<![CDATA[Tag: Marjorie Taylor Greene – NBC4 Washington]]> https://www.nbcwashington.com/https://www.nbcwashington.com/tag/marjorie-taylor-greene/ Copyright 2024 https://media.nbcwashington.com/2019/09/DC_On_Light@3x.png?fit=558%2C120&quality=85&strip=all NBC4 Washington https://www.nbcwashington.com en_US Sat, 06 Jan 2024 23:45:58 -0500 Sat, 06 Jan 2024 23:45:58 -0500 NBC Owned Television Stations Florida venue cancels Marjorie Taylor Greene event after learning of its Jan. 6 focus https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/florida-venue-cancels-marjorie-taylor-greene-event-after-learning-of-its-jan-6-focus/3507960/ 3507960 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2022/01/AP22002595639465.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 A central Florida venue has canceled an event that was to have featured Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after it learned the event was intended to commemorate the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The event was set to be hosted by the Republican Party of Osceola County at the Westgate Resorts in Kissimmee. It was originally pitched to Westgate as a small book-signing event featuring Greene, without mention of Jan. 6.

“Please be advised that Westgate was not made aware of the purpose of this event when we were approached to host a book signing,” Westgate Resorts said in a statement. “This event has been canceled and is no longer taking place at our resort.”

Greene refused to discuss the development when asked for her reaction to the cancellation by NBC News in Iowa, where she was doing an event for former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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Fri, Jan 05 2024 09:01:30 AM
Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted by failed Christmas swatting attempt https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-targeted-by-failed-christmas-swatting-attempt/3501561/ 3501561 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2022/01/AP22002595639465.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, the congresswoman and local police said, marking the latest instance of someone calling in a fake emergency to draw armed officers to her home.

The Rome Police Department quickly verified that the call was a hoax and did not send officers to the house, department spokesperson Kelly Madden said.

“I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this,” Greene wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

A man in New York called the Georgia suicide hotline just before 11 a.m. Monday, claiming that he had shot his girlfriend at Greene’s home and was going to kill himself next, Madden said. The call was quickly transferred to police when suicide hotline responders recognized the Georgia congresswoman’s address.

The department said it contacted Greene’s private security detail to confirm she was safe and that there was no emergency at her residence. The call was then determined to be a swatting attempt, so the police response was canceled en route, Madden explained.

“We determined before our personnel could get to her location that there was no emergency and there was no reason to respond,” she said. “Her security detail had it all under control, and there actually was nothing going on.”

The congresswoman, who represents the cities of Rome, Dalton and Calhoun in northwest Georgia, spent her first term stripped of committee assignments by the former House Democratic majority over racist comments, her embrace of conspiracy theories and her past endorsement of violence against Democratic officials. She has since gained more influence under the House’s current Republican leadership and continues to be a firebrand for the far-right.

Greene’s statement that she has been the target of roughly eight swatting attempts is accurate, Madden said. Past calls claimed that dead bodies had been found in the bath tub and in other areas of her home, which is located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta. Police also responded last year to false reports of shootings outside her residence.

The department said it sent officers to the house in response to those prior incidents but has since formed a close working relationship with Greene’s security detail, which allows officers to better assess the threat level. The criminal investigations division is working to identify Monday’s caller and build a case, Madden said.

Another New York man was sentenced to three months in prison in August for making threatening phone calls to Greene’s Washington, D.C., office.

Republican U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams said in a post on X that he was also targeted by a swatting attempt on Christmas Day. The Cayuga County Sheriff’s office said it received a false report of a shooting at the congressman’s home in central New York and sent officers to confirm that there was no present danger. Sheriff Brian Schenck did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking further details.

“Our home was swatted this afternoon,” Williams wrote. “Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!”

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Mon, Dec 25 2023 06:45:39 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene Defends National Guardsman Suspected of Leaking Classified Docs https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/marjorie-taylor-greene-defends-national-guardsman-suspected-of-leaking-classified-docs/3328966/ 3328966 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/04/AP23088637142284.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday defended the man arrested in connection with a high-profile investigation into leaked classified documents.

