Good morning, and welcome to the Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, March 15, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas.
Trump Scores Partial Win in Request to Delay Manhattan Criminal Trial
Former President Donald Trump has scored a partial win in his bid to postpone his criminal trial in New York, in which the former president faces 34 felony counts of allegedly falsifying business records in connection with “hush money” payments.President Trump had requested a 90-day delay or a full adjournment or dismissal at the start of the trial in order to have a chance to review the 73,000 or so pages of evidentiary documents produced by the district attorney’s office since March 4.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has agreed to a 30-day delay of the trial, arguing that the late-term production of the evidence doesn’t warrant dismissal and that only about 172 pages are directly relevant to the case.
The United States Attorneys’ Offices produced around 31,000 additional pages of records on March 13. Judge Juan Merchan, who’s presiding over the case, still has to sign off on the delay.
President Trump denies any wrongdoing, calling the trial a politically motivated ploy to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.
Mr. Bragg indicted President Trump with 34 counts of allegedly falsifying business records in order to conceal $130,000 in payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for keeping quiet about her allegations of an affair.
In his plea deal in 2018, Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former attorney, claimed that he made the payments at the former president’s direction and that he was reimbursed by President Trump’s company, even though he earlier claimed he paid the money out of his own pocket.
President Trump recently asked the judge to block certain evidence and witness testimony in the case, accusing prosecutors of planning to put forward “improper arguments” and “inadmissible evidence” in order to interfere in the upcoming presidential election. At the top of the list of what President Trump wanted Justice Merchan to block was any new testimony from Mr. Cohen, who has admitted to lying to Congress.
Mr. Bragg has charged President Trump with a felony falsifying records charge, which would require prosecutors to prove that it was done to hide the commission of a second crime.
Under New York state law, falsifying business records is a misdemeanor. But if the records fraud was used to cover up or commit another crime, the charge could be elevated to a felony.
RNC Files Election Integrity Lawsuit
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, accusing her of violating federal law on proper maintenance of voter rolls.An analysis by the RNC shows that 76 of Michigan’s 83 counties have inflated voter rolls in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. The RNC also found that 53 counties have more active registered voters than voting-age U.S. citizens. Further, 23 Michigan counties have active voter registration rates that meet or exceed 90 percent of adult citizens ages 18 and older.
The RNC is asking the court to enter a judgment that Ms. Benson is violating Section 8 of the voter registration act and issue a permanent injunction barring her from doing so any longer. They’re also seeking an order requiring her to develop and implement “reasonable and effective” voter registration list-maintenance programs.
Ms. Benson has defended her actions, stating that over 700,000 voter registrations have been canceled and that Michigan ranks fifth in removing registrations of deceased voters.
The RNC’s focus on election integrity has been emphasized by its new leadership, with RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump publicly stating their commitment to ensuring the integrity of elections.
President Trump maintains that he was cheated out of victory in the 2020 presidential election in part because of outright fraud and in part because of last-minute changes to election rules that sharply expanded opportunities to cast mail-in ballots, while softening voter verification requirements.
The latest lawsuit marks the 79th case of election integrity litigation that the RNC has engaged in during the current election cycle.
This lawsuit in Michigan highlights a fierce battle over election integrity as we approach upcoming elections.
Appeals Court Denies Peter Navarro’s Bid to Delay Jail Term
Peter Navarro, a former member of the Trump administration, was denied his bid to delay his prison sentence while appealing his conviction for contempt of Congress. He is set to report to jail on March 19.Mr. Navarro’s bid to stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction was turned down initially in February by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who found that he failed to present any significant legal questions. Mr. Navarro then appealed Judge Mehta’s ruling, but it was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The ruling from the three-judge panel, which included Circuit Judges Patricia Millett, Cornelia Pillard, and Robert Wilkins—all of whom were appointed by former President Barack Obama—was unanimous.
According to circuit precedent, a substantial question is a question “that very well could be decided the other way.”
Mr. Navarro argued in filings to the appeals court that, as a senior presidential adviser, he was protected by executive privilege. He said the case presents questions that could be decided the other way and thus the appeals court should grant his motion.
The contempt charges were brought after the House select committee investigating the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, subpoenaed Mr. Navarro and he declined to testify or provide documents.
“I was more than happy to comply with that subpoena if they simply called the president and asked for a waiver of the privilege,” he said. “And I think it tells the lie, in this whole case, that they never made one phone call, they never lifted a finger to call him to get the information they claimed they needed to have.
“Had they made that one phone call, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Mr. Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison by Judge Mehta, another Obama appointee.
Stanley Brand, one of Mr. Navarro’s lawyers, said in a recent filing that Mr. Navarro planned to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if the appeals court ruled against him.
Sen. Rick Scott Demands Answers From Mayorkas Over Policy on Illegal Immigrants Boarding Flights Without IDs
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has raised concerns about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allowing 320,000 illegal immigrants to fly on commercial airlines without government-issued identification.In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Mr. Scott criticized TSA for enabling illegal immigrants to enter the United States using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app, CBP One. He argued that this policy poses security risks by allowing individuals to adopt false identities.
A recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed that the Biden administration has approved “secretive flights” transporting 320,000 illegal immigrants from Latin America to 43 U.S. airports since 2022. Mr. Scott expressed alarm about this screening policy, stating that unverified data from CBP is being relied upon by other agencies like TSA.
“CBP routinely paroles inadmissible illegal aliens into the U.S. under a self-provided name and date of birth, which has allowed other agencies like TSA to later rely on the uncorroborated CBP One data as if it were verified,” Mr. Scott said in the letter.
Reports suggest that Venezuela, a participant in the program, may issue passports to individuals in the Middle East, potentially including those connected to terrorist groups like Hezbollah.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also expressed concerns about dangerous threats emanating from the border, including drug trafficking and connections between human smugglers and ISIS.
Mr. Scott requested information from Mr. Mayorkas about the program, including the names of airports and airlines involved, and whether TSA identifies any passengers posing a national security threat.
That’s today’s roundup.
If you’re celebrating a birthday today, you’re in good company.
Actor Judd Hirsch (TV show “Taxi” and the movie “Ordinary People”) is 89.
Singer Mike Love of the Beach Boys is 83.
Finally, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born on this day in 1933. She was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton where she spent the last years of her life working diligently to remind us that, as she said, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
She was popularly dubbed “the Notorious R.B.G.,” a moniker she later embraced.
That wraps up today’s episode of the Epoch Times News Brief. I’m Bill Thomas, and it’s been a pleasure bringing you the news and insights that matter most.
Stay safe, stay informed, and have a great day!
