Tag: Mar-a-Lago

What are the charges against former U.S. President Donald Trump?

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia.
| Photo Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via Reuters

The story so far: Donald Trump on August 24 became the first President, either sitting or former, to have his mugshot taken at a jail in the country, on racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

According to official records, he was booked on 13 charges at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta and released on a $200,000 bond. This was the fourth criminal case against Mr. Trump since he became the first former U.S. President to be indicted earlier this year.

The Hindu looks at charges against Mr. Trump so far.

New York

Mr. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to payments made to hush claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, prosecutors and defence lawyers said on March 31, 2023.

Mr. Trump was allegedly involved with adult actor Stormy Daniels in 2006. During the 2016 presidential campaign , Mr. Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels to stop her from disclosing any information. He also arranged for the publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer o pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $1,50,000 to suppress her story of Mr. Trump’s affair.

Mr. Cohen officially surrendered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in August 2018 and was sentenced to three years in prison for the hush money to Ms. Daniels, characterised as “excessive campaign contribution”. He spent most of his sentence in home confinement.

Mr. Trump pled not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Florida

In the State of Florida, Mr. Trump has been charged with mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. He was also accused of obstructing government efforts to recover the records. Mr. Trump held on to classified documents that contained information on national defence when he left the White House in January 2021.

Out of the 37 charges against him, 31 relate to violations under the U.S. Espionage Act. This Act was enacted by the Congress in 1917, just months after the U.S entered World War I. Some of the charges levied against Mr. Trump under this Act carry a potential sentence of 20 years in prison.

Mr. Trump pled not guilty to 37 federal criminal charges relating to possession of classified documents. Later, three more charges were added by the prosecutors, bringing the total count to 40.

Washington

Mr. Trump was charged on four counts in the State of Washington for his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat. This was the third criminal case against Mr. Trump, after those in New York and Florida.

The former President appeared in a federal courthouse in Washington D.C. on August 3 before Indian American Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. The indictment was filed by Special Counsel Jack Smith who led an investigation into the allegations that Mr. Trump tried to overturn the election result.

Charges levied against Mr. Trump included conspiracy to defraud, witness tampering, conspiracy against the rights of citizens, and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding.

While the indictment does not directly accuse Mr. Trump of being responsible for the January 6, 2021 riots when a mob entered Capitol Hill, the obstruction charges indirectly relate to it.

Mr. Trump pled not guilty to four criminal charges alleging he tried to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to current U.S. President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has approved March 4, 2024, as the trial date in Mr. Trump’s election subversion conspiracy case. It’s right before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen States will vote in a primary to pick the Republican presidential candidate for 2024. Despite his legal troubles, Mr. Trump appears to be among the favourites to secure the nomination.

Georgia

Mr. Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in Georgia on August 14 with charges related to scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss in the State. He was booked on 13 charges in Atlanta’s Fulton County jail on August 24 and had his mugshot taken.

Other defendants in the case include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Mr. Giuliani surrendered on August 23 and had his mugshot taken, while Mr. Meadows surrendered on August 24.

The indictment against Mr. Trump and allies also mentions an alleged scheme to tamper with voting machines in one county of Georgia to steal data.

The defendants will be arraigned next week, on September 6.

Do the charges disrupt Mr. Trump’s presidential plans?

Apparently not.

The Trump campaign reportedly raised more than $7 million since he was booked at a jail in Georgia and his mugshot was released.

According to survey research company Morning Consult, Mr. Trump is the leading candidate among Republicans aspiring to be the party’s face in the presidential polls scheduled to be held in late 2024. Despite not attending the first Republican presidential primary debate held on August 23, Mr. Trump has retained the top rating among the party’s candidates. Morning Consult’s survey reveals Mr. Trump polled 58% as of August 29, while his closest contender Ron DeSantis polled only 14%. The survey also reveals that Mr. Trump’s popularity has consistently grown since December 2022, but the same cannot be said about other Republican presidential hopefuls.

(With inputs from news agencies)

  • Donald Trump on August 24 became the first President, either sitting or former, to have his mugshot taken at a jail in the country, on racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. According to official records, he was booked on 13 charges at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta and released on a $200,000 bond.
  • Mr. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to payments made to hush claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, prosecutors and defence lawyers said on March 31, 2023.
  • In the State of Florida, Mr. Trump has been charged with mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. He was also accused of obstructing government efforts to recover the records. Mr. Trump held on to classified documents that contained information on national defence when he left the White House in January 2021.