In a tweet just hours after Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, 21, was apprehended by the FBI, Greene praised his alleged actions and implied President Joe Biden was “the real enemy.”

“Jake Teixeira is white, male, christian, and antiwar. That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime. And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more,” Greene, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on Twitter. “Ask yourself who is the real enemy?”

Her comments were at odds with remarks from the handful of Republicans who weighed in on the arrest by praising law enforcement and calling for accountability over the leak.

Federal authorities continue to investigate the leak, which exposed U.S. intelligence about Russian efforts in Ukraine and spying on American allies.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

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Thu, Apr 13 2023 11:37:46 PM
Trump Protest Outside NYC Arraignment Attracts MTG, George Santos https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/marjorie-taylor-greene-headlines-trump-support-rally-mayors-crowd-message-control-yourselves/3322298/ 3322298 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/04/GettyImages-1250764461.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169

What to Know

  • NYC officials say the city is ready for any potential fallout from protests and unrest on Tuesday when former President Donald Trump surrenders at the Manhattan DA’s office
  • Trump ally U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene arrived in NYC for Trump’s expected arraignment on Tuesday; the indictment likely won’t be unsealed until then
  • The NYPD has said it is aware of no credible threats to NYC at this point; with the pall of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection still looming large, law enforcement at all levels of government have prepared accordingly

Hundreds of onlookers, protestors, journalists and a few-attention seeking politicians swarmed the lower Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

A morning “Rally for Trump” in support of the ex-president had been expected to draw numbers, including headlining speaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Republican lawmaker arrived amid the chaotic crowds of pro and anti-Trump supporters where she delivered brief remarks.

Shouting through a small handheld megaphone, Greene’s message to Trump’s supporters was essentially drowned out by the suffocating crowd of people and media gathered outside. Security whisked her away a few minutes later.

In an interview posted online, Greene said she planned to speak with media from a car and accused counter-protesters of assault for blowing whistles and shouting as she spoke. Whistles, NBC News reported, were being handed out by a Trump supporter: “We’re here to make noise.”

In an interview with NBC News from inside her car, Greene said that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is “not prosecuting President Trump, they’re persecuting him.”

The controversial Republican known for her extremist viewpoints had brief support from Rep. George Santos, who appeared among the courthouse chaos half an hour before the rally’s official start time. He left around 10 a.m. with no plan to return. During his “blink and “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance, the Long Island politician criticized Bragg and expressed his support for Trump.

“I’m not here for the cameras,” he insisted to reporters. “I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and it’s a bad day for democracy.”

VIDEO: See the scene at Manhattan Criminal Court as Donald Trump arrived.

New York’s own Rep. Jamaal Bowman was among the crowd shouting as Greene left the Manhattan courthouse.

“Go back to your district. What are you doing here? You’re here for politics,” Bowman said.

The crowds grew larger as the hour drew closer to Trump’s arrival at the courthouse to become the first president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

Demonstrators broke out into chants of “No one is above the law; Trump is not above the law.”

The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.

Initial crowd estimates from police had Trump supporters outnumber his detractors by a margin of about 2-to-1. Both sides were separated by metal barriers. The size of the barricaded crowds may match the volume of press members covering the day, which have also swarmed the area.

Anti-Trump protestors unfurled a large banner saying “Trump Lies All the Time.” A brief scuffle broke out between pro and anti-Trump supporters, with the former tearing up a banner outside the courthouse. NBC News reports police intervened and separated the groups.

With the pall of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection still looming large, the NYPD and its law enforcement partners at all levels of government have been preparing for any eventuality. At a press conference the day before, the head of the NYPD warned of rolling street closures and increased police presence, both likely to gum up movement around Manhattan.

Some may just want to stay out of the city -- especially if they intend to cause any disruption, Mayor Eric Adams added.

