Chesebro’s plea includes a felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents.He was sentenced to five years of probation, a $5,000 fine in restitution to the state, and 100 days of community service. He has also agreed to testify in any other connected case and write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia.

Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro strikes plea deal with Fulton County prosecutors

Friday 20 October 2023 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Kenneth Chesebro, former lawyer to Donald Trump and alleged architect of the “fake electors” plot, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia.

‘Maga American’ tells Jamie Raskin God gave him cancer as punishment

Friday 20 October 2023 16:40 , Rachel Sharp

Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin had an unpleasant encounter with a MAGA supporter following the failed House speaker vote on Tuesday.

During a round of press interviews outside Congress, the Maryland congressman was approached by a man who allegedly described himself as a “Maga American”.

The man told Mr Raskin, who is battling lymphoma, that God had punished him by giving him cancer.

The man also allegedly told Mr Raskin he was on the “wrong side of history“ and should “repent,” before walking off.

Mr Raskin had a lighthearted response to the man’s remarks, telling a group of journalists: “Welcome to my world.”

Mr Raskin previously revealed that he was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2022.

WATCH: Moment Trump says he ‘may’ go to Israel amid Hamas war

Friday 20 October 2023 16:20 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump attacks Biden’s ‘incompetence and weakness’ ahead of address to nation

Friday 20 October 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has attacked Joe Biden’s “deadly combination of incompetence, radicalism and weakness” ahead of the president’s address to the nation to discuss the US response to the Hamas “terrorist attacks” against Israel and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

A scathing statement put out by the Trump campaign on Thursday said that Mr Biden was responsible for the “horrific catastrophes” taking place around the world, and said his credibility was “shot”.

The president’s speech comes less than a day after he visited Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet 10 days after terror attacks by Hamas left more than 1,000 Israelis dead and hundreds of hostages taken captive by the militant group.

Read the story here:

Trump attacks Biden’s ‘incompetence and weakness’ ahead of presidential address

Judge threatens to throw Trump in jail for breaking gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 15:43 , Rachel Sharp

The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial has threatened to throw the former president in jail for breaking the gag order in the case.

On 3 October, Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the order banning the former president from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of his court staff, after Mr Trump made a post on Truth Social attacking his law clerk and levelling baseless claims against her.

He was ordered to take the post down.

But, Meidas Touch reported that while he deleted the post from Truth Social it remained on his website. The post has now been deleted following the report.

In court this morning, the judge accused Mr Trump of “blatantly” breaking the gag order and threatened him with jail time.

“In the current overheated climate, incendiary comments can and in some cases already has, led to serious physical harm and worse. I will now allow the defendants to explain why this blatant violation of the gag order would not result in serious sanctions, including financial sanctions and/or possibly imprisoning him,” the judge said, reported The Daily Beast.

Trump claims he’s too busy to campaign...

Friday 20 October 2023 15:40 , Rachel Sharp

DoJ calls to dismiss Trump’s bid for immunity, insisting he is ‘not above the law’

Friday 20 October 2023 15:20 , Rachel Sharp

US prosecutors told a federal judge that Donald Trump is “not above the law” as they urged the dismissal of the former president’s efforts to have charges of conspiring to subvert the 2020 presidential election rejected.”

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team submitted a 54-page filing after Trump’s legal team moved to request the dismissal of four felony charges against him in Washington, DC, arguing that he should enjoy presidential “immunity”.

“The defendant is not above the law. He is subject to the federal criminal laws like more than 330 million other Americans, including members of Congress, federal judges, and everyday citizens,” wrote assistant special counsel James Pearce.

The filing argued that legal principles, historical evidence and compelling policy considerations support the idea that once former presidents exit office, they become liable to federal criminal prosecution just like other Americans.

Read on...

DoJ calls to dismiss Trump’s bid for immunity: ‘Not above the law’

Donald Trump may have just violated his gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 14:53 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump may have just violated the gag order imposed on him by the judge in his New York civil fraud trial, where he is accused of inflating the value of his business empire by more than $2bn.

The judge in the case imposed a gag order on Mr Trump back on 3 October after he made a post on his Truth Social site doxing and disparaging his law clerk.

Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Mr Trump to delete the post and imposed a limited gag order from any future related posts or comments.

Under the order, the former president is banned from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of the judge’s court staff.

While the former president complied by deleting the post from Truth Social, Meidas Touch reported that he kept a screen shot of the identical post up on his website – meaning he possibly violated the gag order.

Read the full story here:

Donald Trump may have just violated his gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 13:50 , Oliver O'Connell

After lunch, Mr McArdle returned to the stand, still on direct examination.

In a 2014 email, Mr McArdle sends the draft final appraisal report to Trump outside counsel. This sparks an objection from the defence team.

“The witness can answer that he did the appraisal and what the [value] was, but this document is full of hearsay,” the defence contests.

“It’s in, except for the truth of its contents,” Judge Engoron says saying to move in.

It appears that the final value of the golf club was closer to $43m. After Mr McArdle sent over the draft final appraisal report to Trump counsel, he said: “Things went rather silent.”

The report was never finalised but Cushman & Wakefield was hired again by Trump lawyers to analyse the development of single family homes at the Seven Springs estate north of New York City. Once again, Eric Trump was handling the project.

Mr McArdle says they had been told that each individual lot after development would be worth around $3m a piece, but he concluded they were worth more like $2m.

By August 2014, Mr McArdle says the project was almost complete and Eric Trump set up a conference call to discuss the conclusions about the Seven Springs valuation. There was no written appraisal report, this was “verbal consulting”. A more formal appraisal was arranged but no final report was ever produced.

