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Trump comments on his picture wielding baseball bat next to Alvin Braggs head

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Former President Donald Trump offered a rambling response as he defended himself after an image of him holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg was posted to his Truth Social account.

Mr Trump appeared to blame the outlet that had written the story his account was linking to.

What they did is, we posted the story, but they had a picture up ... or the picture was put up that nobody noticed, saw or that nobody thought was bad. These were two separate pictures, he told Sean Hannity on Fox News.

Meanwhile, a longtime friend of Mr Trump and the former chief of the parent company in charge of the tabloid the National Enquirer, David Pecker, returned to the building where the grand jury has been hearing testimony in the hush money probe on Monday night.

Mr Trump also attacked his top 2024 rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in his interview with Fox News on Monday night.

I got him the nomination, Mr Trump said of Mr DeSantis being the 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee.

He would be working in either a pizza parlour place or a law office right now, he added.

Donald Trump offered a bizarre and rambling response when he was asked about a controversial Truth Social post showing him wielding a baseball bat next to Manhattan district attorney Alvin Braggs head.

Mr Trumps defence has come as his social media shows an increase in inflammatory rhetoric against the investigation on a hush money payment that could lead to charges being brought against him, but which the twice-impeached president now claims have been dropped.

Why open yourself up to criticism? Hannity asked.

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Stuti Mishra28 March 2023 15:00

Donald Trump has bragged about how his great endorsement for Ron DeSantis during the 2018 gubernatorial race had helped the Florida governor, without which he would be working in a pizza parlour.

Both Republican leaders have stepped up attacks on each other in the run up to the 2024 presidential election, though Mr DeSantis is yet to officially declare that he will run for president.

Mr Trumps fresh remarks in an interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity on Monday night have come after Mr DeSantiss own sass-infused comments about the investigation on the hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels.

The question Im asked the most about you of late is Ron DeSantis. This is the question what happened? I thought they were friends, said Hannity.

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Namita Singh28 March 2023 14:30

Trump raised anticipation that criminal charges were imminent with a March 18 post on his social media platform in which he said he expected to be arrested last Tuesday. He has since used the absence of an indictment to claim, furnishing no evidence, that the investigation is somehow faltering.

The Republican former president has also escalated his rhetoric, warning that potential death & destruction would accompany any indictment. He also posted a photo of himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. On Thursday, Trump referred to Bragg, Manhattans first Black D.A., as an animal.

In a memo to staff Friday, Bragg thanked the nearly 1,600 people for persevering in the face of additional press attention and security around our office and said their safety remains the top priority.

We will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, which is what each of you does every single day, Bragg wrote.

Since then, former federal prosecutors in New York City have rallied to Braggs defense, signing a letter that condemned the verbal attacks.

As former prosecutors, we denounce efforts to intimidate the Manhattan District Attorney and we call upon all to support and protect prosecutorial independence and the rule of law, he said.

Among the witnesses the grand jury has already heard from is Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and fixer who has said he orchestrated the payoffs. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges arising from the payments and has become a potentially major witness for state prosecutors.

Pecker is seen as relevant to the investigation because his company, American Media Inc., secretly assisted Trumps campaign by paying $150,000 to McDougal in August 2016 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then suppressed McDougals story until after the election, a dubious journalism practice known as catch-and-kill.

Cohen made recordings of a conversation in which he and Trump spoke about the arrangement to pay McDougal through the tabloid publisher.

At one point in the recording, Cohen told Trump, I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David, a reference to Pecker.

Cohen told Trump that he had already spoken with the Trump Organizations longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, on how to set the whole thing up.

Trump then said: What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?

Cohen also signed an agreement to buy the nondisclosure part of McDougals contract with AMI for $125,000 through a company he formed called Resolution Consultants LLC, but a few months later Pecker told Cohen that the deal was off and Cohen never paid the $125,000, according to court documents from Cohens criminal case.

Separately, Cohen has admitted to paying $130,000 to Daniels to keep her from telling her story to the Enquirer or some other media.

Trump has said that he personally, not his company, reimbursed Cohen.

Federal prosecutors revealed in 2018 that they had agreed not to bring criminal charges against AMI. Pecker has since stepped down as CEO.