The Democrat and former police officer urged self-restraint for any protesters on either side who plan to converge on Manhattan this week. Adams specifically called out ardent Trump loyalist Greene, who tweeted last week she planned to come to New York to support him Tuesday.

"Control yourselves. This city isn't a playground for your misplaced anger," Adams said Monday. "People like MTG, who is known for spreading misinformation and hate speech, she stated that she's coming to our town. While you're here, be on your best behavior."

The former president had vocal support over the weekend in New York from a number of Republican allies, including possible presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor took the stage in Long Island alongside Rep. Lee Zeldin to blast Bragg for what he called a "flimsy" indictment.

"They're trying to do all these legal gymnastics to try and act like it's a felony when almost every other time he's trying to take the felonies and downgrade them to misdemeanors," DeSantis said Saturday.

Some demonstrated after Trump told the globe he expected to be arrested, but those protests were largely muted. The NYPD has said there's no credible threat to the city at this point, and it has ordered every member of the department to report in full uniform Friday.

That mandate is a precautionary measure and covers about 36,000 NYPD officers and 19,000 civilian employees. It comes as top officials shore up security plans ahead of what potentially could be a busy weekend of pro- and anti-Trump demonstrations throughout the city, especially in front of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.

The Fifth Avenue location has continued to attract supporters, opponents and tourists who just want to see the scene.

An Eric Adams spokesman said, "The mayor is in constant contact with Commissioner Sewell about all public safety issues affecting the city. The NYPD continues to monitor all activity and there are no credible threats to the city at this time. The NYPD always remains prepared to respond to events happening on the ground and keep New Yorkers safe."

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine also said he was bracing for whatever may come, tweeting last week that "NYPD and other law enforcement agencies have been planning and coordinating intensively for this moment. New York City is ready. If there is a Trump mob, they have lost the element of surprise."

Security is expected to be more intense in Lower Manhattan, where NYPD officers escorted District Attorney Alvin Bragg from his office last week. The kind of security needed to get the former president in and out of the same building poses an unprecedented logistical challenge the NYPD and the court system say they are prepared for.

The grand jury indictment has remained sealed and is expected to stay sealed until Trump's arraignment. Multiple sources say it includes about 30 counts of document fraud-related charges. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

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Tue, Apr 04 2023 09:51:36 AM
Twitter Cites Rules Against Violent Speech in Restricting Marjorie Taylor Greene's Account https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/twitter-cites-rules-against-violent-speech-in-restricting-marjorie-taylor-greenes-account/3315989/ 3315989 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2022/01/AP22002595639465.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Twitter temporarily restricted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s congressional account Tuesday after she repeatedly posted a graphic that referred to a “Trans Day of Vengeance.”

According to a screenshot Greene, R-Ga., posted on her personal account, Twitter said it had “temporarily limited” some of her account’s features, with full functionality scheduled to be restored in seven days.

The post in question, which Twitter has since removed, included a graphic that Greene said was for an antifa event in Washington, D.C., next month.

Ella Irwin, Twitter’s vice president of product overseeing trust and safety, said the company had conducted a “sweep” to remove more than 5,000 tweets and retweets of the graphic, including Greene’s.

“We do not support tweets that incite violence irrespective of who posts them,” Irwin tweeted. “‘Vengeance’ does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or support for peaceful protests is ok.”

Read the full story at NBCNews.com

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Wed, Mar 29 2023 12:49:08 AM
Greene's DC Jail Visit Pulls GOP Closer to Jan. 6 Rioters https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-visits-dc-jail-pulls-gop-closer-to-jan-6-rioters/3313003/ 3313003 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/03/Green-DC-jail.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene swept into the District of Columbia jail to check on conditions for the Jan. 6 defendants, with Republican lawmakers handshaking and high-fiving the prisoners, who chanted “Let’s Go Brandon!” — a coded vulgarity against President Joe Biden — as the group left.

A day earlier Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with the mother of slain rioter Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by police as she tried to climb through a broken window during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

And the House Republican leader recently gave Fox News’ Tucker Carlson exclusive access to a trove of Jan. 6 surveillance tapes despite the conservative commentator’s airing of conspiracy theories about the Capitol attack.