A video of Eric Trump’s deposition from March 2023 is shown to the court in which he only vaguely remembers Mr McArdle and says that he wasn’t involved in the Seven Springs appraisal process.

“It’s extremely inconsistent with my role at the company ...to the best of my knowledge, I really hadn’t been involved with the appraisal of [this property],” he says. “I pour concrete, I operate properties, I don’t focus on appraisals from a law firm and Cushman.”

Mr McArdle is asked if what Eric Trump said is consistent with his recollection of events.

“No,” he replies.

Cross-examination by Trump attorney Lazaro Fields begins with Mr McArdle being asked if he agreed that the client has input in determining the value of a property that is ultimately arrived at.

“No I wouldn’t agree with that,” Mr McArdle says, explaining that they get information from the client, but conduct their own independent analysis.

Court adjoins for the day and cross-examination will pick up on Friday morning.

Friday 20 October 2023 13:40 , Oliver O'Connell

After a 15-minute recess, the next witness was called — David McArdle, a senior managing director at commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, which did some appraisal work on Trump properties.

Mr McArdle described the methodologies for his firm’s appraisal and valuation process. The NYAG claims that Cushman & Wakefield actually helped Trump falsely inflate the value of 40 Wall Street by using “unreasonably aggressive assumptions” including some that were demonstrably false in its appraisal of the property.

Sherief Gaber of the NYAG’s office questioned Mr McArdle and asked about Trump National Golf Club Westchester, which the firm was asked to appraise in 2013. Earlier in the trial the court heard about the difficulties in appraising properties that have a niche market.

Mr Trump wanted to develop some of the excess land on the golf course and Eric Trump acted as the lead on the project (both he and his older brother Donald Trump Jr are co-defendants of their father).

The Trump Organization wanted to develop 71 luxury homes on the property and Cushman & Wakefield was asked to value the golf club based on that future development.

"Much as I was interested in hearing what the Trump Organization would retail these units for, it’s my obligation...to do my own research," Mr McArdle told the court.

“Eric loved this project. He thought it was very special.  [...] It would definitely appeal to the high-end buyer."

Mr McArdle added: "I’m perfectly willing to listen. But ultimately, I come up with my own conclusions."

In an email to a contemporary in the industry, he said of the Westchester project: “Of course, Eric [Trump] has lofty ideas on value.”

By the autumn of 2013, the value was estimated in the low $40m range before Cushman & Wakefield settled on $45m.

“Eric had certain [idea] about values that would have been a bit more lofty than 45 million,” Mr McArdle told the court.

He added: “I was comfortable with 45 million, but beyond that, I was afraid we’d lose credibility.”

Court then broke for lunch.

Trump on trial: Thursday in court at the New York fraud trial

Friday 20 October 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Returning to the witness stand this morning was Jack Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg’s son, an executive director at commercial real estate firm Ladder Capital. He testified about a loan to Trump relating to the 40 Wall Street skyscraper in Manhattan.

Colleen Faherty of the New York Attorney General’s office asked about documents and emails relating to a $160m loan from Ladder Capital that Mr Trump was seeking in July 2015 for the building.

Ladder Capital cited Mr Trump’s wealth: “As of June 30, 2014, Mr Trump reported a net worth of nearly $5.8bn and liquidity in excess of $300m.”

In the indictment, NYAG claimed Mr Trump was actually worth less than half that amount that year: $2.3bn, This is the heart of the case — that Mr Trump falsely inflated his net worth in his annual statements of financial condition, which were provided to lenders and insurers, who then did business with his company on more favourable terms than they would have otherwise.

Faherty asked Jack Weisselberg about a press inquiry in August 2015 from Josh Mrozinski, a reporter from Commercial Real Estate Direct, seeking information about the $160m loan. His questions reach both father and son Weisselberg at the Trump Organization and Ladder Capital, respectively.

In emails shown to the court, it appears that Allen Weisselberg sought help and information from his son about how to respond. Mr Trump’s aide Hope Hicks forwarded a message about the inquiry to Amanda Miller, Donald Trump Jr, and Allen Weisselberg, evidence shows.

Faherty routinely refers to Allen Weisselberg as the witness’s father during her questioning, which while accurate, is found unnecessary by Justice Arthur Engoron — joking, he asks whether he’s aware of any other Allen Weisselbergs in the universe of this case.

He then instructed the lawyers to simply refer to Allen Weisselberg by his name without further description.

Shortly after that, Faherty wrapped up her direct examination of the younger Weisselberg, and Trump’s counsel declined to cross-examine him (though he can be recalled as a witness).

ICYMI: New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump during fraud trial

Friday 20 October 2023 13:10 , Oliver O'Connell

A woman identified as an employee of New York’s court system was arrested after approaching the front of a courtroom and calling out for Donald Trump during the 12th day of a civil trial alleging the former president and his business empire fraudulently inflated his net worth and assets for years.

The woman, whose name had not yet been released, “disrupted” the hearing on 18 October after approaching the defence table where Mr Trump was seated with his attorneys, according to a statement from a New York courts spokesperson shared with The Independent.

She began “yelling out to Mr Trump indicating she wanted to assist him,” according to the statement.

Read the full story by Alex Woodward:

New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump during fraud trial

Friday 20 October 2023 12:40 , Oliver O'Connell

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled by Texas city

A 2021 lawsuit involving a “Trump Train” of motorists swarming a Biden campaign bus during the 2020 elections has been settled by the San Marcos city of Texas.

