Former President Donald Trump lost a bid to block testimony from Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels at his upcoming trial on charges related to hush money paid to Daniels before the 2016 election. The trial, initially scheduled for March 25, has been delayed due to a dispute over evidence disclosure. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his reimbursement of Cohen for the payment to Daniels. The case is one of four criminal indictments Trump faces as he prepares for a potential challenge to President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.
The Democratic National Committee has filed a federal election complaint against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a super PAC supporting his independent presidential bid, alleging illegal coordination on a $15 million petition drive to get him on the ballot in key states for President Biden's re-election. The complaint accuses the super PAC of making an in-kind contribution to Kennedy's campaign, violating campaign finance laws. Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine activism, joined the race as a Democratic challenger before running as an independent. The super PAC's co-chairman dismissed the allegations, while the DNC described the effort as an attempt to subvert election laws.
A watchdog group, Campaign Legal Center, has filed a complaint alleging that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a super PAC supporting his presidential bid, Never Back Down, violated federal campaign finance laws by illegally coordinating their activities. Never Back Down, which received over $80 million from a committee previously raising funds for DeSantis' reelection campaign, has been accused of using its resources to pay for operations in Iowa and hosting events with DeSantis. The complaint argues that this coordination undermines campaign finance regulations and gives special interest backers undue influence. The DeSantis campaign has dismissed the complaint as baseless, while Campaign Legal Center has filed a total of five complaints against DeSantis or his donors this year.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are relying heavily on outside campaign groups as they try to challenge former President Donald Trump. DeSantis is encouraging his donor network to support a newly formed super PAC that has taken over advertising responsibilities, while Haley has gained the support of the Koch network, the largest conservative grassroots organization in the US. Both candidates are testing the limits of modern-day presidential campaigns by relying on independent groups, as they struggle to disrupt Trump's path to another presidential nomination.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has announced indictments in a straw-donor scheme aimed at currying favor with New York City Mayor Eric Adams during his mayoral campaign. The defendants allegedly orchestrated a system to reimburse others for their donations to the Adams campaign, exceeding the legal contribution limits. The scheme aimed to use the illicitly-obtained funds to seek favorable treatment from City Hall once Adams was elected. The defendants organized fundraisers, tracked donations through a spreadsheet, and appeared to have Adams' awareness. The charges include subverting campaign finance laws and corrupting the New York City Campaign Finance Board program.
Donald Trump is pushing to move the Stormy Daniels hush money case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to federal court, arguing that he should be tried in federal court because he was president when the alleged crimes occurred. The case hinges on federal, not state, campaign finance laws, and Bragg has charged Trump with committing 34 felonies during his first year in the White House by reimbursing his fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to porn star Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump's legal team has identified multiple arguments they could make in federal court, and Judge Alvin Hellerstein is expected to hear arguments from the district attorney and Trump’s lawyers later this month.
Donald Trump's attorneys are continuing their legal fight to move the criminal case against him from New York state court to federal court. Trump's lawyers argue that the charges are related to his duties as president, while Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office argues that the alleged hush money scheme was largely perpetrated before Trump became president. Trump was charged in April with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over the alleged repayments to then-lawyer Michael Cohen for hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump, which he denies. Trump's team says the allegations would violate federal campaign finance laws rather than state laws.
Ivanka Trump has called her father's indictment by a grand jury in New York for his part in the hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels "political persecution" and "election interference at the highest level in history." The indictment marks the first time in US history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges. It is not yet clear what charges Trump may be facing, but experts believe it will center on how he may have tried to conceal what the payment was for.
Former President Trump suggests that Manhattan's district attorney has dropped the case involving alleged hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, which could lead to criminal charges against him. The case appears to involve whether Trump violated business accounting laws and campaign finance laws in making the payment. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office has declined to comment on the case, and Trump cited no evidence to support his claim.
