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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wants to know if former President Trump's principal lawyer has a conflict of interest involving Stormy Daniels through her prior consultationwithhis firm.

In an April 14 letter to the judge handling Trump's criminal proceeding, Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger requested more information about lawyer Joe Tacopina'spreviouscorrespondence with the porn starlet.

Tacopina has acknowledged that Daniels reached out to his firm for possible representation in her long-standing tussle with Trump back in 2018, before she retained media-darling-turned-felon Michael Avenatti.

In a CNN interview that year, host Don Lemon quizzed Tacopina about Daniels' entanglements with Trump given his office's contact with her.

DONALD TRUMP'S NYC CASE MAY BE HEADED IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION, FORMER PROSECUTORS REVEAL

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is targeting former President Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina, right, for removal over his ties to porn star Stormy Daniels, left. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/via Getty Images)

"Did you get any impression that she may have signed an NDA under duress and was she afraid for her physical safety?" Lemon asked, according to Hoffinger's letter.

"Yes, of course, and I cant really talk about my impressions or any conversations we had because there is an attorney-client privilege that attaches even to a consultation," Tacopina responded.

At Trump's arraignment last month, Tacopina denied personally consulting with Daniels and has said flatly that his firm declined to take on her civil case against the former president.

READ MANHATTAN PROSECUTORS LETTER TO JUDGE MERCHAN QUESTIONING TRUMP LAWYER JOE TACOPINA'S TIES TO STORMY DANIELS

The issue was raised after Daniels' attorney Clark Brewster filed a letter with the court on the eve of Trump's arraignment arguing that Tacopina should be disqualified from the case.

Trump is accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film actress.

WHO IS DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER JOE TACOPINA?

"We refused the case," Tacopina told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan at Trump's arraignment. "I did not offer her representation. Didnt speak to her. Didnt meet with her. And it is as simple as that."

However, Daniels appeared to reference personal correspondence with Tacopina in her book "Full Disclosure," Manhattan prosecutors noted in their letter.

Stormy Daniels, left, says former President Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, should be disqualified as his lawyer since she consulted with his law firm. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

"She writes that before retaining Mr. Avenatti, she spoke with a very high-powered lawyer who seemed to take her call just for the curiosity factor, dragged it out for a couple of weeks and didnt seem to share her passion, so she ended it," the letter states. "She wrote that she was anxious that this guy now knew my story and my strategy for confronting Cohen and Trump.'"

Manhattan prosecutors now want Merchan to order Tacopina to turn over all correspondence his firm had with Daniels and to "disclose any steps he has taken to alleviate this potential conflict."

In his own April 12 filing to the court, Tacopina blasted Daniels' letter on the eve of Trump's historic arraignment as an "obvious publicity stunt," noting that the missive, authored by an attorney who is not licensed to practice law in New York, was promptly released to the press.

READ JOE TACOPINA'S LETTER DENYING A CONFLICT OF INTERESTING INVOLVING STORM DANIELS

In her consultation with Tacopina's firm, the subject exclusively focused on whether her non-disclosure agreement with Trump was enforceable, the details of which she has widely discussed in a flurry of media interviews, her own book and civil lawsuits, according to his letter.

TRUMP SLAMS NYAG JAMES' 'RIDICULOUS' CASE, SAYS SHE SHOULD 'FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO KILL PEOPLE' AS CRIME SPIKES

Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records when he had his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, arrange the $130,000 hush-money payment to Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter. He has denied the affair.

Trump eventually paid Cohen back a total of $420,000, and Bragg asserts that the payments were improperly categorized as legal expenses and implied the arrangement violated campaign and tax laws.

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The 2024 Republican presidential candidate has dismissed the case as a manufactured and politically-motivated witch hunt with no legal merit.

Emmett Jones contributed to this report.

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Trump criminal defense attorney in Alvin Bragg crosshairs over possible conflict of interest - Fox News

A former prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney's office must appear for a deposition before the House Judiciary Committee, despite the DA's contention that House Republicans are trying to interfere with his investigation into former President Donald Trump.

In a ruling late Wednesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil sided with the arguments presented by the Rep. Jim Jordan-led committee that the panel's subpoena of former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz was lawful and proper.