The lawsuit was filed against the City of San Marcos over the handling of the incident which the complainants said was harassment, intimidation, and heckling of Biden-Harris campaign supporters.

Campaign staff, volunteers, and former state senator Wendy Davis filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the city for not providing assistance or a police escort when their bus became encircled by a pro-Trump caravan on Interstate 35.

The legal action contended that, during the highway encounter, San Marcos Police Department personnel responded with laughter and jest when asked for assistance.

Read the full story.

Trump may have broken his gag order

Friday 20 October 2023 12:10 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has potentially broken the gag order placed on him by the judge in his New York civil fraud trial.

On 3, Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the order banning the former president from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about any members of his court staff, after Mr Trump made a post on Truth Social attacking his law clerk and levelling baseless claims against her.

He was ordered to take the post down.

But, Meidas Touch reported that while he deleted the post from Truth Social it remained on his website. The post has now been deleted following the report – though it remains to be seen if the judge will take action in court today.

Trump ‘willing to go to jail for sake of democracy’ — isn’t that what prosecutors want?

Friday 20 October 2023 11:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is being trolled after he said he would be “willing to go to jail” for the sake of democracy.

At a campaign event on Monday in Iowa, the former president told supporters: “I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.”

Mr Trump is currently facing a number of criminal indictments, at both the federal level and in state cases in New York and Georgia.

One such indictment relates to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, for which he could receive a maximum sentence of 55 years.

Mr Trump is accused of conspiring to defraud the United States by preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory and conspiring to deprive voters of their right to a fair election.

Martha McHardy has the story.

Trump trolled for saying he’s ‘willing to go to jail for sake of democracy’

Trump’s New York trial has no jury — why?

Friday 20 October 2023 10:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A trial stemming from a $250m lawsuit against Donald Trump, his adult sons, chief associates and his business empire is proceeding without a jury in a Manhattan courtroom.

Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over the bench trial in New York Supreme Court after his stunning 35-page decision granting New York Attorney General Letitia James a partial judgment in her favour stemming from claims in her lawsuit, which alleges a decade of fraud that exaggerated the former president’s net worth by hundreds of millions of dollars.

The judge determined that a trial isn’t necessary to determine that Mr Trump’s financial statements were fraudulent, resolving a key allegation in the case, with six other so-called “causes of action” from the lawsuit left to be resolved.

Mr Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the judge, who has been baselessly accused of launching a political attack against the former president. But Mr Trump and his co-defendants could have avoided an outcome determined by Judge Engoron if their attorneys simply requested a jury.

The judge explained during the first day of the trial on 2 October that the case has no jury because neither side had “asked” for one.

Alex Woodward has the details.

How does Melania Trump feel about the New York fraud trial?

Friday 20 October 2023 09:40 , Oliver O'Connell

No one’s heard directly from the former first lady, but her husband — the defendant — says she’s not amused by it and like him thinks it amounts to “election interference”.

Read the full story...

Trump reveals how Melania feels about his civil fraud trial

Mar-A-Lago: ‘The most expensive house, probably, in the world’ — is it?

Friday 20 October 2023 08:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump likes to toss around eye-watering sums when estimating the value of his Florida private club Mar-a-Lago — often in the same sentence.

“The house is worth a billion, a billion and a half, $750m,” Mr Trump said in meandering remarks outside his civil fraud trial in New York on Tuesday.

It was “the most expensive house, probably, in the world,” he added.

The true value of Mar-a-Lago has been a hotly contested subject ever since Mr Trump was ruled to have fraudulently inflated the value of his commercial and residential properties from New York to Florida in order to deceive banks and officials to claim favourable tax and insurance rates.

According to public Palm Beach property records, Mar-a-Lago was valued at $37m as of 1 January 2023, up from $31m a year before.

Bevan Hurley has the story...

Trump calls Mar-A-Lago ‘the most expensive house, probably, in the world’

ICYMI: New York court employee arrested after ‘yelling out’ for Trump at trial

Friday 20 October 2023 06:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A woman identified as an employee of New York’s court system was arrested after approaching the front of a courtroom and calling out for Donald Trump during the 12th day of a civil trial alleging the former president and his business empire fraudulently inflated his net worth and assets for years.

The woman, whose name had not yet been released, “disrupted” the hearing on 18 October after approaching the defence table where Mr Trump was seated with his attorneys, according to a statement from a New York courts spokesperson shared with The Independent.

She began “yelling out to Mr Trump indicating she wanted to assist him,” according to the statement.

Alex Woodward reports.

After Biden wartime trip to Israel, Trump says he ‘may’ also visit

Friday 20 October 2023 04:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has now suggested that he could also travel to Israel following President Joe Biden’s historic wartime visit on Wednesday.

The former president spoke to reporters during a break in his New York civil fraud trial on Wednesday – a case that threatens to topple his business empire in the Big Apple and land him with $250m in financial penalties.

“If I was president, Israel would not have been attacked. It was visually attacked. It would not have been attacked,” he said.

“Ukraine would not have been attacked. You take a look at what’s going on throughout the world. The world right now is a mess, it’s a mess. And it’s a very sad day.”

When asked if he plans to head to Israel, Mr Trump replied: “I may. I may go, I may go.”

Read more...

Trump says he ‘may’ also visit Israel after Biden wartime trip

GOP lawmakers reveal threats after they refused to vote for Jim Jordan

Friday 20 October 2023 03:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Iowa Rep Mariannette Miller-Meeks revealed in a lengthy statement that she received “credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls” after refusing to back Rep Jim Jordan for speaker.

Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska, another GOP member who didn’t vote for Mr Jordan, told Politico that his wife received texts and emails, urging her to convince her husband to back Mr Jordan.

Gustaf Kilander reports on the barrage of threats and intimidation reported by those who will not back the firebrand rightwing Ohio rep to be Speaker of the House.

Republicans reveal threats after they refused to vote for Jim Jordan

Earlier: Trump claims judge afraid of NY AG in pre-trial morning rant

Friday 20 October 2023 02:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump claims that “Trump/Developer hating judge” Justice Arthur Engoron is afraid of New York Attorney General Letitia James and “does whatever Letitia demands” in his latest pre-trial morning post on Truth Social.

The former president wrote:

The New York State A.G., Letitia James, who sued me on a Statute NEVER USED BEFORE for such a case, had a bad day in the RIGGED trial going on in Lower Manhattan. Her appraiser witness was a disaster on the stand, and her ridiculous valuations were shown to be incorrect, without even discussing the $18,000,000 Value she ascribes to Mar-a-Lago. This trial is a giant Democrat Scam, with a Trump/Developer hating Judge who does whatever Letitia demands. He is totally afraid her, but fortunately has been overturned on many occasions by the Court of Appeals, including in our case, WHICH DECISION HE REFUSES TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE -Showing great disrespect to the Appellate Court. Businesses are watching this Witch Hunt Trial, and moving out of New York - And definitely not moving in!

Full story: Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Friday 20 October 2023 01:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Sidney Powell, charged in connection with a sweeping criminal case tied to Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, has pleaded guilty under an arrangement with prosecutors ahead of a closely watched trial set to begin in coming days.

Ms Powell – among Trump-linked attorneys who launched a spurious, failed legal campaign to overturn election results – was accused of playing a central role in an effort to seize voting machines in the volatile aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021.

A trial for Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro was set to begin on 20 October.

Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of six years and her cooperation in other cases.

Ms Powell is the second person among the 19 defendants in Georgia’s sprawling election interference case to plead guilty.

Continued...

Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled by Texas city

Friday 20 October 2023 00:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A 2021 lawsuit involving a “Trump Train” of motorists swarming a Biden campaign bus during the 2020 elections has been settled by the San Marcos city of Texas.

The lawsuit was filed against the City of San Marcos over the handling of the incident which the complainants said was harassment, intimidation, and heckling of Biden-Harris campaign supporters.

Campaign staff, volunteers, and former state senator Wendy Davis filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the city for not providing assistance or a police escort when their bus became encircled by a pro-Trump caravan on Interstate 35.

The legal action contended that, during the highway encounter, San Marcos Police Department personnel responded with laughter and jest when asked for assistance.

Read more...

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled

Watch: Sidney Powell promises to ‘release the kraken’ in November 2020

Thursday 19 October 2023 23:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Need reminding of who Sidney Powell is amongst all the colourful characters in the Fulton County, Georgia indictment?

Here are some excerpts from one of her first interviews after being retained by former president Donald Trump. It’s wild.

Trump on trial: This afternoon in court at the New York fraud trial

Thursday 19 October 2023 22:19 , Oliver O'Connell

After lunch, David McArdle, a senior managing director at commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, which did some appraisal work on Trump properties, returned to the stand, still on direct examination.

In a 2014 email, Mr McArdle sent the draft final appraisal report to Trump outside counsel. This sparks an objection from the defence team.

“The witness can answer that he did the appraisal and what the [value] was, but this document is full of hearsay,” the defence contests.

“It’s in, except for the truth of its contents,” Judge Engoron says saying to move in.

It appears that the final value of the golf club was closer to $43m. After Mr McArdle sent over the draft final appraisal report to Trump counsel, he said: “Things went rather silent.”

The report was never finalised but Cushman & Wakefield was hired again by Trump lawyers to analyse the development of single-family homes at the Seven Springs estate north of New York City. Once again, Eric Trump was handling the project.

Mr McArdle says they had been told that each individual lot after development would be worth around $3m a piece, but he concluded they were worth more like $2m.

By August 2014, Mr McArdle says the project was almost complete and Eric Trump set up a conference call to discuss the conclusions about the Seven Springs valuation. There was no written appraisal report, this was “verbal consulting”. A more formal appraisal was arranged but no final report was ever produced.

A video of Eric Trump’s deposition from March 2023 is shown to the court in which he only vaguely remembers Mr McArdle and says that he wasn’t involved in the Seven Springs appraisal process.

“It’s extremely inconsistent with my role at the company ...to the best of my knowledge, I really hadn’t been involved with the appraisal of [this property],” he says. “I pour concrete, I operate properties, I don’t focus on appraisals from a law firm and Cushman.”

Mr McArdle is asked if what Eric Trump said is consistent with his recollection of events.

“No,” he replies.

Cross-examination by Trump attorney Lazaro Fields begins with Mr McArdle being asked if he agreed that the client has input in determining the value of a property that is ultimately arrived at.

“No I wouldn’t agree with that,” Mr McArdle says, explaining that they get information from the client, but conduct their own independent analysis.

Court adjoins for the day and cross-examination will pick up tomorrow morning.

Profile: Jim Jordan — Trump’s choice for speaker

Thursday 19 October 2023 22:10 , Eric Garcia

Early in the morning of 6 October, former president Donald Trump threw his support behind Rep Jim Jordan in the race to become speaker of the House. The endorsement was not entirely surprising given Mr Jordan, an Ohio congressman, occupied the same lane in the House of Representatives that Mr Trump has as a presidential candidate and president – as an expression of conservatives who were dissatisfied with Republican leadership and a candidate who channelled their rage.