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Checks & Imbalances: Mar-A-Lago Sought 380 Foreign Workers, Jim Jordan’s Got $100,000

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Today we look at Mar-a-Lago’s staffing whilst Donald Trump had access to America’s secrets.

Mar-A-Lago Sought 380 Foreign Workers During Time Trump Had Access To Classified Documents

Mar-a-Lago looked to employ 380 short-term foreign workers from 2017 to 2022, when Trump had access to classified documents, initially as president and ultimately as a former official living at the club.

Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 37 charges stemming from his retention of government documents, including 102 the FBI allegedly found when they raided Mar-a-Lago in August 2022. According to the indictment, Trump stored classified documents in the ballroom, a bathroom, his bedroom, a storage room and his office. It’s unclear who exactly could get inside those areas, but it would stand to reason that some Mar-a-Lago staff could access them.

Mar-a-Lago relies on foreign nationals to work as servers, cooks and housekeepers. In 2016, the club sought 65 foreign workers. The figure has increased every year since, with the exception of 2020, when the club shut down in the early days of the pandemic and furloughed more than 150 employees. Last winter, Mar-a-Lago sought out 91 foreign workers, according to records filed with the Department of Labor.

The requirements listed on the job orders do not seem particularly strict. For example, the qualifications to be a housekeeper during the 2021 to 2022 season included three months of verifiable housekeeping experience and a drug and background check. The position also required the ability to communicate in English, maintain flexible hours and move 25 pounds. It paid $11.70 an hour.

U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services’ guidelines allow U.S. employers to hire short-term, non-permanent foreign workers if “there are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified and available to do the temporary work.” Foreign nationals from 87 countries are eligible to apply for these jobs via the federal government’s H-2B visa program. Businesses must petition the Department of Labor for permission to hire these workers, listing the number of vacancies they are looking to fill.

If Mar-a-Lago’s reliance on foreign workers seems at odds with Trump’s immigration policy, it’s not. While his White House tried to prevent employers from relying on foreign workers, it targeted permanent employees—not the temporary ones Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties hire.

Representatives of the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

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Loose Change

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) earned more than $100,000 in 2022 for his memoir, “Do What You Said You Would Do,” according to a disclosure he filed Wednesday with the House clerk’s office. The payment was first reported by Cleveland.com.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) offers signed copies of Jordan’s book in exchange for a donation of $35 or more. The NRCC reported paying $30,000 in 2022 to Jordan’s publisher, Post Hill Press, a conservative outlet.

“Jordan for Congress did not buy copies of ‘Do What You Said You Would Do,’ but certainly understands why other entities might want to use it as a fundraising tool,” said Kevin Eichinger, a spokesperson for the campaign.

Representatives of the NRCC did not respond to inquiries.

*****

The Michigan Republican Party failed to report $2 million in expenditures and $160,000 in receipts in its original March 2023 report, according to a letter the Federal Election Committee (FEC) sent the state party earlier in June. The Michigan GOP has until July 6 to explain its original oversight. A spokesperson for the committee did not respond to a request for comment.

In response to previous inquiries from the FEC about discrepancies between other original and amended filings, the committee said “any change in activity is a result of an audit conducted by the previous compliance staff” and that the committee is using a new compliance firm.

Did TikTok’s CEO Commit Perjury?

Alexandra Levine, a senior writer at Forbes, joins “Forbes Newsroom” to give updates on the rift between the U.S. government and TikTok.

Continuing Irresolutions

Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that his second book will be published in November.

Pence’s political action committee bought $91,000 worth of his literary debut last year. It peaked at No. 2 on the New York Times’ best-seller list and remained ranked for six weeks.

*****

Kari Lake’s debut single, “81 Million Votes, My Ass,” held the top spot on the iTunes Music chart for two days this week. That list measures paid downloads, as opposed to streams, the more popular method to listen to music.

Tracking Trump

Forbes continues to update “Tracking Trump: All The Criminal Cases, Lawsuits And Investigations Involving The Former President.”

