Edward Snowden's attorneys appeal to European Union's parliament for asylum
January 25, 2017, 8:28 AM ET
Edward Snowden's attorneys asked the European Parliament on Monday to consider granting asylum to the former NSA contractor in lieu of letting him risk a potential life sentence in the United States should he be ordered out of Russia. U.S. and German legal representatives for the American fugitive made the case for asylum before members of…
According to a legal analyst and a crisis management consultant, Ivanka Trump's moves away from her family, including her indicted former president father, is part of a planned effort to rebrand herself -- but it may not be of any help as she faces a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization.
As Insider's Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert wrote, "She hasn't changed her name, but Ivanka Trump's image has undergone a major makeover in recent years, as she has slowly separated herself from her father's brand. But, despite the rebirth, Donald Trump's elder daughter remains deeply entwined in his businesses — and legal troubles."
In an interview, attorney and legal analyst Andrew Lieb noted the former White House adviser's move to retain separate counsel from her brothers Eric and Donald Trump Jr., saying it made sense, but her efforts to not be associated with the scrutiny her family is under comes too late.
"It's a little late in the game for her to be rebranding, although it makes a lot of sense from a legal perspective. Having all of these people — when it comes to Trump, Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka — with the same lawyer, there could end up being conflict of interest issues," he explained before quipping, "I think there's probably something going on here where there's infighting because I find that families all love each other until they're all liable for $250 million."
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According to a crisis communications expert, Ivanka was "not part of the [Donald Trump] presidential announcement, so there's definitely a significant difference between them, but I think the reality is you have the same name, so there's going to be an association."
They added, "Right now? Most people are not going to care what she does, as long as her father is a viable candidate for the presidency, there is a significant portion of the population that will not have any interest in the reintroduction of Ivanka Trump into the general conversation."
Attorney Lieb added, "My gut feeling is she's a Kushner. And she's not 100% with both feet in the Trump orbit. Jared has his own world and his own orbit — and we all know about his father's own issues, but it's a lot more stable brand, a lot less visible brand. They've got a lot going on over in the Kushner clan, and she has her kids and her family. That's a different world."
You can read more here.
One of the key highlights of Republican 2024 presidential nomination contender Nikki Haley's tenure as the governor of South Carolina is being questioned in a report by the Washington Post and the former South Carolina ducked answering questions about it.
As the Post's Michael Kranish reports, Haley stalled off ordering the removal of the Confederate flag on the State House grounds for years until she flipped following a race-inspired shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015 that claimed nine lives.
According to the report, when Haley was campaigning to become governor she met with pro-Confederacy groups and calmed their fears by stating "she shared their worldview," Kranish wrote.
"She said the Civil War was a fight between 'tradition' and 'change,' without mentioning the word slavery. She said she supported Confederate History Month as a parallel to Black History Month," the report states before adding, "...she suggested that her identity as a minority woman could help her take on the NAACP, which was leading a boycott of the state until the Confederate flag was taken off the State House grounds."
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According to the report, her flipping on ordering the flag's removal after the 2015 shooting became one of her calling cards as a moderate.
"As Haley rose from governor to U.N. ambassador under President Donald Trump, she often portrayed the decision as the culmination of her work to move South Carolina beyond its history of secession, enslavement and segregation," the Post is reporting before pointing out in her 2019 memoir that "members of both parties had 'pushed back' against the idea, adding that 'even many African American Democrats were privately opposed to the idea of reopening the flag debate.'"
Pointing out that it appears Haley has been "tailoring" her opinions on race depending on the crowd, the Post reported a "... review of Haley’s actions in the five years before the massacre found that she repeatedly dismissed efforts to remove the flag, mollified Confederate heritage groups whose influence remained a powerful force, and did not hold substantive discussions with Black leaders who wanted to remove the flag. Months before the mass killing that changed her position, her reelection campaign had called a proposal by her Democratic opponent to remove the flag 'desperate and irresponsible.'"
Asked for comment on the Post's report, Haley declined to comment and dismissed a "detailed list of questions from The Post, including a request that she provide the names of Black legislators who opposed reopening the debate over the Confederate flag."
A spokesperson for Haley did state there "'was little appetite in either political party' to take action on the flag, but that 'Haley did her best to hold the state together' after a White man killed nine Black parishioners at a Charleston church," Kranish wrote.
You can read more here.
According to a report from NBC, scam operations with names like Patriots Dynasty and US Patriots have been selling so-called "Trump Bucks" to fans of the recently indicted Donald Trump with a promise of growing rich -- except they are worth nothing.
NBC's Brandy Zadrozny and Corky Siemaszko are reporting that the Federal Trade Commission has confirmed receiving complaints about the scam and that the Better Business Bureau has given the three Colorado companies involved, Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots, an "F" rating with terible reviews pouring in.
According to the report, the companies are "peddling 'Trump Bucks,' which are emblazoned with photos of the former president, and advertising them online as a kind of golden ticket that will help propel Trump’s 2024 bid and make the 'real patriots' who support him rich when cashed in."
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However, as one buyer pointed out, he feels ripped off after taking them to the bank and finding they are worthless.
"John Amann told NBC News he bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks and other items over the past year only to discover they were worthless when he tried to cash them in at his local bank. So he’s gone on Twitter to warn other Trump supporters not to fall for this scam," the report states before adding, "Additionally, NBC News has found at least a dozen people like Amann who say they invested thousands of dollars after watching the pitches on Telegram and other websites that strongly suggested that Trump himself was endorsing these products."
Noting that there is no evidence that the former president is involved or even aware of the scam, NBC reports, "Repeated attempts to reach representatives for the companies by phone and email were unsuccessful. But Bank of America spokesman Bill Halldin said he’s heard reports from bank employees of customers coming in to exchange their Trump Bucks for actual cash, but the bank routinely turns them down."
According to Halldin, "It’s hard to put a number on how many people have come in."
As for the 77-year-old Amann, "There’s no way to cash out what I have."
You can read more here.
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