Following the failure of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to get the backing he needed for a vote on the floor of the House, the focus has now returned to Mr Jordan, who was the only challenger to Mr Scalise in the first internal GOP vote on who should be the next speaker. Mr Scalise won that vote 113 to Mr Jordan’s 99.

Mr Jordan backtracked on a pause on his speakership bid on Thursday (19 October), announcing in the afternoon that the members of the House GOP had rejected a temporary solution to empower interim speaker Patrick McHenry until January.

“We made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we’re gonna go. I’m still running for speaker and I plan to go the floor and get the votes and win this race,” he said, according to the Washington Examiner.

Continued...

Who is Jim Jordan, the conservative hellraiser and Donald Trump’s choice for speaker

What’s happening with the gag order imposed on Trump in his federal election interference case?

Thursday 19 October 2023 21:40 , AP

Former President Donald Trump is appealing a narrow gag order that bars him from making statements attacking prosecutors, potential witnesses and court staff in his election interference case in Washington, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

Trump’s lawyers said in court papers that they will challenge an order from US District Judge Tanya Chutkan that restricts Trump’s public statements about the case accusing him of scheming to subvert the results of the 2020 election.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team sought the order against the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner over a litany of verbal attacks from him on likely witnesses and others. Prosecutors say Trump’s incendiary rhetoric is designed to undermine the public’s confidence in the judicial process and taint the jury pool.

During a court hearing on Monday, Chutkan said Trump can criticize the Justice Department generally and assert his belief that the case is politically motivated. Her order also explicitly says Trump is allowed to criticize the campaign platforms or policies of his political rivals, like former Vice President Mike Pence — who is both a competitor for the GOP nomination and a likely witness in the case.

Chutkan, however, said Trump can’t mount a “smear campaign” against prosecutors and court personnel. The judge, who was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama, repeatedly expressed concern that Trump’s rhetoric could inspire his supporters to violence.

Trump slammed the gag order as he returned to court Tuesday for his civil fraud trial, insisting he is “not saying anything wrong.” His lawyers told the judge that the former president is entitled to criticize prosecutors and that the court should not to be able to restrict his First Amendment rights.

Legal experts have said Chutkan’s gag order may be just the beginning of an unprecedented fight over what limits can be a placed on the speech of a defendant who is also campaigning for America’s highest public office. The issue could ultimately end up at the US Supreme Court.

At rallies and in social media posts, Trump has repeatedly sought to vilify Smith, other prosecutors, likely witnesses and even the judge. He has called prosecutors a “team of thugs,” called Chutkan “very biased and unfair,” and referred to one potential witness as a “gutless pig.” Prosecutors also cited a post in which Trump suggested that Mark Milley, the then-retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had committed treason and should be executed.

The case, which accuses Trump of scheming to subvert the results of the election, is scheduled to go to trial in March. It’s one of four criminal cases Trump is facing while he campaigns to return to the White House in 2024. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Forbes: Unaware if Trump Org produced all documents but has notes showing Weisselberg lied

Thursday 19 October 2023 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Forbes has reacted to latest development at Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial after the New York Attorney General’s Office accused the Trump Organization of not producing all relevant documents.

The accusation was made after Forbes published an article saying that the company’s CFO Allen Weisselberg had lied under oath at the trial about his level of concern for the valuation of the Trump Tower penthouse.

“A review of old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess, show that Weisselberg absolutely thought about Trump’s apartment—and played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years that it was worth more than it really was,” the story said.

Today the magazine added: “Forbes does not know whether the Trump Organization produced all of its documents. The evidence that Forbes has that Weisselberg lied, which the attorney general’s office certainly does not have, is a collection of notes taken by Forbes reporters who were in touch with the Trump Organization over the years while estimating the size of Trump’s fortune. It is those notes that show Weisselberg thought about his boss’ penthouse a lot—contrary to his testimony—and that he consistently pushed Forbes to overvalue it.”

Trump attorney forced to apologise to female attorneys for dismissive remarks at New York trial

Thursday 19 October 2023 21:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Law360 reports that Christopher Kise, Donald Trump’s attorney in the civil fraud trial underway in New York, was forced to apologise to two female attorneys after making dismissive remarks during an off-the-record sidebar.

Kise reportedly told Principal Law Clerk Allison Greenfield he didn’t want to talk to her, only the judge, and then questioned the intelligence of attorney Colleen Faherty of the New York Attorney General’s office.

Here’s the report from Frank Runyeon of Law360:

Trump hits out at Forbes as NY AG says documents withheld citing claim Weisselberg lied under oath

Thursday 19 October 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has hit out at Forbes magazine (again) following the latest development in his civil fraud trial in New York.

The former president wrote on Truth Social:

Forbes Magazine is owned by Communist China. Nobody hates “TRUMP” more than they do. I told my people, years ago, don’t waste your time talking to them, it’s a giant Scam. Besides, Forbes is dying a slow death!

The New York Attorney General’s Office has accused the Trump Organization of withholding documentary evidence relating to the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump and would like to examine the claims made in an article published by Forbes that former CFO Allen Weisselberg lied under oath.

The Forbes article, “Trump’s Longtime CFO Lied, Under Oath, About Trump Tower Penthouse” was published while Weisselberg was on the stand in the courtroom in Lower Manhattan on 12 October.

It referred to “old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess” and based on a review of the documents provided by the defendants in the case, “OAG has identified likely omissions from production around inquiries from Forbes in 2016”.