"The subpoena was issued with a 'valid legislative purpose' in connection with the 'broad' and 'indispensable' congressional power to 'conduct investigations," wrote the judge, who was a Trump nominee. "Mr. Pomerantz must appear for the congressional deposition. No one is above the law."

Bragg filed suit last week in federal court in Manhattan against the committee and Jordan, R-Ohio, charging that theyre improperly trying to interfere with his prosecution of Trump for political reasons.

Jordan maintained its Braggs investigation that is politically motivated. His committee subpoenaed Pomerantz, whod been involved with the DAs investigation into Trump, to testify Thursday.

The judge mocked the DA's 50-page suit in her ruling, saying, "The first 35 pages of the Complaint have little to do with the subpoena at issue and are nothing short of a public relations tirade against former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump."

She also took aim at the DA's contention that the committee was trying to undermine the Trump investigation.

"There is no question that New York, a sovereign state in our federal system, has authority to enforce its criminal laws through its local prosecutors," she wrote. "However, the Court rejects the premise that the Committees investigation will interfere with DANYs ongoing prosecution. The subpoena of Pomerantz, who was a private citizen and public commentator at the time Bragg indicted Trump, will not prevent or impede the criminal prosecution that is proceeding in New York state court."

The judge added she did not care about the political finger-pointing from both sides in the case.

"The Court does not endorse either sides agenda. The sole question before the Court at this time is whether Bragg has a legal basis to quash a congressional subpoena that was issued with a valid legislative purpose. He does not," she wrote in her 25-page ruling.

There was no immediate comment from the DA's office. At a hearing in the case earlier Wednesday, Braggs attorneys indicated that they would ask the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay if Vyskocil didnt rule in their favor.

The appeal was filed early Wednesday evening.

A spokesman for Jordan, Russell Dye, said the judge's decision shows that Congress has the ability to conduct oversight and issue subpoenas to people like Mark Pomerantz, and we look forward to his deposition before the Judiciary committee.

Jordan had argued that Pomerantzs previous role in the DAs office leading a probe into Trumps finances makes him uniquely situated to provide information that is relevant and necessary to his committees investigation. He's also noted that Pomerantz has already divulged information on the investigationin a book that was published in February, as well as in media interviews.

Bragg's suit sought a court order blocking the subpoena to Pomerantz, calling it an unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack on an ongoing investigation.

Congress has no power to supervise state criminal prosecutions, Braggs lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, wrote in the lawsuit.

Jordan, who snubbed a subpoena from the Democratically led House Jan. 6 committee last year, argued he's not trying to interfere with the investigation. He contended that his committee needs the information from Pomerantz, in part, for a "legislative purpose" a bill that would allow state criminal cases against former presidents to be moved to federal court.

Bragg pointed to that proposed legislation as proof that the committee is trying to interfere, because it "would apply to any cases pending at the time of enactment."

"The record confirms the purpose of the subpoena is to advance a plan to intimidate, harass, retaliate, and hold 'accountable' District Attorney Bragg for enforcing New Yorks criminal law against a then-New Yorker, Mr. Trump," the DA argued.

"The Congressional Defendants want the District Attorney an official endowed with the sovereign authority of the State of New York by its laws and its people to bend the knee and to 'explain to us exactly what he is doing.'

Bragg, who had instructed Pomerantz not to respond to the committee's subpoena, also sued Pomerantz to block his testimony, arguing that the interests and privileges of the DA's office must be protected.

Pomerantz filed a declaration in court Monday asking the judge to block the subpoena for his testimony because he's in an "impossible position."

[I]f I refuse to provide information to the Committee, I risk being held in contempt of Congress and referred to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution. If, on the other hand, I defy the District Attorneys instructions and answer questions, I face possible legal or ethical consequences, including criminal prosecution, his filing noted.

Pomerantz, who resigned from Bragg's office in February 2022, also stressed that he was not involved in the decision to seek Donald Trumps indictment on the charges filed against him.

I have had no conversations about prosecuting Mr. Trump with the District Attorney or any member of the prosecution team following my resignation, Pomerantz said.