Taken together, the House Republicans can be seen as working steadily but intently to distort the facts of the deadly riot, which played out for the world to see when Donald Trump’s supporters laid siege to the Capitol, and in the process downplay the risk of domestic extremism in the U.S.

In actions and legislation, the Republicans are seeking to portray perpetrators of the Capitol riot as victims of zealous federal prosecutors, despite many being convicted of serious crimes. As Trump calls for the Jan. 6 defendants to be pardoned, some House Republicans are attempting to rebrand those who stormed the Capitol as “political prisoners.”

The result is alarming to those who recognize a dangerously Orwellian attempt to whitewash recent history.

“There’s no question Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans are attempting to rewrite history,” said Heidi Beirich, the co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “They’re making light of what was a serious attack on our democracy.”

The tour Greene led at the local jail Friday comes as nearly 1,000 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the attack on the Capitol — leaders of the extremist Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy. The 20 or so defendants being held at the jail, many in pretrial detention on serious federal charges, are among those who battled police at the Capitol, officials said, in what at times was a gruesome bloody scene of violence and mayhem.

Greene told The Associated Press the idea she’s trying to rewrite history is the “stupidest thing” she’s ever heard of, especially since the assault on the Capitol has been captured in the 41,000 hours of video that McCarthy made available to Fox News.

“We can’t rewrite it — it’s all on video,” Greene told the AP.

“You can’t change the history, but what we can do is expose the truth. That’s what we need to do,” Greene said.

The country has been here before — in the aftermath of the Civil War, when the Lost Cause movement sought to reframe the battle over ending slavery in the U.S. as one of states’ rights, and again in the years following the Civil Rights movement as critics of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. questioned his transformative legacy.

In the House under Republican control this year, the new leadership openly questions what happened on Jan. 6 as well as how the federal government is investigating and prosecuting extremists. Outside groups are raising money and rallying to the aid of Jan. 6 defendants.

This past week, a Republican-led Judiciary subcommittee probed the federal government’s treatment of parents protesting school board policies — sometimes violently — as unfair. Next week, the new Republican committee on the “weaponization” of the federal government will delve into First Amendment free speech rights on social media.

McCarthy warned that the federal government is labeling parents as “domestic terrorists” for showing up at school board meetings, even though such prosecutions are extremely rare.

His was a reference to a 2021 Justice Department memo from Attorney General Merrick Garland responding to the National School Board Association’s concerns about violent protesters at school board meetings. Garland had directed federal law enforcement to address what he called a “disturbing spike” in harassment of school officials.

Probing the matter, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee released a report showing that in one federal investigation, the FBI interviewed a mom for allegedly telling a local school board “we are coming for you.” In another, the FBI investigated a dad who opposed COVID mask mandates after a tipster to a federal hotline said he “fit the profile of an insurrectionist” because he “rails against the government” and “has a lot of guns and threatens to use them.”

“Parents should have a right to go to school board meetings and not be called terrorists,” McCarthy said.

While Greene has said the Capitol attack was wrong, at the jail visit Friday she said she believes there’s a “two-tiered” justice system and that the Jan. 6 defendants are being “treated as political prisoners” for their beliefs.

Democrats on the tour said that is categorically false. While the local jail came has long been the subject of complaints — the U.S. Marshals made plans to relocate 400 detainees after a surprise 2021 inspection found parts of the facility “do not meet the minimum standards” — the Jan. 6 defendants have been housed in a newer wing that was not cited as problematic in the Marshals’ statement.

The two Democrats who joined the tour as members of the House Oversight Committee said they both had visited detention facilities before. “It’s probably as good as a jail can be,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a former public defender.

Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California noted the way the Republicans led by Greene treated the Jan. 6 defendants as celebrities — shaking their hands and slapping backs when the lawmakers arrived in the jail facility.