A pivotal figure in the hush money payment investigation of Donald Trump returned on Monday to the building where a grand jury has been meeting for months, a repeat appearance suggesting his testimony could be key as prosecutors push toward potential criminal charges.

There was still no word on when the panel might vote on a possible indictment of the former president.

David Pecker, a longtime Trump friend and the former chief executive of the parent company of The National Enquirer, was back as the grand jury heard testimony in the probe for the first time since last Monday, when a witness favorable to the ex-president appeared.

The grand jury is now back on the Trump matter, according to a person familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss secretive proceedings. The ex-president is being investigated over payments during his 2016 campaign to two women who alleged affairs or sexual encounters with him.

Trump denies being involved with either of the women, porn actor Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal, and claims hes the victim of extortion.

The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump over hush money payments returned on Monday to hear more evidence, with still no word on when it might be asked to vote on a possible indictment.

It was the first time the panel was hearing testimony in the Trump probe since last Monday, when a witness favorable to the ex-president appeared before the grand jury. The jurors did not meet at all on Wednesday, one of the days when they ordinarily convene, and heard other matters on Thursday. The members typically do not meet on Tuesdays or Fridays.

The grand jury is now back on Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss secretive proceedings. It was not immediately clear whether an additional witness might be called before the panel.

Trump raised anticipation that criminal charges were imminent with a March 18 post on his social media platform in which he said he expected to be arrested last Tuesday. He has since used the absence of an indictment to claim, furnishing no evidence, that the investigation is somehow faltering.

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John Bowden28 March 2023 13:00

Speaking to reporters on 25 March, the former president said he thinks the office of New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg is no longer investigating Mr Trumps alleged hush money payment to an adult film star in the runup to the 2016 presidential election.

I think theyve already dropped the case, he said, according to Axios. Its a fake case. Some fake cases, they have absolutely nothing.

A New York grand jury continues to hear witnesses and evidence in that case. Mr Trump and his aides have blamed leaks and rumours for his claims, though the former president appeared to be the only source for publicly announcing them, and his team has clarified that he did not receive any indications from prosecutors that would be imminently charged.

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John Bowden28 March 2023 12:30

In an all-caps warning on his Truth Social account on 18 March, the former president predicted his own arrest and called on his supporters to protest what he called the corrupt and highly political Manhattan district attorneys office.

A Trump spokesperson later clarified the former presidents team has been given no notification of an impending arrest or indictment beside illegal leaks, though Mr Trump was the only person to have announced his imminent arrest, which he said would take place on 21 March.

A grand jury in New York City has met on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since January to consider evidence involving the former presidents role involving a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels that prosecutors at the New York County district attorneys office reportedly allege was an illegal campaign expenditure.

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John Bowden28 March 2023 12:00

The comments were made during an interview with journalist Piers Morgan, due to air in the coming days on the streaming service Fox Nation. Excerpts were released on Monday by Fox News.

Speaking with Morgan, Mr Netanyahu said that Mr Trump should be rebuked and condemned for his meeting with Fuentes, who regularly rants about the Jewish people and is known for his denial of the Holocaust.

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John Bowden28 March 2023 11:30

Ms Daniels alleges that she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006. She was paid off to keep quiet about the supposed extramarital activity.

Mr Trump insulted Ms Daniels during his Saturday rally in Waco, Texas, rejecting all allegations of an affair.

Sex with Stormy Daniels is traumatic enough. Hasnt President Trump been punished enough? one Twitter user said.

I think he needs another spanking, Ms Daniels responded.

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John Bowden28 March 2023 11:00

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Ex-Trump press secretary ridiculed by fellow conservatives for Mike Pence support - The Independent

Former Vice President Mike Pence thanks the crowd for being leaders in fighting against transgender-affirming policies in schools during a rally at Pizza Ranch in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Four prominent Republicans are planning trips to Iowa, the leadoff caucus state for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be in Iowa this week, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor, are planning trips in April.

Mike Pence will travel to Urbandale, Cedar Rapids and Coralville on Wednesday.

In Urbandale, Pence will give remarks at a breakfast hosted by the Westside Conservative Club. He will take part in a fireside chat during a Linn Eagles luncheon in Cedar Rapids with a book signing.