Here’s our reporting on the Forbes accusation from last week:

Forbes accuses Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg of lying under oath at fraud trial

Voices: Biden’s Israel trip and GOP chaos drowns out the Trump show – for now

Thursday 19 October 2023 20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

On Wednesday morning, President Joe Biden arrived in Israel to express solidarity with the state after the deadly attack from Hamas. In addition, Mr Biden responded to an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza that provoked outrage by saying that US intelligence indicated the explosion was caused “by the other team.”

Meanwhile, back on American soil, the House of Representatives entered its third week without a speaker as Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH), the rightwing firebrand, failed to win enough votes to lead the lower chamber of Congress.

The split screen likely gives Mr Biden more than a small amount of glee, while many Americans see that his advanced age is not only a drawback. His 36 years as a US senator, particularly as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his eight years as vice president, also give him wisdom and experience in handling international crises. Meanwhile, Republicans can’t even corral 217 votes to elect a speaker despite having the majority.

But what is being broadcast is just as notable as what isn’t being broadcast: news stories about former president Donald Trump. This isn’t for a dearth of coverage. As is always the case with the four-times-indicted and twice-impeached former president, a flurry of headlines always follow Mr Trump.

Read the full article...

Biden’s Israel trip and GOP chaos drowns out the Trump show – for now

Cher says she may flee the US if Trump wins in 2024

Thursday 19 October 2023 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Legendary singer Cher announced that if Donald Trump were elected again as President, she would leave the US.

Cher did not hold back on the former president in an interview with The Guardian yesterday (18 October) promoting her Christmas album when the topic of the 2024 presidential election came up.

“I almost got an ulcer the last time,” she said of Trump’s first election win in 2017.

“If he gets in, who knows? This time, I will leave [the country].”

Cher has criticised Trump ever since he debuted on the political stage; both the singer and the former president are 77 years old, but their similarities more or less end there.

Amelia Neath has the story.

Cher says she may flee the US if Trump wins again

Read: Sidney Powell’s plea deal charge sheet

Thursday 19 October 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A new charging document has been filed against Sidney Powell as part of her plea deal in the Fulton County 2020 election case brought against the former Trump lawyer and 18 others by DA Fani Willis.

In lieu of the felony charges for which she was originally indicted, Powell agreed to plead guilty to six misdemeanor counts for election interference.

GOP Speaker race latest: McCarthy screams at Gaetz as fellow GOP rep ‘almost lunged at him’

Thursday 19 October 2023 19:17 , Oliver O’Connell

It doesn’t sound like things are going well over on Capitol Hill...

Gustaf Kilander reports:

The Republican conference meeting grew heated following the announcement that Rep Jim Jordan is putting a pause on his speakership bid.

Rep Kevin McCarthy, the recently ousted speaker, reportedly screamed at Rep Matt Gaetz, who brought the motion to vacate against Mr McCarthy earlier this month, to sit down and Rep Michael Bost was seen “almost lunging at him,” a person who was in the room told Axios.

This comes after the announcement that Mr Jordan would not hold a third vote on his speakership bid on Thursday and is instead leaning towards backing Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry to serve as interim speaker until 3 January 2024.

Read more...

McCarthy screams at Gaetz as fellow GOP rep ‘almost lunged at him’

‘I ache for him’: Biden torches Jim Jordan over his two failed House speaker bids

Thursday 19 October 2023 19:10 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden gave a sarcastic response when he was asked about the current predicament facing the GOP’s beleaguered House Speaker nominee Jim Jordan.

A third round of voting for speakership is due to take place on Thursday, after the Ohio Republican fell short of the required number of votes needed to take the gavel for a second time.

On Wednesday, 22 Republicans voted against Mr Jordan – an even poorer performance from his first vote when 20 members of his party defected.

On his return from a trip to Israel on Wednesday, Mr Biden was asked if he had any thoughts on Mr Jordan’s inability to secure the speakership.

Putting his hand across his heart, a smiling Mr Biden replied: “I ache for him.”

Read more...

Biden torches Jim Jordan over his two failed House speaker bids

Thursday 19 October 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

After a 15-minute recess, the next witness was called — David McArdle, a senior managing director at commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, which did some appraisal work on Trump properties.

Mr McArdle described the methodologies for his firm’s appraisal and valuation process. The NYAG claims that Cushman & Wakefield actually helped Trump falsely inflate the value of 40 Wall Street by using “unreasonably aggressive assumptions” including some that were demonstrably false in its appraisal of the property.

Sherief Gaber of the NYAG’s office questioned Mr McArdle and asked about Trump National Golf Club Westchester, which the firm was asked to appraise in 2013. Earlier in the trial the court heard about the difficulties in appraising properties that have a niche market.

Mr Trump wanted to develop some of the excess land on the golf course and Eric Trump acted as the lead on the project (both he and his older brother Donald Trump Jr are co-defendants of their father).

The Trump Organization wanted to develop 71 luxury homes on the property and Cushman & Wakefield was asked to value the golf club based on that future development.

"Much as I was interested in hearing what the Trump Organization would retail these units for, it’s my obligation...to do my own research," Mr McArdle told the court.

“Eric loved this project. He thought it was very special.  [...] It would definitely appeal to the high-end buyer."

Mr McArdle added: "I’m perfectly willing to listen. But ultimately, I come up with my own conclusions."

In an email to a contemporary in the industry, he said of the Westchester project: “Of course, Eric [Trump] has lofty ideas on value.”

By the autumn of 2013, the value was estimated in the low $40m range before Cushman & Wakefield settled on $45m.

“Eric had certain [idea] about values that would have been a bit more lofty than 45 million,” Mr McArdle told the court.