As they left, the defendants chanted the “Let’s Go Brandon!” phrase against Biden, he said in a tweet.

“What is most important to remember is that while Marjorie Taylor Greene and others want to treat these folks as pseudo celebrities, some of these folks are insurrectionists,” Garcia told reporters. “And we can’t forget that.”

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Ashli Babbitt was an Air Force veteran, not a Navy veteran.

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Sat, Mar 25 2023 11:19:24 AM
Members of Congress to Tour DC Jail Housing Dozens of Jan. 6 Defendants https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/members-of-congress-to-tour-dc-jail-housing-dozens-of-jan-6-defendants/3312112/ 3312112 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2022/05/DC-Jail.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Several members of Congress are scheduled to tour the D.C. jail Friday, where 30 defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol are being housed.

This is the second tour for GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been critical of the how the jail treated Jan. 6 defendants and conditions at the jail.

In 2021, the aging facility was the focus of an inspection by U.S. marshals. The inspection found that part of the jail was not meeting federal standards, and hundreds of inmates were removed.

Friday’s tour will include Republicans and at least one Democrat.

Requests from the press to be allowed on the tour  were denied.

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Fri, Mar 24 2023 10:39:50 AM
Trump's Bond With GOP Deepens After Primary Wins, FBI Search https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/trumps-bond-with-gop-deepens-after-primary-wins-fbi-search/3130526/ 3130526 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2022/08/AP22223015346761.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Donald Trump ‘s pick for governor in the swing state of Wisconsin easily defeated a favorite of the Republican establishment.

In Connecticut, the state that launched the Bush family and its brand of compassionate conservatism, a fiery Senate contender who promoted Trump’s election lies upset the state GOP’s endorsed candidate. Meanwhile in Washington, Republicans ranging from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended Trump against an unprecedented FBI search.

And that was just this week.

The rapid developments crystalized the former president’s singular status atop a party he has spent the past seven years breaking down and rebuilding in his image. Facing mounting legal vulnerabilities and considering another presidential run, he needs support from the party to maintain his political career. But, whether they like it or not, many in the party also need Trump, whose endorsement has proven crucial for those seeking to advance to the November ballot.

“For a pretty good stretch, it felt like the Trump movement was losing more ground than it was gaining,” said Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who is urging his party to move past Trump. But now, he said, Trump is benefiting from “an incredibly swift tail wind.”

The Republican response to the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida estate this week was an especially stark example of how the party is keeping Trump nearby. Some of the Republicans considering challenges to Trump in a 2024 presidential primary, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, were among those defending him. Even long-established Trump critics like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan questioned the search, pressing for details about its circumstances.

But even before the FBI showed up at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was gaining momentum in his post-presidential effort to shape the GOP. In all, nearly 180 Trump-endorsed candidates up and down the ballot have won their primaries since May while fewer than 20 have lost.

Only two of the 10 House Republicans who supported Trump’s impeachment after the Jan. 6 insurrection are expected back in Congress next year. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-Wash., who conceded defeat after her Tuesday primary, was the latest to fall. Leading Trump antagonist Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., is at risk of joining her next week.

The Trump victories include a clean sweep of statewide primary elections in Arizona last week — including an election denier in the race for the state’s chief elections official. Trump’s allies also prevailed Tuesday across Wisconsin and Connecticut, a state long known for its moderate Republican leanings.

In Wisconsin’s Republican primary for governor, wealthy Trump-backed businessman Tim Michels defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, an establishment favorite. And in Connecticut, Leora Levy, who promoted Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen, surged to an unexpected victory over a more moderate rival after earning Trump’s official endorsement.

On Monday, just hours after the FBI search, Trump hosted a tele-town hall rally on her behalf. Levy thanked Trump in her acceptance speech, while railing against the FBI’s search.

“All of us can tell him how upset and offended and disgusted we were at what happened to him,” she said. “That is un-American. That is what they do in Cuba, in China, in dictatorships. And that will stop.”

