Month: May 2022

Reports reveal that Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s oldest son, voluntarily testified on Tuesday before the Jan. 6 select committee investigating last year’s attack on the Capitol. Trump Jr. reportedly appeared by videoconference for two hours, and according to multiple sources, the outcome was ‘uneventful.’

Last month it was reported that Trump Jr. was expected to appear before the committee as it wraps up its investigatory phase and prepares for at least eight public hearings next month. Sources say that Trump Jr.’s text messages are among those that former chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the committee.

The president’s oldest son was the latest member of the Trump family to meet with the committee; daughter Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner — both of whom served as senior White House advisers to former President Donald Trump– were also interviewed in recent weeks.  In addition, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle has also met with the committee twice. Sources said those interviewes focused in part on the fundraising efforts around Trump’s “Save America” rally on Jan. 6, 2021.

To date, the Jan. 6 panel has conducted interviews with more than 800 witnesses since beginning its investigation.

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As authorities entered the sixth day of the search on Wednesday for Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicki White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, the local sheriff in charge of the investigation in Alabama said it is believed that the corrections officer “willingly” participated in the escape of the capital murder suspect, who remain on the run as of press time.

The pair — who authorities said are not related — went missing from Florence, Alabama, last Friday. That morning at the Lauderdale County Detention Center, Vicki White allegedly told her colleagues she was taking Casey White to the local courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” though he didn’t have a court appearance scheduled. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said in an interview: “The pieces of the puzzle just came together. I think all of our employees and myself included were really hoping that she did not participate in this willingly. But all indications are that she absolutely did. We’re very disappointed in that because we had the utmost trust in her as an employee and as an assistant director of corrections.”

Casey White was charged with two counts of capital murder in September 2020 for the stabbing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway. He could face the death penalty if convicted, according to the sheriff.  He was already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree that involved home invasion, carjacking and a police chase. Casey White previously planned an escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in the fall of 2020, but authorities thwarted the plot before he could attempt it. He was subsequently transferred to a state prison, where he remained until February 2022, when he returned to the Lauderdale County facility for court appearances related to the murder charge.  Investigators have since learned that Casey White and Vicki White had a “special relationship” and were communicating after he was transferred from the county jail to state custody.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the pair “should be considered dangerous and may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun,” and may be driving a 2007 orange or copper Ford Edge with minor damage to the left back bumper. Casey White is 6 feet, 9 inches tall. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey White’s capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White.

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Court documents show that former President Donald Trump settled a lawsuit on Tuesday with the District of Columbia over accusations of improperly spending non-profit funds. Trump agreed to pay $750,000 to settle the lawsuit that was filed against Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, Trump International Hotel Washington D.C., and the Trump Organization.

The District of Columbia attorney general’s lawsuit accused the inaugural committee of spending more than $1 million in non-profit funds at the Trump-owned hotel. It said the committee misused $1.1 million in charitable funds to “dramatically overpay” the hotel for event space, to throw a private party for the former president’s children and to pay a private debt held by the Trump Organization. The suit was filed in 2020.

The inaugural committee raised $107 million for Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, more than doubling the previous record for any other incoming president. The money will be divided equally, with half going to the Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation, and the other half to the DC Action for Children Today DC ACT. Trump said in a statement following the settlement: “Given the impending sale of the Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C., and with absolutely no admission of liability or guilt, we have reached a settlement to end all litigation.”

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On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that a draft opinion to overturn the landmark abortion ruling in Roe vs. Wade that was leaked late Monday is authentic, however cautioned that the draft is not necessarily the final word on the matter.

The opinion, drafted in February and reported by Politico on Monday night, has Justice Samuel Alito joined by four Republican-appointed justices in the decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade’s holding of a federal constitutional right to abortion and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, which largely maintained that right.  Alito writes in the document: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” The other four justices to join Alito were Clarence Thomas, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush, and Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, all of whom were nominated by former President Donald Trump.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Supreme Court acknowledged that the draft is legitimate, saying in a statement: “Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the court’s confidential and deliberative work. Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.” Chief Justice John Roberts said in the statement: “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the court will not be affected in any way. This was a singular and egregious breach of trust that is an affront to the court and the community of public servants who work here. I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”

Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court on Monday night, chanting “abortion is healthcare” and carrying signs in opposition of the leaked opinion. Democratic leaders vowed to protect and expand access to the medical procedure in their states.

Politico said that it obtained a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in Dobbs vs. Jackson, a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. It was not immediately clear whether changes had been made to the draft since it circulated in February; opinions can often undergo multiple drafts and vote changes before a decision is revealed.  The opinion in the case is not expected to be published until late June before the high court’s term ends.

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