Closing summary
Donald Trump will not be appearing in a Georgia courtroom for his arraignment next week, instead deciding to enter his plea of not guilty in writing and skipping another trip to Atlanta. Separately, Republican governor Brian Kemp rejected an effort by a small group of rightwing lawmakers to call the state legislature back in session to remove Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney who indicted Trump and 18 others for trying to overturn Georgia’s elections in 2020. And next week, we may get more details about the special grand jury whose work led to the indictments, when their full report is potentially made public by a judge.
Here’s what else happened today:
A self-described organizer for the Proud Boys militia group was given a 17-year prison sentence for his actions on January 6.
The Capitol physician said Mitch McConnell was “medically clear” to go back to work, but some senators reportedly want to call a special caucus meeting to discuss his health issues.
Trump’s attorney has filed to sever his case from the 18 other defendants in the Georgia election subversion case, which could allow him to put off going to trial.
Clarence Thomas, the conservative supreme court justice, released his delayed financial disclosure reports, in which he acknowledged more luxury trips taken with Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.
Trump remains way ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight.com reports, though his support may have slipped a little bit since the Georgia indictment.
Updated
Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis pleads not guilty in Georgia election subversion case
Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for Donald Trump who advised on ways to prevent Joe Biden from taking office, has pled not guilty to charges brought against her in the Georgia election subversion case, Reuters reports.
Once a prosecutor in Colorado, Ellis spread multiple statements claiming voter fraud during the 2020 election and sent at least two memos advising Mike Pence to reject Biden’s victory in Georgia and other states. The Colorado supreme court censured Ellis earlier this year and she acknowledged making false statements.
Ellis was among the 19 people indicted by Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis last week, along with Trump, who today pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering.
Updated
The editorial board of influential conservative publication National Review is calling on Mitch McConnell to step down as Republican leader in the Senate.
They cite the two instances of the 81-year-old freezing up in public in recent months as evidence that it’s time to hand leadership of the minority party to someone else, though they do not call for him to resign his seat representing Kentucky.
Here’s more from their piece:
The details can be left to McConnell, who deserves a large measure of deference. A leadership transition doesn’t need to happen urgently, but the wheels should be turning.
Stepping aside from leadership would not necessarily require leaving the Senate; McConnell could, like Nancy Pelosi, remain in office, and he would doubtless remain influential so long as he is capable of serving. But the job of caucus leader demands more.
The time will come for a fuller appreciation of McConnell’s legacy. But his strenuous opposition to campaign-finance reform, effective resistance to the Obama agenda, stalwart refusal to fill the Scalia seat prior to the 2016 election, fruitful cooperation with President Trump on judges, and, lately, strong support for American leadership abroad when the winds in the party are blowing the opposite way easily make him one of the most consequential politicians of our era.
Prudence and realism have been hallmarks of his leadership and now are called for in considering his own future.
Joe Biden’s national infrastructure advisory council has recommended privatization and long-term leases of water systems to help revitalise the nation’s aging water infrastructure – a move that has not gone down well with water justice advocates.
Nationwide, one in 10 people already depend on private water companies, whose bills are on average almost 60% higher than those supplied by public utilities. Private ownership is the single largest factor associated with higher water bills, more than aging infrastructure or climate disasters.
“Water privatisation is a terrible idea,” said Mary Grant, the Public Water for All campaign director at Food & Water Watch. “Wall Street wants to take control of the nation’s public water systems to wring profits from communities that are already struggling with unaffordable water bills and toxic water. Privatisation would deepen the nation’s water crises, leading to higher water bills and less accountable and transparent services.”
The council is also recommending the creation of a federal water department or an equivalent cabinet-level agency to oversee a national strategy to shore up the nation’s ageing water infrastructure. Federal funding for water and wastewater peaked in 1977, since when utilities have mostly relied on loans and raising bills to fund infrastructure upgrades. After decades of federal austerity for water, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act provided a major cash injection – but is still just a fraction, around 7%, of what experts say is needed to provide safe, clean, affordable drinking water for every American.
Biden’s advisory council includes public and private sector representatives, but notably the chair is the CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners, an infrastructure investment bank with an estimated $100bn in assets under management that targets energy, transportation, digital and water infrastructure.
Updated
Biden to survey Hurricane Idalia damage in Florida on Saturday
Joe Biden just announced he will travel to Florida on Saturday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Idalia:
President Biden says he'll go to Florida on Saturday morning to assess the damage from Hurricane Idalia. pic.twitter.com/KMtjFGaf78
— The Recount (@therecount) August 31, 2023
Earlier in the day, the White House announced he spoke to Florida’s Republican governor and 2024 presidential contender Ron DeSantis, and signed a major disaster declaration that will steer federal resources to the state.
Biden and DeSantis are adversaries, but have put politics aside to make joint appearances when Biden has traveled Florida state following disasters, most recently in October in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Now a tropical storm, Idalia is menacing the Carolinas. Follow our live blog for the latest on its path:
Updated
Capitol physician says McConnell 'medically clear' to work, Biden says top GOP senator 'old self' in phone call
Punchbowl News reports that Capitol physician Brian Monahan says Mitch McConnell, the top GOP lawmaker in the Senate who yesterday appeared to freeze up while addressing the press, is “medically clear” to work.