Jordan held a committee field hearing in Manhattan on Monday to attack Bragg. It featured victims of violent crime to highlight Republicans' argument that Bragg has dropped the ball on keeping the public safe to focus on prosecuting Trump. Braggs office has pointedto new datashowing crime has significantly fallen in Manhattan during his tenure.

The DA's office had been investigating Trump for years, before Bragg took office.

Earlier this month, Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his alleged role in hush money payments toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the investigation a partisan "witch hunt."

Vyskocil was nominated by Trump in 2019 and easily confirmed in the Senate by a 91-3 vote.

Chloe Atkins reports for the NBC News Investigative Unit, based in New York.She frequently covers crime and courts, as well as the intersection of reproductive health, politics and policy.

Daniel Barnes reports for NBC News, based in Washington.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

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House GOP and Bragg lawyers to face off in court over Trump probe - NBC News

Earlier this month, we learned that Donald Trump may follow up his history-making indictment in New York with a second indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election there. At this time, its not clear when (or if) that might happen, but there have been some recent developments in the caseand they apparently include witnesses ratting each other out and an attorney who may be on the receiving end of some scathing Yelp reviews about her work.

CNN reports that, in a new court filing, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis said some of the fake electors who schemed to keep the 45th president in power have implicated each other in potential criminal activity, and that attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow should be disqualified for representing them given the obvious conflicts of interest. The statement of some of her clients that directly implicate another client in additional crimes shows that Ms. Debrows continued participation in this matter is fraught with conflicts of interest that rise to the level of her being disqualified from this case in its entirety, the DAs office wrote in the filing. Williss office also claimed that Debrow failed to inform her clients about potential immunity deals that they were offered last year. Debrow did not immediately respond to CNNs request for comment.

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Willis opened her investigation into Trumps attempt to overturn the 2020 election in February 2021, shortly after he called Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and demanded the local official find him the precise number of votes he needed to beat Joe Biden in the state. Williss probe later expanded to include the scheme by a slate of fake electors to steal Trump a second term. Those individuals were informed last year that they were official targets of the investigation and could face criminal charges.

After a special grand jury wrapped up its probe in January, forewomanEmily Kohrstold The New YorkTimes, of the groups recommendations re: who should be indicted, it is not a short list. She added that people would not be shocked by who was on it, when asked if the list included Trump.

The Fulton County investigation is, of course, just one of a number of legal issues facing the ex-president. In addition to the Manhattan district attorneys case against him, a special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland is investigating both Trumps handling of classified documentsand possible obstruction of justiceas well as his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and the insurrection that followed.

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Trump unveils his latest grift

Iowa wakes up early to loosen child labor laws

Like their colleagues in Arkansas and other states across the country, Hawkeye Republicans apparently believe child labor laws have been working far too well, and were willing to set their alarms early on Tuesday to do something about it.

Per WHO13:

The Iowa Legislature went into session very early Tuesday morning, taking up debate on the bill on youth employment. The session opened at 3:36 a.m. and the vote onSF 542in the Iowa Senate happened at 4:52 a.m. It passed by a margin of 32 to 17. All Democrats voted against it as well as two Republicans. The bill allows 14-year-olds to work six-hour night shifts, allows 15-year-olds to work in plants on assembly lines moving items up to 50 pounds, and allows 16 and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol.

I wouldnt want my granddaughter serving alcohol or getting an exception to do hazardous work in the name of workplace learning. A workplace accident can happen in the blink of an eye. It takes mere seconds for a red iron beam to fall. Iowans should not be putting our kids, and they are kids, in dangerous situations, state senator Janice Weiner said of the legislation. Meanwhile, state senator Adrian Dickey argued that the bill somehow protects kids. With this bill, we are strengthening and providing protections to our youth, he said. We are not forcing them into slave labor. We are not selling our children. We are not even requiring them to work.

George Santoss reelection campaign takes saddest turn yet

Even the soulless, spineless, will-associate-with-anyone Kevin McCarthy wants nothing to do with him. Per Politico:

Santoss seat is one of Democrats top targets in next years elections, but the freshman lawmaker is a notable omission from Protect the House New York 2024, a joint fundraising committee formed to corral money for vulnerable House Republicans in the state.