In Coralville, Pence will deliver remarks at the Johnson County Republicans Reagan Dinner.

He was last in the area for a rally last month in Cedar Rapids in support of parents who sued the Linn-Mar Community School District over its transgender-affirming policies.

He returns to Iowa less than two weeks after participating in a foreign policy summit with Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and fielding questions about Trumps apparent pending arrest and calls for protest.

The former vice president criticized the politically charged prosecution of the former president, and warned against violent protest similar to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump called on his supporters to help stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results that he lost.

That day, Trump claimed without merit that as vice president, Pence had the authority to stop the certification and send the process of confirming the election results back to the states. Some of the Jan. 6 protesters could be seen and heard on video chanting, Hang Mike Pence.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley talks with Nancy Bundemer of Mount Carroll, Ill., during a town hall at Legacy Manufacturing in Marion, Iowa, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Bundemer drove two hours to hear Haley speak. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Nikki Haley, who has declared her intent to seek the GOP presidential nomination, will swing through northwest Iowa next month with Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra of Hull.

Her planned visits include:

This will be Haleys third trip to Iowa since she launched her campaign more than a month ago.

Haley was the keynote speaker at Feenstra's second annual family picnic fundraiser last summer in Sioux Center.

Sen. Tim Scott speaks during an event at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, June 9, 2022. The event featured a panel discussion with Republican Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa and Tim Scott of South Carolina hosted by Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Fellow South Carolina Republican Tim Scott is also headed back to Iowa in the lead-up to a likely presidential announcement, according to Politico.

Scott plans to travel to Iowa April 12 and New Hampshire on April 13. Details of the trip were still being finalized, a person familiar with Scotts plans told The Gazette.

The planned trips to the early nominating states come ahead of a planned Faith in America donor summit set for April 14 and 15 in Charleston that includes a policy discussion and political update on that Saturday.

Politico reported last week that Scott is expected to reach clarity on a decision to run for president sooner rather than later.

The political news company also reported that Scott plans to make a play for the evangelical Christian vote in Iowa. He met with a group of influential pastors in Des Moines last month and toured a Catholic school in Des Moines alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and met with parents as part of his Faith In America listening tour.

Scott also spoke to Drake University students and was the keynote speaker at the annual Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Polk County Republicans in West Des Moines.

Asa Hutchinson, the GOP former governor of Arkansas who is considering a 2024 presidential run and has urged the Republican Party to move on from Donald Trump, returned to Iowa on Monday and will be traveling the state the next couple of days.

Hutchinson, who also served in the U.S. House and as the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the George W. Bush administration, was scheduled to speak to the Iowa Bull Moose Club in Des Moines on Monday night.

He is scheduled to speak to the Iowa Capitol Republican Women in Adel, the Drake University College Republicans and the Central Iowa Young Republicans in Des Moines on Tuesday, and to the Polk County Republican Party Luncheon in West Des Moines on Wednesday.

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Mike Pence, Tim Scott and Nikki Haley returning to Iowa - The Gazette

Former Vice President Mike Pence gives a lecture at Christ Chapel on the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

URBANDALE, Iowa Former Vice President Mike Pence is coming back to Iowa after a trip to the state earlier this month to speak at a forum on foreign policy.

Pence was in Des Moines on March 18, participating in an event put on by the Bastion Institute. Hell return to central Iowa on Wednesday, where hell give remarks at a breakfast in Urbandale for the Westside Conservative Club.

Later in the day, hell travel to eastern Iowa. Hell attend the Linn Eagles Luncheon and Fireside Chat in Cedar Rapids at 11:00 a.m. and the Johnson County Republicans Reagan Dinner at 6:30 p.m. in Coralville.

During his trip to Des Moines earlier this month, Pence commented on a possible run for president in 2024.

Well, we are giving very careful consideration to enter the race for President of the United States. My wife and I expect to have a decision on if we are spending more time in Iowa when springtime comes, Pence said.

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Former VP Mike Pence returning to Iowa this week - WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather

Trump said a few weeks ago: I am your retribution. Guess what everybody? No thanks, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said. | John Locher/AP Photo

MANCHESTER, N.H. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wondered if the Republican field has what it takes to stop former President Donald Trump.