He added: “I was comfortable with 45 million, but beyond that, I was afraid we’d lose credibility.”

Court then broke for lunch.

Trump on trial: This morning in court at the New York fraud trial

Thursday 19 October 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Returning to the witness stand this morning was Jack Weisselberg, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg’s son, an executive director at commercial real estate firm Ladder Capital. He testified about a loan to Trump relating to the 40 Wall Street skyscraper in Manhattan.

Colleen Faherty of the New York Attorney General’s office asked about documents and emails relating to a $160m loan from Ladder Capital that Mr Trump was seeking in July 2015 for the building.

Ladder Capital cited Mr Trump’s wealth: “As of June 30, 2014, Mr Trump reported a net worth of nearly $5.8bn and liquidity in excess of $300m.”

In the indictment, NYAG claimed Mr Trump was actually worth less than half that amount that year: $2.3bn, This is the heart of the case — that Mr Trump falsely inflated his net worth in his annual statements of financial condition, which were provided to lenders and insurers, who then did business with his company on more favourable terms than they would have otherwise.

Faherty asked Jack Weisselberg about a press inquiry in August 2015 from Josh Mrozinski, a reporter from Commercial Real Estate Direct, seeking information about the $160m loan. His questions reach both father and son Weisselberg at the Trump Organization and Ladder Capital, respectively.

In emails shown to the court, it appears that Allen Weisselberg sought help and information from his son about how to respond. Mr Trump’s aide Hope Hicks forwarded a message about the inquiry to Amanda Miller, Donald Trump Jr, and Allen Weisselberg, evidence shows.

Faherty routinely refers to Allen Weisselberg as the witness’s father during her questioning, which while accurate, is found unnecessary by Justice Arthur Engoron — joking, he asks whether he’s aware of any other Allen Weisselbergs in the universe of this case.

He then instructed the lawyers to simply refer to Allen Weisselberg by his name without further description.

Shortly after that, Faherty wrapped up her direct examination of the younger Weisselberg, and Trump’s counsel declined to cross-examine him (though he can be recalled as a witness).

Continued...

After Biden wartime trip to Israel, Trump says he ‘may’ also visit

Thursday 19 October 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has now suggested that he could also travel to Israel following President Joe Biden’s historic wartime visit on Wednesday.

The former president spoke to reporters during a break in his New York civil fraud trial on Wednesday – a case that threatens to topple his business empire in the Big Apple and land him with $250m in financial penalties.

“If I was president, Israel would not have been attacked. It was visually attacked. It would not have been attacked,” he said.

“Ukraine would not have been attacked. You take a look at what’s going on throughout the world. The world right now is a mess, it’s a mess. And it’s a very sad day.”

When asked if he plans to head to Israel, Mr Trump replied: “I may. I may go, I may go.”

Read more...

Trump says he ‘may’ also visit Israel after Biden wartime trip

Full story: Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Thursday 19 October 2023 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Sidney Powell, charged in connection with a sweeping criminal case tied to Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, has pleaded guilty under an arrangement with prosecutors ahead of a closely watched trial set to begin in the coming days.

Ms Powell – among Trump-linked attorneys who launched a spurious, failed legal campaign to overturn election results – was accused of playing a central role in an effort to seize voting machines in the volatile aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021.

A trial for Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro was set to begin on 20 October.

Ms Powell instead has pleaded guilty to six misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to interfere with elections during a surprise hearing with her attorney and prosecutors in front of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee in an Atlanta courtroom on 19 October.

She faces a sentence of six years of probation and must cooperate in other cases, according to prosecutors and a sentencing sheet. She also faces a $6,000 fine and $2,700 in restitution to the state of Georgia, and she must write an apology letter to Georgia voters and testify “truthfully against any and all co-defendants in this matter,” according to the judge.

Ms Powell is “expected to provide cooperative testimony for prosecutors in the trials of the remaining defendants,” according to the judge.

She is the second person among the 19 defendants in Georgia’s sprawling election interference case to plead guilty.

Alex Woodward has more details...

GOP lawmakers reveal threats after they refused to vote for Jim Jordan

Thursday 19 October 2023 16:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Iowa Rep Mariannette Miller-Meeks revealed in a lengthy statement that she received “credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls” after refusing to back Rep Jim Jordan for speaker.

Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska, another GOP member who didn’t vote for Mr Jordan, told Politico that his wife received texts and emails, urging her to convince her husband to back Mr Jordan.

Gustaf Kilander reports on the barrage of threats and intimidation reported by those who will not back the firebrand rightwing Ohio rep to be Speaker of the House.

Republicans reveals threats after they refused to vote for Jim Jordan

Breaking: Jim Jordan bows out of House speaker race as GOP set to empower McHenry

Thursday 19 October 2023 16:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan will reportedly not ask his House Republican colleagues to vote for him on a third ballot for House Speaker after losing two consecutive votes on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will instead sign on to a plan to empower Rep Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who has served as Speaker Pro Tempore since a group of hardline conservatives forced the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this month.

According to Punchbowl News and The Washington Post, Mr Jordan informed his GOP colleagues of his intention to stand down at a House Republican Conference meeting Thursday morning.

Andrew Feinberg is covering this developing story from Washington, DC — check here for the latest updates.

Jim Jordan bows out of House speaker race as GOP set to empower McHenry

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled by Texas city

Thursday 19 October 2023 16:05 , Oliver O'Connell

A 2021 lawsuit involving a “Trump Train” of motorists swarming a Biden campaign bus during the 2020 elections has been settled by the San Marcos city of Texas.