The committee includes both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his leadership PAC, as well as the NRCC, the House Republicans campaign arm, and the New York State Republicans federal PAC. Joint fundraising committees allow multiple candidates to bundle large amounts of cash from donors while helping defray the costs associated with raising that money.

Asked Monday if hell support Santoss bid for a second term in Congress, McCarthy reportedly laughed and said, I didnt know he announced. We will wait and see who all files. (To be clear, it would not at all be surprising for McCarthy to ultimately back Santos because, again, he has no morals, standards, or soul.)

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Read more from the original source:
The GA Prosecutor Criminally Investigating Trumps Attempt to Overturn the Election Says Witnesses Are Ratting Each Other Out - Vanity Fair

Donald Trump

Ex-president promoted the second edition of his digital playing cards on the platform after Meta lifted his ban in January

Donald Trump returned to Instagram on Tuesday, posting for the first time since 5 January 2021, the day before the former US president incited the deadly attack on Congress which led to his suspension from major social media platforms.

Trump, who is now running to regain the White House, used his return to Instagram to promote a second edition of his digital trading cards, a project widely mocked when he announced it in December but which sold out an edition of 44,000 in less than a day, netting $4.5m.

Trump has already enjoyed a fundraising boost this month, centered on his criminal indictment in New York on 34 charges of falsification of business records, all relating to his hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who claims an affair.

The parent company of Instagram and Facebook, Meta, lifted its ban on Trump in January. Metas president of global affairs, the former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, said then there would be new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.

In the event that Mr Trump posts further violating content, Clegg said, the content will be removed and he will be suspended for between one month and two years, depending on the severity of the violation.

On Tuesday, Trumps first post back on Instagram announced the second series of cards alongside an image of him holding the Liberty Bell against a sunset and the Stars and Stripes.

In his second post, a picture of himself as a superhero in red spandex and wearing the US flag as a cape, Trump wrote: I hope everyone notices, and Im sure the Fake News wont, that Im leaving the price of the Trading Cards the same as last time.

He also claimed he could have raised the price MUCH HIGHER, and I believe it still would have sold well, with a lot more money coming to me, but I didnt choose to do so. I WILL BE GIVEN NO NICE GUY CREDIT?

Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, lifted its Trump ban in November. Trump has not returned, instead using Truth Social, the platform he set up after January 6.

As well as the New York indictment, Trump faces legal jeopardy over the events of January 6, his election subversion, his handling of classified material, his business affairs and an allegation of rape.

Denying all wrongdoing, he remains the clear leader in polling regarding the Republican nomination for president.

Trumps last Instagram post before his ban was an announcement of his speech near the White House on 6 January 2021.

The House January 6 committee has shown that Trump knew members of the crowd were armed, but still told supporters to march on the Capitol and fight like hell to overturn his election defeat.

Mark Bowden and Matt Teague, authors of The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It, contend that the rioters had no more chance of overthrowing the US government than hippies in 1967 had trying to levitate the Pentagon.

But nine deaths are now linked to the riot, including law enforcement suicides.

Trump was impeached a second time, for inciting an insurrection. Escaping conviction, as enough Republican senators stayed loyal, he remains eligible to return to the Oval Office.

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Donald Trump returns to Instagram for first time since Capitol attack - The Guardian US

Donald Trump raged after Elon Musk revealed he voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The former president claimed Twitters billionaire owner told him hed voted for him, then petulantly said he actually didnt care either way.

I didnt vote for Donald Trump, Musk told Fox News personality Tucker Carlson in an interview that aired Monday. I actually voted for Biden. Im not saying Im a huge fan of Biden, since that would probably be inaccurate. But, you know, we have difficult choices to make in these presidential elections.

Musk said hed prefer just a normal person as president, a normal person with common sense and whose values are smack in the middle of the country.

Trump appeared displeased.

I dont believe Elon Musk voted for Biden, not for a minute! he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He told me that he voted for me, but who knows about that, and who cares?

Elon is just trying to make friends with the absolutely horrible Biden Administration because of all the government subsidies he gets, and all the permits he needs, Trump raged.

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Donald Trump Throws Hissy Fit Over Elon Musk Revelation - Yahoo News