Despite his recent dominance, Trump — and the Republicans close to him — face political and legal threats that could undermine their momentum as the GOP fights for control of Congress and statehouses across the nation this fall.

While Trump’s picks have notched notable victories in primaries this summer, they may struggle in the fall. That’s especially true in several governor’s races in Democratic-leaning states such as Connecticut and Maryland, where GOP candidates must track to the center to win a general election.

Meanwhile, several Republicans with White House ambitions are moving forward with a busy travel schedule that will take them to politically important states where they can back candidates on the ballot this year and build relationships heading into 2024.

DeSantis plans to boost high-profile Republican contenders across Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Former Vice President Mike Pence, another potential 2024 presidential contender, is scheduled to appear next week in New Hampshire.

On the legal front, the FBI search was part of an investigation into whether the former president took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. While Republicans have rallied behind Trump, very few facts about the case have been released publicly. Trump’s attorneys have so far declined to release details from the search warrant.

Prosecutors in Washington and Georgia are also investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election he falsely claimed was stolen. The Jan. 6 congressional commission has exposed damning details about Trump’s behavior from Republican witnesses in recent hearings, which have prompted new concerns, at least privately, among the GOP establishment and donor class.

And on Wednesday, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings.

Trump’s legal entanglements represent a distraction at best for Republican candidates who’d rather focus on President Joe Biden’s leadership, sky-high inflation and immigration troubles to help court moderate voters and independents in the general election.

“Today, every Republican in every state in this country should be talking about how bad Joe Biden is, how bad inflation is, how difficult it is to run a business and run a household,” said Duncan, the Georgia lieutenant governor. “But instead, we’re talking about some investigation, we’re talking about Donald Trump pleading the Fifth, we’re talking about Donald Trump endorsing some conspiracy theorist.”

Trump critics in both parties are ready and willing to highlight Trump’s shortcomings — and his relationship with midterm candidates — as more voters begin to pay attention to politics this fall.

“This is, and always has been, Donald Trump’s Republican Party,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in an interview, condemning “MAGA Republicans” and their “extreme agenda” on abortion and other issues.

At the same time, the Republican Accountability Project and Protect Democracy launched a $3 million television and digital advertising campaign this week across seven swing states focused on Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The ads, which will run in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, feature testimonials from Republican voters who condemn Trump’s lies about nonexistent election fraud that fueled the Capitol attack.

One ad features congressional testimony from Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who has publicly declared that Trump should never hold public office again.

Still, Cheney faces her own primary election against a Trump-backed challenger next week in Wyoming. One of Trump’s top political targets this year, she is expected to lose. Anticipating a loss, Cheney’s allies suggest she may be better positioned to run for president in 2024, either as a Republican or independent.

Trump’s allies are supremely confident about his ability to win the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2024. In fact, aides who had initially pushed him to launch his campaign after the November midterms are now encouraging him to announce sooner to help freeze out would-be Republican challengers.

“It’s going to be very difficult for anyone to take the nomination away from him in 2024,” said Stephen Moore, a former Trump economic adviser who has spoken with Trump about his 2024 intentions. “He is running. That is a certainty.”

Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., predicted that Trump would “lose in a landslide” if he sought the presidency again, adding that the former president’s overall grasp on the party is “eroding on the edges.”

“In a normal election, you’ve got to win not just the base. You’ve got to win the middle, too, right, and maybe crossover on the other side,” said Rice, who lost his recent primary after voting in favor of Trump’s second impeachment.

Rice warned that Trump far-right candidates could lead to unnecessary losses for the party in November. “Donald Trump is pushing things so far to the right,” he said in an interview.

Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, eyeing a 2024 bid himself, warned against making bold political predictions two years before the Republican Party selects its next presidential nominee.

“We’re sitting here in August of 2022,” Christie said in an interview. “My sense is there’s a lot of water over the dam still to come before anybody can determine anybody’s individual position in the primaries of ’24 — except to say that if Donald Trump runs, he will certainly be a factor.”

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Thu, Aug 11 2022 01:51:21 AM