*****

“Hours after becoming the first former U.S. president to be charged with a federal crime Tuesday, Donald Trump laid out his defense against the 37-count indictment accusing him of mishandling sensitive government information and obstructing the investigation into his conduct—but his speech included legally fraught arguments and misleading comparisons of his political adversaries’ own legal woes,” reports Sara Dorn.

*****

Trump’s campaign said it raised $6.6 million after news broke of his federal indictment. At least one fundraiser that contributed to that total was held at his Bedminster, N.J. golf course this week, meaning he may have raised some funds for his private business.

Across Forbes

Quiz

Which of the following is not a false or misleading remark Donald Trump made after his latest indictment?

A. President Joe Biden had him arrested on “fake and fabricated charges”

B. The Bill Clinton “sock drawer” case exonerates Trump

C. The only person with the power to arrest him in the case is the Palm Beach County sheriff

D. The Espionage Act doesn’t apply

Check if you got it right here.



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Joe Tacopina: Trump’s Newest Bad Lawyer

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It’s either because he’s a terrible client or never pays his bills or no one wants to be on the losing side, but Donald Trump has an uncanny ability to pick out the worst attorneys to ever pass the bar. His latest legal draft pick: Joseph Tacopina, who appeared on this Sunday’s “Meet The Press” with Chuck Todd.

Similar to an infamous appearance by Rudy Giuliani, Chuck Todd’s oft-suppressed journalistic instincts awakened when given such an incompetent target. The trouble for Tacopina began when Todd asked why Trump got the media and the right-wing into a lather about his impending arrest last week. Tacopina, because he couldn’t just say his client is a bullshit artist who is willing to incite dumbasses to protect his own hide, tried to blame others.

TACOPINA: No, he didn’t make it up, he was reacting towards a lot of leaks coming out of the district attorney’s office. There had been a leak, Chuck, that Monday, the day before that Tuesday, there was a law enforcement meeting, including Secret Service and NYPD, that was going to go through the logistics of the arraignment. […] So he just, I think he just assumed based on those leaks that that’s what was going to happen.

As
Lemony Snicket once wrote, “Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make — bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake — if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.” Neither Tacopina nor his client have ever learned this lesson, which is why the rest of Tacopina’s answers to Todd’s questions came off as a series of unfortunate events for his credibility. When Todd read some of Trump’s public statements on social media, specifically targeting Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Tacopina attempted to change the subject.

TACOPINA: So Chuck, as his lawyer, I want to dissect this case, because it’s a case that shouldn’t be brought and wouldn’t be brought if it were anyone other than Donald Trump, let’s be clear about that. Does anyone actually think […] that anyone else would be prosecuted for making a civil settlement in a hush money case with personal funds? Of course not.

Literally that was what Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was prosecuted for and served federal prison time for. The crime, mind you, that was at the direction of and reimbursed by Donald Trump through his businesses and he’s currently being investigated for.

Todd, again, pressed Tacopina about Trump’s attacks on Bragg through social media and Tacopina deflected poorly.

TACOPINA: […] Again, I’m not his social media consultant. I don’t — I think that was an ill-advised post that one of his social media people put up, and he quickly took down when he realized the rhetoric in the photo that was attached to it. But that being said —

TODD: You’re only referring to the baseball bat.

TACOPINA: … I’m not here to defend or support —
TODD: He didn’t take down the other rhetoric. […]

Tacopina then reverted back to his only defense of Trump, mainly that this was “personal funds” and “would have been made payment irrespective of the candidacy or campaign,” which he views as bulletproof for his client. But when Todd pulled his best
Inigo Montoya impression about this “personal funds” argument, Tacopina made a colossal legal mistake that even Todd couldn’t ignore.

TODD: […] So you call it personal funds. It is, in a court of law, it’s been proven —
TACOPINA: It is personal funds.

TODD: — that it was Trump Organization funds.

TACOPINA: It’s personal funds. It was not funds related to the campaign. That’s the distinction —
TODD: But he used a Trump Organization check.

TACOPINA: It’s not campaign finance laws. But Chuck, that’s personal, that’s personal. It has nothing to do with the campaign —

TODD: So everything with the Trump Organization is Donald Trump the person?

TACOPINA: Let’s focus this —

TODD: I mean, you realize the door you’re opening there.

