Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author:

New York AG Letitia James says she won’t drop civil fraud case against Trump

New York AG Letitia James says she won’t drop civil fraud case against Trump

New York Attorney General Letitia James said she will not drop the civil fraud case against President-elect Donald Trump as she waits for the appeal court decision, arguing presidents are not immune from civil litigation.  Trump and his attorneys demanded that James drop her civil fraud case against him, his family and his businesses “for the greater good of the country” last month.  TRUMP DEMANDS NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE ‘FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’ Trump was ordered to pay a $454 million civil fraud judgment in James’ lawsuit against him.  Trump has appealed the ruling, and judges on a New York appeals court seemed receptive to potentially reversing the judgment altogether. The New York attorney general’s office on Tuesday said they are not going to take action to drop the case against the president-elect.  James’ office argued that presidents do not have immunity from civil litigation arising from unofficial conduct, and said lawsuits “may proceed while the president is in office.”  James’ office also argued that the final judgment does not impact any conduct Trump may undertake as president. They also said Trump’s inauguration is “irrelevant to the 14 other defendants found liable in our case.”  James’ office also said that they are now waiting for a decision on Trump’s appeal, and said waiting for that decision on the civil matter “does not in any way affect Trump’s ability to serve as president.”  This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Trump’s Defense pick goes on offense as support grows for Hegseth confirmation

Trump’s Defense pick goes on offense as support grows for Hegseth confirmation

What a difference a week makes. As Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s defense secretary nominee, returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with more Republican senators, his once apparently teetering nomination now seems to be on much firmer ground. While Hegseth’s confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, and Hegseth’s own determination seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be headed toward life support. “We look forward to earning these confirmation votes,” a confident Hegseth said Monday night in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.” WHAT PETE HEGSETH TOLD FOX NEWS’ SEAN HANNITY In the wake of former Rep. Matt Gaetz,  the president-elect’s first attorney general nominee, ending his confirmation bid amid controversy, there has been a full-court press by Trump’s political orbit to bolster Hegseth in order to protect him and other controversial Cabinet picks. “If Trump world allowed a couple of establishment senators to veto a second nominee, it would have led to a feeding frenzy on Trump’s other nominees, and so the thinking in Trump world was we have to defend Pete not just for the sake of defending Pete, but also for the sake of defending our other nominees,” a longtime Trump world adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News. WHAT SEN. ERNST SAYS ABOUT THE HEGSETH NOMINATION Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led. Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed as defense secretary. Trump’s defense secretary nominee was interviewed hours after meeting a second time with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, which will hold Hegseth’s confirmation hearings. Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat. The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military. After meeting with Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement Monday that “as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst emphasized that “following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.” TRUMP RALLIES BEHIND HEGSETH BUT INVITES DESANTIS TO ARMY-NAVY GAME Hegseth, speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, noted that “it was a great meeting. People don’t really know this. I’ve known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years.  “You get into these meetings, and you listen to senators – it’s an amazing advise and consent process – and you hear how thoughtful, serious, substantive they are on these key issues that pertain to our Defense Department,” he continued. “And Joni Ernst is front and center on that. So to be able to have phone calls and meetings time and time again to talk over the issues is really, really important. The fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot.” Last week, after her first meeting with Hegseth, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump’s defense secretary nominee had a “frank and thorough” conversation.  A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” if she wasn’t ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, “I think you are right.” Even Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Trump ally in the Senate, was expressing serious concerns about Hegseth’s nomination. Fox News and other news organizations late last week reported that Trump was potentially considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth’s nomination falter. TRUMP ORBIT RAMPS UP CRITICISM OF ERNST OVER HEGSETH NOMINATION But on Friday, Trump took to social media to praise Hegseth. “Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News,” the president-elect wrote. And he praised Hegseth in a high-profile network TV interview over this past weekend. Vance, who remains a senator from Ohio until he steps down to assume the vice presidency, has been working behind the scenes to consolidate support for Hegseth among his Republican colleagues in the Senate. “It’s fair to say that JD has been Pete’s biggest champion internally in Trump world and has spent a lot of time over the last two weeks helping shore up support for Pete among his colleagues in the Senate,” a source in Vance’s political orbit told Fox News. Meanwhile, Trump’s political team and allies – fueled by grassroots support for Hegseth – turned up the volume. “There will be no resource that we won’t use to go after those U.S. senators that vote against Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks or his other nominees,” longtime Trump outside adviser Corey Lewandowski told Fox News. Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect’s oldest son and MAGA powerhouse, took to social media to target wavering Republican senators. “If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin [President Biden’s defense secretary], but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!” Don Trump Jr.