Christie challenged Republicans to find someone who can do to Trump what I did to Marco Rubio a callback to his 2016 debate-stage evisceration of the Republican senator from Florida because thats the only thing thats going to defeat Trump.

You have to be fearless, because he will come back and right at you, Christie said. And that means you need to think about whos got the skill to do that, and whos got the guts to do that, because its not going to end nicely.

Christies former supporters in New Hampshire hope itll be him.

We definitely need somebody strong and optimistic, said Hillary Seeger, a conservative activist who backed Christies 2016 presidential bid. We need to have somebody that can win the primary and the general election.

Christie reunited a group of his New Hampshire backers on Monday night, when he returned to the state for a town hall at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics a prerequisite for any presidential hopeful followed by a private dinner with close friends, former supporters and some donors.

Christie was cagey about whether he is actually running for president again. But if he is hes said a decision could come in 45 to 60 days he spelled out a clear lane for himself as Trumps critic in chief.

Christie doesnt see one in what is shaping up to be the 2024 Republican field.

Theyre going to wriggle right up next to him and say Im almost like him, but Im not quite as bad, Christie said of his would-be rivals. Let me tell you something, everybody. Thats going to lose as certain as he lost in 20, as we lost the House in 18, as we lost the Senate in 21, as we underperformed in 22.

Christie later told reporters that no one has to wonder whether hes got the chutzpah to take on Trump.

But just as Christie puffed up his own abilities, one audience member at Saint Anselm College openly questioned his credentials in that arena. Christie had plenty of opportunities to take down Trump in 2016, before he dropped out after a dismal sixth-place finish in New Hampshires primary, so why didnt he do it then?

Christie chalked his performance in that primary up to strategic error one that he doesnt plan on making again.

Trump said a few weeks ago: I am your retribution. Guess what everybody? No thanks, Christie said. The only person he cares about is him. And if we havent learned that since Election Day 2020 until today, were not paying attention.

Christie also took direct shots at former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hitting the former for not doing more to stand up to Trump and the latter over his mangled forays into foreign policy.

Russias invasion of Ukraine is not a territorial dispute, as DeSantis said in now-walked-back remarks, but an act of authoritarian aggression, Christie said. And the U.S. doesnt have to worry about being dragged into a proxy war with China over Ukraine as DeSantis suggested because were in one.

But even as he jabbed his would-be rivals, Christie also spoke repeatedly of injecting optimism and civility back into politics that these days is defined by anger and retribution.

And his old supporters who gathered in Manchester on Monday consider that to be a selling point for potential presidential candidates like Christie and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, another moderate-leaning Republican considering a run.

You have Trump, and you have the alternative to Trump, former New Hampshire GOP Chair Wayne MacDonald, who chaired Christies 2016 campaign in New Hampshire. Once you start comparing his record in New Jersey with DeSantis record in Florida, youre going to see a much more viable and effective leader than Governor DeSantis is. And I think thats going to enable him to emerge as the alternative to President Trump.

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Christie sees a lane in the GOP primary: Trump destroyer - POLITICO

(ABC 6 News) Former Vice President Mike Pence is making a return to Iowa this week after a trip to the state earlier this month.

Pence is scheduled to make three stops in the state on Wednesday.

Pence will make his first stop in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines, where he will give remarks at a breakfast hosted by the Westside Conservative Club.

Pence will then travel to eastern Iowa where he is expected to stop in Cedar Rapids to take part in a fireside chat during a luncheon with a book signing.

Pence will then wrap up his visit in Coralville where he will deliver remarks at the Johnson County Republicans Reagan Dinner.

Pence was in Des Moines on March 18 where he participated in an event hosted by The Bastion Institute. Pence spoke on foreign policy along side a panel of U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

RELATED: Former Vice President Pence to speak in Iowa Saturday

Meanwhile, Pence was in Iowa last month where he spoke against a Cedar Rapids schools transgender policy.

Many expect Pence to announce a 2024 presidential run at some point. However, he has not formally made that announcement yet.

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Former VP Pence returning to Iowa Wednesday - ABC 6 News ... - ABC 6 News KAAL TV