I don’t think Tacopina realized what he did there, Chuck, as his continued answer dug the hole deeper.

TACOPINA: […] These were personal funds. By all accounts, these were personal funds, not campaign funds. It’s personal or campaign – whether Trump Organization, Donald Trump the person, you know, Mar-A-Lago Corporation, whatever it is – they’re personal and not campaign funds. And that’s the key distinction here. If they were campaign funds, we’d be having a different discussion. […]

But, as Todd then pointed out, Tacopina’s client might not be facing campaign finance charges.

Tacopina basically admitted what everyone knows: The Trump family uses his organizations and corporations as their own personal piggy banks, much like they did with the Trump “charities.”

This makes DA Bragg’s case much easier … not that he needs help since he’s done this type of case many times before despite what Trump’s surrogates say.

TODD: But again, what this investigation may end up being is about the, essentially the falsifying business records. Which by the way, this prosecutor has brought over 60 – this one and the previous one – has brought over 60 times over the last four years. This is not an unusual crime to charge somebody with […]

When Todd brought up falsifying business records and ledgers to say the payments were “legal fees,” Tacopina outlined how somehow that was ok in what will probably be what he’s remembered for after all this.

TACOPINA: […] Seriously, what would he personal ledger? “Payment for hush money to quiet an affair that I claim I never had so my family doesn’t get embarrassed.” Is that what he should put in his ledger? There’s no, nothing wrong with putting whatever you want in your ledger […] You’re being petty. […]

Todd ended the segment these clips of a very familiar lawyer saying how this was crime when it was first reported in 2018.

We bet Tacopina wishes his reality show dreams hadn’t flamed out 5 years ago.

Have a week.

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Checks & Imbalances: Ivana Trump’s Will, Donald Trump’s Customers

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Today we look at Ivana Trump’s will and election-denying secretary of state candidates paying the former president.

This is the web edition of the free Checks & Imbalances newsletter, usually sent to inboxes on Fridays. You can subscribe here. Please support this work, if you can, by subscribing to Forbes.

Ivana Trump Left Behind $34 Million. Here’s What Is In Her Will

“Ivana Trump left behind $34 million of assets when she died in July, according to previously unreported probate documents. Her will specified that most of that should be split between her three children, Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump. She also left two properties for friends, and tried to leave another for an ex-husband, Rossano Rubicondi, but he passed away before she did. Donald Trump, Ivana’s wealthier ex-husband, got nothing,” reports Dan Alexander.

The most prominent asset in Ivana’s estate is a New York City townhouse, located a half block from Central Park. Her heirs are currently trying to sell it, asking $26.5 million. It’s unclear whether they will get that much. Regardless of the final price, the proceeds will be split evenly between Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric, according to their mother’s will.

It will not be an insignificant sum for these younger Trumps, whose father has been willing to lend them money but hesitant to hand over major pieces of his $3.2 billion empire. In 2019, Forbes estimated that Don Jr. and Eric were worth about $25 million apiece, while Ivanka was worth more like $375 million, having started her own fashion brand and married into another rich family. Since 2019, the three children have ditched their 7.5% stakes in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., part of a massive sale that allowed each of them to cash out more than $10 million apiece, according to Forbes estimates.

Watch: Senior editor Dan Alexander joins “Forbes Talks” to break down Ivana Trump’s will and beneficiaries.

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Loose Change

FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. Since that day, eight political committees have refunded a total of $29,000 in contributions that came from the cryptocurrency exchange’s top two executives, Sam Bankman-Fried and Ryan Salame. Many of the politicians and PACs that benefited from Bankman-Fried and Salame’s largesse pledged to donate the funds they received to charity, Popular Information reported in December. Campaign-finance disclosures that would confirm if they’ve done so are due at the end of January.

*****

Within two days of the death on Jan. 8 of pro-Trump vlogger Diamond, her sister Silk launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Christian platform GiveSendGo. It had raised $110,000 as of Thursday night. All funds will go to Silk for the purpose of “preserving Diamond’s legacy.”

Watch: Ways And Means Committee Chairman Calls For Biden And Other Democrats To Work With GOP

Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) joins “Forbes Newsroom” to discuss how he’ll run the House Ways and Means Committee as chairman and where he can work together with Democrats.