Republicans rip Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as a bribe to ‘make NYers like her’

Republicans rip Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as a bribe to ‘make NYers like her’

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first initiative of her 2025 State of the State plan: up to $500 in “inflation refunds” for New Yorkers dealing with spiking costs-of-living in the Empire State. The proposal would take $3 billion in “excess” sales tax revenue that had been “driven by inflation” and return the money to nearly half of the state’s population. Families making less than $300,000 would be eligible for $500, and individual taxpayers making less than $150,000 would receive $300 under the plan. The governor’s office said the announcement is one of several proposals aimed at lessening the burden on New Yorkers’ cost-of-living. “Because of inflation, New York has generated unprecedented revenues through the sales tax — now, we’re returning that cash back to middle class families,” Hochul said in a statement Monday. HOCHUL SPARKS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER CONGESTION PRICING REBOOT AS DEMS WORRIED TRUMP WOULD BLOCK IT “My agenda for the coming year will be laser-focused on putting money back in your pockets, and that starts with proposing Inflation Refund checks of up to $500 to help millions of hard-working New Yorkers. “It’s simple: the cost of living is still too damn high, and New Yorkers deserve a break,” said Hochul, offering a sentiment similar to that repeated by perennial candidate and Rent is Too Damn High Party founder Jimmy McMillan. However, New York Republicans were not as receptive to Hochul’s plan, as NYSGOP Executive Director David Laska told Fox News Digital the governor appeared simply out to make friends rather than bring about long-term relief. “With her approval rating deep underwater, Kathy Hochul is resorting to bribing New Yorkers to like her,” Laska said.  HOMAN SCOFFS AT HOCHUL’S SUDDEN OUTRAGE OVER VIOLENT MIGRANTS “Handing out one-time checks won’t stop the crushing inflation Democrats’ policies have fueled – it will only add to it. New York needs real, permanent solutions: relief from our highest-in-the-nation tax burden and a rollback of job-killing regulations.” New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli claimed that the $300 offered to middle- and low-income residents would still be less than what is spent on each migrant daily. “[That] is not that backslapping win the governor thinks it is,” said Borelli, R-Staten Island.  Borelli added that the plan “looks increasingly silly” in the face of Hochul’s successful push for congestion pricing and her borrowing “costly energy cues from the Greta Thunberg School of Energy Policy.” “Newsflash for Kathy Hochul,” added Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., “Taking thousands of dollars out of New Yorkers’ left pocket and then putting $500 in their right pocket isn’t a tax cut, it’s an insult.” State Sen. Rob Ortt, R-Niagara Falls, said that Democrats like Hochul continue to make New York State more expensive despite pleas for relief. “The governor’s mindset is promising, however words are words,” said Ortt, the top Republican in the chamber. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ortt claimed that it is his caucus that is the true voice for hardworking New Yorkers seeking “real affordability… not just one-shot gimmicks.” Meanwhile, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said Albany needs to “stop treating New Yorkers like bottomless ATM machines” with their new tolls and tax hikes. Malliotakis’ constituents now face an extra $9 “congestion” toll to enter Lower Manhattan, on top of an approximate $20 round-trip cost to commute on the state-owned Verrazzano Bridge. “If she’d allow her constituents to keep more of their hard-earned money from the start, there would be no need for these ‘inflation refund’ checks to begin with.” Hochul’s office estimated 8.6 million out of 19.5 million New Yorkers would benefit from the planned “refunds.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul for further comment on the criticisms.

