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Asa Hutchinson nears decision on 2024 presidential race
March 27, 2023
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson plans to announce in April whether he’ll run for president, he told reporters Monday in Des Moines.
It was Hutchinson’s third trip to Iowa in 2023 and he’s hired a field organizer, indicating he’s likely to join the crowd of candidates seeking the 2024 Republican nomination. He said his events in March will help him solidify the final decisions heading into a potential presidential bid.
Hutchinson said he was looking at the visibility and finances of running a campaign in Iowa, but he said he’s not discouraged by the high-profile competition.
“I don’t have the nationwide name identification that some others from larger states, who have larger megaphones,” Hutchinson said. “But that’s what’s good about Iowa. That’s what’s good about the opportunity to convey a consistent, conservative message and your vision for the future.”
So far, former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are officially in the race and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are weighing bids, among others.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2016, followed by Trump and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. The field isn’t as crowded in 2024 as it was then, and factors like the pandemic and Trump’s presidency will play a role as Republicans decide which candidate to support in the upcoming election, Hutchinson said.
“This is a different year than 2016,” he told reporters. “You’ve got the Trump factor … and so we don’t know who’s gonna get in, who’s gonna go out. And I think it’s critically important that you have multiple voices and options for the American voters and for the party.”
Hutchinson kicked off the trip speaking to the Iowa Bull Moose Club, an organization for Republicans under age 40, in Des Moines. Two more of his March stops will be with young conservative groups at Drake University. Hutchinson said if he decides to run for president, he’ll run a “future forward” campaign, in contrast to Trump.
While he does not agree Trump should face criminal charges in New York, he said Republicans should pick a different candidate for the upcoming election.
“The key fact is that we’ve got a candidate for president, former President Trump, that is really emphasizing his grievances,” Hutchinson said. “He’s emphasizing the past and how he’s been victimized, and I think we ought to look to the future.”
In his speech, Hutchinson told the group of 20 at the Bull Moose Club event about his track record as Arkansas governor and what he wants to see in America’s future. America needs to show strength by supporting Taiwan and Ukraine, he said, as well as address the fentanyl epidemic by securing the U.S.-Mexico border, and become energy independent.
He also said Americans need to stand up to “woke ideology” to create a better future. For example, he criticized public investment strategies that avoid industries such as fossil fuels and opposed allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. While America faces difficulties, Hutchinson said he was hopeful about the country’s future.
“I look at America, and America’s job’s not finished,” he said. “I believe our best days are ahead, I’m optimistic about our future, we just got to make some course corrections. And so we got to remind ourselves: We’re not done yet, and you’re a key part of the future.”
In earlier trips, Hutchinson met with Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa lawmakers and conservative groups in Des Moines and western Iowa. Hutchinson also has events planned with conservative groups in Adel and West Des Moines Tuesday and Wednesday, in addition to the Drake University stops.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
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Trump takes swing at 'fake news media' in non-apology over 'death and destruction' comment
March 27, 2023
Former President Donald Trump on Monday defended a controversial social media post described by some as a stochastic terrorist threat against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump on Thursday posted a photo on his Truth Social site showing the former president holding a baseball bat next to a photo of the Manhattan prosecutor in an all-caps post that includes a description of Bragg as a “SOROS BACKED ANIMAL.”
Trump may not have explicitly called for violence against the man leading an investigation into alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, but the former president is getting close according to Kurt Braddock, an American University professor who studies extremism, Business Insider reports.
"Trump is doing what he has always done. He walks to the line of openly calling for violence and stops just before making overt directives," Braddock said.
"In many ways, the implications are the same. His supporters who are looking for an excuse to turn to violence will see this as his implicit approval."
During an appearance with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday, Trump dismissed the notion that he intentionally promoted violence. He said the photo was taken to promote a bat that was “made in America.”
“They put up a picture of me. And you know when I was holding the baseball bat, it was at the White House. Make America buy America because they didn't want to buy America things,” Trump said of the since-removed post.
“And this is a company that makes baseball bats then they put next to that picture next to Alvin Bragg. I didn’t do it.”
Trump said his “death and destruction” comment wasn’t intended to be a threat but rather a warning of what could happen if Bragg pursues a “fake prosecution.”
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“I mean, I can't believe people that have never been positive to me or defended me that don't like me. They're on the other side of the world. These are people that said, ‘You can't do this prosecution, it will cause tremendous problems.’
“I didn't say to do something bad. I said I am afraid that people will do something because people are very angry about it.”
“Let me be clear,” Hannity asked Trump, “so you did not post the picture of you with a baseball bat in the oval office next to the picture with Bragg, somebody else did that?
“I posted a very positive article and whatever picture they put up, my people didn't put up the picture, I think the picture maybe was either in the article or it was put in the article later. But again, that was a baseball bat to promote made in America companies making America don't go to Japan to buy…” Trump said.
“But you know how it was interpreted?” Hannity interrupted.
“Because it's a fake news media. That's what they do … anything you say and they say the opposite.
The Democrats are genius at a few things. They're horrible at foreign relations. They are horrible at policy. They're horrible at everything. They're good at a number of things, though, misinformation, or disinformation depending on your definition, but both.”
ALSO IN THE NEWS: Murdaugh family member mysteriously buying up family heirlooms on auction
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David Pecker is a 'critical witness' who could get Trump charged with a 'second crime': former prosecutor
March 27, 2023
On Monday, prosecutors working for the Manhattan District Attorney's office called David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, to give more evidence to the grand jury weighing an indictment against former President Donald Trump for bookkeeping fraud.
And that could prove decisive, former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Dan Horowitz argued on MSNBC — not just for the expected financial indictment, but in bumping it up to a felony and possibly adding more charges.
"So there's no question that in a case like this, witnesses sometimes get called back," Horwitz told anchor Lawrence O'Donnell. "It's not unusual in a complex case to have a witness who, by media reports, testified at the beginning of this grand jury, to come back at some point to add additional details as the case has evolved in the grand jury."
"And there isn't any question, as you said in your lead-in, that David Pecker is a critical witness," continued Horwitz. "He's a critical witness because he could corroborate back up Michael Cohen. He's a critical witness because he sets up if the district attorney is looking for a falsifying business records charge, he sets up the second crime that is, you have to falsify a business record with intent to commit another crime. And in this case, that could very well be a violation of your state's election law."
RELATED: Is this pro-Trump lawyer lying? The National Enquirer's former chief may have the receipts
Above all, Horwitz said, "there isn't any question that Pecker, according to what's already been written and, and what, what the prosecutors in the federal case charged — there's no question that Bakar is a critical figure in setting up protecting then-candidate Trump from bad stories initially and then specifically with respect to Stormy Daniels.
"So it's very possible that also, as you alluded to in your lead-in, that perhaps there are some additional documents they want to ask Mr. Pecker questions about," added Horwitz. "But in my mind, there isn't any question that he's there to amplify the hook to New York State election law and backing up Michael Cohen."
Watch the segment below or at this link.
Dan Horwitz on why David Pecker is a "critical witness" in Trump case www.youtube.com
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