On Wednesday, CBS News revealed that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) went to the Bahamas in late 2018 or early 2019 with a marijuana entrepreneur and hand surgeon that ultimately triggered a sex trafficking investigation.
The man, named Jason Pirozzolo, "allegedly paid for the travel expenses, accommodations, and female escorts," the report revealed.
Whether the escorts were hired for sex across state or international lines is part of the investigation by the Justice Department, and it includes both Gaetz and Pirozzolo as part of that probe.
A new development occurred Thursday when an old video was unearthed of then-President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meeting Pirozzolo as they landed in Orlando in June 2019, months after the now-infamous Bahamas trip. Trump was there to launch his 2020 presidential campaign with a large rally.
He, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Casey DeSantis were the only three guests waiting on the tarmac in Orlando that day. It's unknown who helped Pirozzolo score the unique opportunity to greet the president.
See the video below:
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey and Jason Pirozzol… https://t.co/jtW0Y1K3qe— Ryan Gillespie (@Ryan Gillespie) 1560897899.0
Former President Donald Trump's attorney Jim Trusty was cornered by CNN's Abby Phillip in an interview on Wednesday night over the new report that Trump was caught on audiotape admitting he couldn't share the contents of a highly classified military document in his possession — and refused to answer her questions.
"Were you aware of the existence of this tape prior to the report?" asked Phillip.
"This is really missing the whole story here," said Trusty. "This is a leak campaign ... I am not going to try a case based on the government leaks. But we need to recognize the significance of the moment, which is DOJ and FBI, or some combination of them, are engaging in a leak campaign. This actually started three days after the raid on Mar-a-Lago with an unprecedented press conference. You've never seen in the history of prosecution an attorney general doing that."
"Jim, I just have to — I have to correct you, the Mar-a-Lago raid was publicized by your client," cut in Phillip. "Former President Trump tweeted out it was happening when it was happening." As Trusty continued to insist Trump had blanket declassification authority as commander-in-chief, Phillip continued to press him: "Did he declassify this document that we're referring to?"
"We're not going to try the case leak by leak," said Trusty. "What I can tell you is the leaks that come out, some of them are abjectly false."
"But this is very significant," Phillip continued. "If you are saying he declassified the documents, you should be able to say whether this document had been declassified."
"I'm not trying my case for CNN," said Trusty.
"So you won't say?" said Phillip.
"Of course not," shot back Trusty.
"And will you say in the court of law that he declassified this document?" Phillip asked.
"Well, if I'm in a court of law, I'll defend my client as I need to," said Trusty. "But let me make this point very clear. If you have the authority to declassify, you're not wedded to any bureaucratic process."
Watch below or at the link:
Abby Phillip argues with Jim Trusty over classified documents www.youtube.com
Much of the debate over former President Donald Trump's classified document stash at his Mar-a-Lago country club has centered on whether the information was really classified, or whether Trump, as he argues, could simply declassify them just by thinking about it — an argument substantially weakened by new voice recordings that suggest he knew how sensitive the documents were.
But that may not be the right question to ask, argued former federal prosecutor and legal anaylst Elliot Williams on CNN Wednesday, because Trump's actions are potentially illegal even if all of the documents were declassified.
"It's interesting that he is telling these people in the room, according to the reporting, that, you know, there is this document and this is what it's about, possible attack, plan for a possible attack on Iran, but he can't tell them about it because it's classified," said anchor Anderson Cooper. "If he had magically declassified it, as he said, in his mind or however else he has in various explanations, that would not be the case. He would feel free to tell them about it."
"Well, it would still be a crime, Anderson," said Williams. "There's one crime in the federal code for sharing classified information, that's number one, possessing government documents is itself a federal offense. But more importantly, possessing defense-specific information is itself a federal offense that carries with it a ten-year penalty. So, the mere fact that this might have been revealing or containing military information or troop movement, that itself makes it a crime."
The upshot, said Williams, is that "we've got to get out of this framing of talking about classification versus declassification because it really, for most of the crimes that could be investigated here, based on information that we have, don't really have anything to do with classification at all."
"What he had said here, at least assuming this recording says what it says, is the acknowledgment he admitted to possess the document and knew they were in his possession and knew that they were sensitive," said Williams. "And that is — you know, there's no such thing as a smoking gun in the real world. But it is incredibly valuable evidence because it speaks to intent, it speaks to knowledge, it speaks to what he knew that he had. So it is, as far as evidence goes, very, very powerful."
Watch below or at the following link:
Elliot Williams says Trump could face charges even if the documents were declassified www.youtube.com
Ron DeSantis has for months been on the receiving end of attacks from former President Donald Trump, but the Florida governor’s recent statements suggest he’s starting to hit back, The New York Times reports.
DeSantis during a Tuesday campaign event in Iowa appeared to be taunting Trump over the former president’s decision to sit on the sidelines amid the ongoing debt ceiling debate.
“I mean, are you leading from the front or are you waiting for polls to tell you what position to take?” DeSantis asked.
“I led from the front on this. I reviewed the deal. I spoke with people I trusted, and I put out a statement saying where I stand on it, and I didn’t need to put my finger in the wind.”
The Times report notes other recent DeSantis remarks suggesting the Florida governor is becoming more aggressive in his attacks on Trump.
DeSantis described a Trump spending bill as “grotesque,” called the former president’s criticism of him over his dispute with Disney “bizarre,” and said Trump’s criticism of the Florida governor’s COVID-19 policy was “ridiculous.”
Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Nehamas write for The Times that DeSantis is facing a tough balancing act, noting that the above-mentioned comments were made during a short news conference, not a campaign event, and that he never mentioned Trump’s name when speaking to voters at four Iowa stops.
Goldmacher and Nehamas write that “The two-pronged approach reflects the remarkable degree to which his pathway to the nomination depends on his ability to win over — and not alienate — the significant bloc of Republican voters who still like Mr. Trump even if they are willing to consider an alternative.”
DeSantis’ more confrontational approach has not gone unnoticed.
The Des Moines Register acknowledged the shift in an article published under the headline “5 times Ron DeSantis took some pointed jabs at Donald Trump in Iowa while campaigning,” which reports that DeSantis at a Tuesday night campaign event said, “Leadership is not about entertainment. It's not about building a brand.”
DeSantis promised that the days of him being a Trump campaign punching bag are no more.
“I am going to counterpunch,” he said. “I’m going to fight back on it.”
The Florida governor suggested that Trump’s policies on the pandemic, the economy, and immigration show that the former president has compromised his “America first” agenda.
“I do think, unfortunately, he’s decided to move left on some of these issues,” DeSantis said.
“And I think it’s me that’s just being true to kind of what we said we would do.”
The Florida governor’s advisors attribute DeSantis’ more assertive posture to him being a declared candidate.
“But it is a notable shift,” Goldmacher and Nehamas write for The Times.
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