New York voters want state to support Trump deportations, poll finds

New York voters want state to support Trump deportations, poll finds

Most voters in New York want the state to support President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plans, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The Siena College New York State Poll found that 54% of respondents say the state should support any Trump administration efforts to deport migrants living illegally in the state, compared to 35% of respondents who oppose the plans. Strong support for the president-elect’s deportation plan was found throughout the state, including New York City. “A majority of voters from the City, 51%, upstate, 54%, and the downstate suburbs, 58%, want the State to support the Feds’ efforts,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said of Trump’s effort to deport illegal immigrants living in the state. “Supporting the Feds also has majority support from white and Black voters, and a plurality of Latino voters, 47-36%.” RACHEL MORIN’S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY The poll found that 51% of Democrats in the state opposed deportations, while 38% supported any such plans. Meanwhile, 87% of Republicans overwhelmingly supported Trump’s plans, compared with 8% who opposed. Independent voters broke down with 54% in support and 30% who opposed., The New York Post earlier last month obtained data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that showed 58,626 of the 759,218 illegal immigrants living in New York City had previously been convicted of a crime or had criminal charges pending, or 7.7% of the city’s illegal migrant population. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that 11 million illegal immigrants were living in the U.S. as of 2022, the latest statistics available. TRUMP CLAIMS GOP ‘VERY OPEN’ TO KEEPING ‘DREAMERS’ IN US, TAKES SHOT AT ‘VERY DIFFICULT’ DEMS Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign when he enters office in January, where he will also have a Republican House and Senate.  Ahead of that, some Democrats have been calling on President Biden to extend existing protections for some illegal immigrants – including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Trump, however, said on Sunday that he wants to work with Democrats on a “plan” to help illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under the Obama-era DACA order. “I will work with the Democrats on a plan, and if we can come up with a plan, but the Democrats have made it very, very difficult to do anything. Republicans are very open to the Dreamers,” Trump said. “The Dreamers, we’re talking many years ago. They were brought into this country many years ago, some of them are no longer young people, and in many cases, they become successful. They have great jobs. In some cases, they have small businesses. In some cases, they might have large businesses, and we’re going to have to do something with them.” Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rachel Morin’s mom pleads senators ‘hear our cries for help’ in mass deportations hearing testimony

Rachel Morin’s mom pleads senators ‘hear our cries for help’ in mass deportations hearing testimony

FIRST ON FOX: The mother of a woman allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant pleaded with Judiciary Committee senators to secure the border in her written testimony for a hearing led by committee Democrats titled, “How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy.”  “I live 1,800 miles from the southern border in a small town in northern Maryland. Yet a man who was wanted for murder in El Salvador made his way to my community… and ambushed my daughter on a quaint walking trail in broad daylight,” wrote Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin who died in 2023.  GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL Rachel Morin was a mother of five. Following her death, a grand jury in Maryland voted to formally charge the suspect, illegal immigrant Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, with two counts of murder, two counts of rape and one count each of sex offense and kidnapping.  “We felt relieved when the suspect was finally caught. But that relief quickly turned to horror and outrage when we learned that the suspect was an illegal immigrant. This man was wanted for killing a woman in his home country when he walked into ours,” Patty wrote in her planned testimony.  JOHN CORNYN ‘INCLINED’ TO BACK TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL AFTER SENATE MEETING Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recently previewed the Tuesday hearing, saying it “will examine the consequences of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations, as well as stress the need to shift our focus toward sensible solutions that would bring order to the border and provide a path to citizenship to longtime residents with no serious criminal convictions.” Patty will be one of five witnesses at the hearing.  DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS APPOINT INCOMING CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY SENATORS 3 WEEKS EARLY “I really want you to hear my words and take to heart what I and other families across America are saying. Please hear our cries for help! You each have taken an oath…an oath to serve our nation and the citizens who make it great. Protect Americans by securing our borders,” she said in her testimony.  LARA TRUMP ANNOUNCES SHE IS STEPPING DOWN AS RNC CO-CHAIR AMIDST TALK SHE MAY BE UP FOR FLORIDA SENATE SEAT The hearing and Patty Morin’s testimony come as both parties prepare for the mass deportations of illegal immigrants that have been promised by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. He has also said he will further fortify the southern border and continue building his wall.  Rachel Morin’s death was one of several high-profile deaths of women in the U.S. allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants during the Biden administration. Some of the other cases that garnered national media attention and outrage were those of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas and Laken Riley in Georgia.