The lawsuit was filed against the City of San Marcos over the handling of the incident which the complainants said was harassment, intimidation, and heckling of Biden-Harris campaign supporters.

Campaign staff, volunteers, and former state senator Wendy Davis filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the city for not providing assistance or a police escort when their bus became encircled by a pro-Trump caravan on Interstate 35.

The legal action contended that, during the highway encounter, San Marcos Police Department personnel responded with laughter and jest when asked for assistance.

Read more...

‘Trump Train’ lawsuit finally settled

Watch: Sidney Powell promises to ‘release the kraken’ in November 2020

Thursday 19 October 2023 15:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Need reminding of who Sidney Powell is amongst all the colourful characters in the Fulton County, Georgia indictment?

Here are some excerpts from one of her first interviews after being retained by former president Donald Trump. It’s wild.

Full story: Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Thursday 19 October 2023 15:39 , Alex Woodward

Sidney Powell, charged in connection with a sweeping criminal case tied to Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, has pleaded guilty under an arrangement with prosecutors ahead of a closely watched trial set to begin in coming days.

Ms Powell – among Trump-linked attorneys who launched a spurious, failed legal campaign to overturn election results – was accused of playing a central role in an effort to seize voting machines in the volatile aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021.

A trial for Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro was set to begin on 20 October.

Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of six years and her cooperation in other cases.

Ms Powell is the second person among the 19 defendants in Georgia’s sprawling election interference case to plead guilty.

Continued...

Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Day 13 of New York fraud trial getting underway

Thursday 19 October 2023 15:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Day 13 of the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump et al is getting underway in court in Lower Manhattan, with lighter security measures appearing to indicate the former president is not planning to attend proceedings today.

We will likely see some reaction from Team Trump to earlier reporting about the New York Attorney General’s response to the Forbes article about former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Things kick off with a 20-minute sidebar in which Trump lawyer Christopher Kise and NY AG attorney Colleen Faherty appear to snap at each other.

Fulton County: Former Trump lawyer pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Thursday 19 October 2023 15:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Sidney Powell, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty in the Fulton County, Georgia election subversion case, one day before jury selection for her trial alongside fellow former Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro was due to commence.

Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of six years probation, CNN reports. Powell will also be required to testify at future trials and write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia.

In the sprawling indictment laid out by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Powell was accused of playing a leading role in the January 2021 breach of election systems in rural Coffee County, Georgia.

Local Republican Party officials helped a group of Trump supporters to access and copy information from the county’s election systems hoping to somehow prove that the election was rigged against then-President Trump.

Powell’s attorneys had vehemently rejected prosecutors’ claims that she orchestrated the Coffee County breach.

NY AG accuses Trump of withholding documents citing Forbes claim Weisselberg lied under oath

Thursday 19 October 2023 14:55 , Oliver O'Connell

The New York Attorney General’s Office has accused the Trump Organization of withholding documentary evidence relating to the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump and would like to examine the claims made in an article published by Forbes that former CFO Allen Weisselberg lied under oath.

The Forbes article, “Trump’s Longtime CFO Lied, Under Oath, About Trump Tower Penthouse” was published while Weisselberg was on the stand in the courtroom in Lower Manhattan on 12 October.

It referred to “old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess” and based on a review of the documents provided by the defendants in the case, “OAG has identified likely omissions from production around inquiries from Forbes in 2016”.

Here’s our reporting on the Forbes accusation from last week:

Forbes accuses Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg of lying under oath at fraud trial

NY AG James calls Trump ‘performative’, says attacks can’t change what happens in court

Thursday 19 October 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York Attorney General Letitia James mades a few remarks to the press on her way out of court.

Specifically she responded to Donald Trump’s insults: “He’s called me venomous, he’s called me disgraceful, he’s called me a radical, he’s called me a racist and this is only week three.”

“None of this, which can best be described as performative, can change what’s happening in the courtroom,” Ms James continued.

“And the evidence is clear, that he inflated his statements of financial [condition] to enrich himself and his family,” she added. “And nothing will change that, not the attacks on me, or anyone.”

Mr Trump was not happy sitting at the defence bench with attorney Christopher Kise on Wednesday.

“He’s telegraphing that as appraiser Doug Larson testifies — dropping his hands on the table, shaking his head and making sounds of frustration, talking to his attorneys,” it was reported.

An objection was raised from the attorney general’s bench: “Can the defendant please stop commenting during the witness’s testimony.”

Justice Arthur Engoron sustained the objection to the audible protests emanating from the former president, but without singling him out asked everyone to keep quiet, “particularly if it’s meant to influence the testimony”.

Trump claims judge afraid of NY AG in pre-trial morning rant

Thursday 19 October 2023 14:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump claims that “Trump/Developer hating judge” Justice Arthur Engoron is afraid of New York Attorney General Letitia James and “does whatever Letitia demands” in his latest pre-trial morning post on Truth Social.

The former president wrote:

The New York State A.G., Letitia James, who sued me on a Statute NEVER USED BEFORE for such a case, had a bad day in the RIGGED trial going on in Lower Manhattan. Her appraiser witness was a disaster on the stand, and her ridiculous valuations were shown to be incorrect, without even discussing the $18,000,000 Value she ascribes to Mar-a-Lago. This trial is a giant Democrat Scam, with a Trump/Developer hating Judge who does whatever Letitia demands. He is totally afraid her, but fortunately has been overturned on many occasions by the Court of Appeals, including in our case, WHICH DECISION HE REFUSES TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE -Showing great disrespect to the Appellate Court. Businesses are watching this Witch Hunt Trial, and moving out of New York - And definitely not moving in!

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website