Continuing Irresolutions

Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) plans to fill his party’s vacancies on the Office of Congressional Ethics’ board within 30 days, Punchbowl reported on Wednesday. As part of the rules package that passed mostly along party lines on Jan. 9, House Republicans reinstated term limits for board members. The change would remove two or three Democrats but no Republicans from the board.

*****

House documents confirm that Florida Republican Byron Donalds has set up a legal-expense trust to reimburse his campaign for the $300,000 it’s spent on his legal fees, as a spokesperson for Donalds previously claimed.

Donalds, by the way, seems to have benefited from backing Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker of the House, landing a spot on the Financial Services Committee as well as two influential GOP internal panels, Punchbowl reported on Thursday.

*****

The campaign for former Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) remains open to receive restitution from its one-time treasurer, Andrew McCrosson, who pleaded guilty to embezzlement in 2011. McCrosson’s latest payment to the campaign was $3,100 in November, according to records with the Federal Election Commission. McCrosson, who is about 72 years old, has paid back $206,000 of the $458,000 he was ordered to pay in restitution.

Watch: ‘Where’s George?’: Long Island Legislator Outlines His Plans To Hold George Santos Accountable

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is resisting mounting calls to resign, despite admitting to falsifying most of his resume and facing local, state, federal and international investigations. Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan has been one of Santos’ most-vocal critics on Long Island and just launched a campaign titled “Where’s George.” Lafazan joins Brittany Lewis in “Forbes Newsroom” to discuss.

Tracking Trump

The campaigns for three secretary of state candidates who denied the results of the 2020 presidential election spent $81,000 at properties owned by Donald Trump, according to a report published on Tuesday by government watchdog Issue One.

All three of these Trump-endorsed candidates lost, preventing them from being in a position to put their thumb on the scale for Trump’s 2024 candidacy.

Watch: Your correspondent joined Brittany Lewis in “Forbes Newsroom” to discuss this report.

*****

“A lavish New York townhouse once owned by the late Ivana Trump is on the market for $26.5 million. Purchased for $2.5 million soon after her divorce from Donald Trump, the six-story, 8,725-square-foot home reflects Ivana’s big personality, her whimsical style and her passion for interior design with gold leaf, crystal chandeliers, pink marble and animal-print wall coverings,” reports Brenda Richardson.

*****

“LIV Golf and the CW Network reached a multiyear agreement to bring the Saudi-backed PGA Tour rival to American broadcast television, the parties announced Thursday morning, following reports earlier this week that the parties were nearing an agreement,” reports Derek Saul.

*****

The campaign for a candidate for state representative in Arizona spent $220 at Trump Winery in Virginia on Halloween 2022. Eight days later, Republican Jennifer Treadwell lost her election, pulling in just half of the winner’s vote total.

*****

Richard Kofoed, who allegedly used embezzled money to support Trump’s campaign and lead a lavish lifestyle, had two meetings at the White House the day before the riots at the Capitol, according to visitors logs the House Jan. 6 committee released. Some of Kimberly Guilfoyle’s text messages, which the panel also made public, claim Kofoed and his wife, Stacy, were staying in the swankiest suite in Trump’s D.C. hotel at the time.

*****

Behgjet Pacolli, a member of Kosovo’s parliament who previously served as that country’s president, foreign minister and first deputy prime minister, chatted with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to a photo Pacolli posted in November. Pacolli is also the president and CEO of Mabetex Project Engineering, a Swiss-based construction firm.

*****

Judicial Watch held its annual roundtable at Trump’s Miami resort this week. Trump attorney Christina Bobb was among the attendees, along with Jenna Ellis, a prominent peddler of Trump’s Big Lie. The nonprofit Judicial Watch describes itself as “a conservative, nonpartisan educational organization that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.” The former president delivered the keynote. According to one attendee, Ivanka Trump was with her father at Doral on Thursday.

*****

The 917 Society’s “mission is to educate the next generation on the great values and norms given to them by the U.S. Constitution.”

On Jan. 28, the nonprofit will host a dinner “celebrating the Constitution” at Mar-a-Lago, the private club of the former president. Tickets are $750.

Across Forbes

In Closing

“My last will and testament I leave my heir

My share of Roc-A-Fella Records and a shiny new beach chair”

— Jay-Z, “Beach Chair”



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