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Trump secretly hates far-right Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate he endorsed: report
May 18, 2022
On Wednesday, POLITICO revealed that former President Donald Trump never particularly liked Doug Mastriano, the far-right candidate who just secured the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania — even though Trump gave Mastriano his endorsement.
In particular, according to the report, even though Mastriano was a leading figure in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, Trump believed that he had given up on the effort.
"Donald Trump and some of his top lieutenants spent the last year privately disparaging Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano," reported Meredith McGraw and Holly Otterbein. "Mastriano’s loyalty alone wasn’t enough to earn his support. Trump wanted more concrete action. Trump was skeptical of Mastriano, according to a source familiar with his thinking, because he had 'done nothing on the audit promises in a year,' a reference to an investigation of the 2020 election that he pushed in the state."
"But on the Friday before Pennsylvania’s primary, with Mastriano ahead in the polls and ensconced as the clear favorite in the primary for governor, Trump changed his mind," the report continued. "He called up the state lawmaker and delivered the news he would endorse him, according to a person familiar with the conversation. A day later, Trump issued a statement announcing the nod."
READ: Ted Cruz hit with 15-page ethics complaint seeking to have him disbarred: NYT
According to the report, Pennsylvania GOP officials are enraged by Trump's last-minute actions — and some even believe it could injure his prospects of ever winning Pennsylvania again should he attempt another run for the presidency.
Mastriano has quickly become a controversial figure. He has given speeches at QAnon events, and has ties to a bizarre "gun church" that believes the AR-15 is literally ordained by the Bible. He was also present at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection and paid to bus people there that day, although he denies he breached the Capitol himself.
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Citing the suspension of Rudy Giuliani's law license by the state of New York, an activist organization seeks to have Sen. Ted Cruz disbarred over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
"The complaint against Mr. Cruz, filed by a group called the 65 Project, focuses on baseless assertions by Mr. Cruz about widespread voting fraud in the weeks between Election Day in 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021, as well as his participation in lawsuits protesting the results in Pennsylvania," The New York Times reported Wednesday.
"The 65 Project’s advisers include the Hillary Clinton ally David Brock and Paul Rosenzweig, a conservative and former Republican who worked on the Ken Starr special prosecution team investigating the Clintons. The 65 Project was formed to hold accountable lawyers involved in a series of lawsuits seeking to undermine President Biden’s victory in 2020."
The complaint argued, "just as Mr. Giuliani has been disciplined for his conduct, so should Mr. Cruz."
The complaint also noted a case involving "coup memo" author John Eastman.
READ: Senate Republicans bristle after being asked about white supremacy in wake of Buffalo shooting
"In many respects, the question of whether Mr. Crruz aided criminal or fraudulent efforts as already been answered affirmatively by a federal court," the filing argued.
"Mr. Cruz chose to offer his professional license to Mr. Trump's arsenal during the latter's assault on our democracy. He cannot be shielded from the consequences of that decision simply because, unlike Mr. Trump's other attorneys, he happens to hold high public office," the complaint argued. "For the reasons set forth above, we respectfully request that the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel investigate Mr. Cruz's conduct and impose appropriate discipline."
A spokesperson for Cruz said the organization lacked credibility.
"They’re not a credible organization and their complaint won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on," they said.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa announced on Wednesday that Andrew Leszczynski, 22, arrested in an extensive alleged fraud case, presented a fabricated pardon from former U.S. president Donald Trump.
"According to the court documents and the facts presented during the bond hearing, Leszczynski used fictitious charitable entities, such as Love & Bliss, Inc., to engage in numerous frauds. The schemes included fraudulently applying for and receiving two Payroll Protection Plan (“PPP”) loans totaling approximately $195,910 and engaging in a check kiting scheme and attempting to deposit $2.7 million of worthless checks into the Love & Bliss, Inc. business account," the office said in a statement released by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
The saga took a bizarre turn when federal authorities caught up with him.
"The United States ultimately seized $337,000 from an account Leszczynski controlled and, when he discovered that the money had been frozen, he attempted to have it released by producing a fabricated pardon purportedly signed by former President Donald Trump," the statement read.
"In a separate fraud scheme, Leszczynski filed fraudulent warranty deeds purporting to deed to himself and his businesses 10 properties around the United States collectively valued at more than $300 million. When property owners and attorneys attempted to correct the fraudulent deeds, Leszczynski responded by sending harassing and threatening letters, emails, and faxes."
In 2021, The Daily Beast reported on Leszczynski's alleged efforts to seize to properties owned by Jeffrey Epstien.
Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
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