Monahan attributed the episode, the second in as many months, to “occasional lightheadedness” as the Kentucky lawmaker continues to recover from a concussion he sustained earlier this year:
New: Capitol attending physician Dr. Brian Monahan says he talked with McConnell & his neurology team. He says McConnell is “medically clear” to keep his sked
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) August 31, 2023
“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.” pic.twitter.com/Ti35frbWXn
Meanwhile, Joe Biden said he had spoken to McConnell, and his former senate colleague “was his old self on the telephone”. Here’s a clip of the president’s remarks:
Biden says he doesn't have concerns with McConnell carrying out his role after his most recent freeze:
— The Recount (@therecount) August 31, 2023
“I spoke to him today...He was his old self on the telephone…It’s not at all unusual to have the response that sometimes happens to Mitch when you've had a severe concussion.” pic.twitter.com/4wZUPekIzo
Trials in Georgia election subversion case to be broadcast live
Scott McAfee, the judge presiding over the trials of Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia election subversion case, says the proceedings will be streamed live on YouTube, Atlanta News First reports:
#BREAKING Judge McAfee says there will be a live YouTube stream — operated by the court — of all Fulton County hearings & trials related to the Trump indictment, in addition to pool media coverage
— Brendan Keefe - Atlanta News First (@BrendanKeefe) August 31, 2023
McAfee cited the practice of Robert McBurney, the judge who presided over the grand jury investigation and indictment phase of the case:
Judge McAfee says he’s following Judge McBurney’s practice that follows the spirit of open courts in Georgia. This came up when the court was asked to provide an overflow courtroom with a live feed. The current pool order expires Sept. 8 & will be refiled.
— Brendan Keefe - Atlanta News First (@BrendanKeefe) August 31, 2023
It’s unclear when Trump’s trial will start, but proceedings in his former attorney Kenneth Chesebro’s case are scheduled to start on 23 October.
Why does Donald Trump want his trial severed from two other his fellow co-defendants?
Because those two defendants, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, both former lawyers for his campaign, have made motions for speedy trials – which is exactly what Trump doesn’t want. In a sign of just how speedy those trials will be, a judge set out a schedule for Chesebro’s trial that will see it start on 23 October.
Politico reports that Trump’s attorney Steven Sadow argues that if the former president is put on trial at the same time, he won’t have enough time to mount a proper defense:
JUST IN Donald TRUMP has formally moved to sever his racketeering case from defenants seeking a speedy trial in Georgia, saying it would violate his rights to a fair trial. https://t.co/wFP8PFWMmD pic.twitter.com/W6A56NPFOr
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 31, 2023
Trump moves to sever Georgia case from some other defendants
In a fast-moving and ever more complex situation, lawyers for Donald Trump have moved to sever his election racketeering case in Georgia from two defendants who have asked for their own trials to be speeded up.
As local Georgia court journalist Sam Gringlas reports:
“Trump moves to SEVER his case from 2 defendants who want a speedy trial, slated for Oct. “We’re in a huge state of flux right now,” attorney Bob Rubin told me. “The case involving these 19 defendants seems to be going in a lot of different directions all at the same time.”
Updated
His fellow senators may be keeping mum, but at least one Republican politics watcher thinks it’s time for Mitch McConnell to step down, the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports:
It may be time for Mitch McConnell to “pass the torch”, a leading Republican pollster said, after the 81-year-old GOP Senate leader suffered a second apparent freeze while talking to reporters.
“It’s one of the problems that we have with Washington, which is that there is a time to lead and a time to pass on the torch to another generation,” Frank Luntz told CNN.
A spokesperson for McConnell said the senator felt “light-headed” on Wednesday, when he appeared to freeze during questions from reporters in Covington, in his home state of Kentucky, and was eventually escorted away. McConnell would consult a doctor, the spokesperson said.
But the freeze followed a similar incident in Washington in July, when McConnell was speaking at the US Capitol. He said then he had been “sandbagged” – a reference to Joe Biden’s fall at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado in May – and returned to talk to reporters.
On Wednesday, Biden called McConnell “a good friend”, and said he would “try and get in touch with him later this afternoon”.
Tucker Carlson warns of Trump assassination
Far-right media personality Tucker Carlson is known for his outrageous statements and bigoted positions, as well as a degree of paranoia. They can mostly be found on social media these days, after being taken off air by Fox News.
But even by his own low standards, Carson might have gone too far on comedian Adam Corolla’s podcast when he predicted that someone would try to kill Donald Trump, the Hill reports.
“Begin with criticism, then you go to protest, then you go to impeachment, now you go to indictment, and none of them work. I mean what’s next? You know, graph it out man! We’re speeding toward assassination, obviously. No one will say that, but I don’t know how you can’t reach that conclusion,” Carlson said.
It’s not the first time Carson has gone there though. In a recent interview with Trump himself – held to distract people from the Republican debate – Carson asked bluntly: “Are you worried that they’re going to try and kill you? Why wouldn’t they try and kill you?”
Updated
GOP senators consider special conference over McConnell's health
Following the second instance in as many months where the Senate’s top Republican Mitch McConnell froze up while addressing the press, Politico reports that some senators want to convene a special meeting to discuss his health.
McConnell, 81, is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, but suffered a concussion earlier this year that he took weeks to recover from, as well as a fall in July. The Kentucky lawmaker was challenged for the party’s leadership post earlier this year by Florida’s senator Rick Scott, but easily defeated him, and it remains unclear if a majority of his fellow Republicans want him to step down.
Here’s more from Politico:
Some rank-and-file Republicans have discussed the possibility of a broader conversation once senators return to Washington next week, according to a person directly involved in the conversations who confirmed them on condition of anonymity. Party leadership is not currently involved in those discussions, and nothing has been decided yet, this person added.
It takes just five Republican senators to force a special conference meeting, which is the most direct way to have a specific discussion about the minority leader after his public pause on Wednesday revived questions about his condition. But the Senate GOP also holds private lunches two or three times a week, giving members another forum for hashing out the direction of the party’s leadership — one that could forestall the need for a special confab.
And McConnell’s health is a touchy subject: The 81-year-old, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, doesn’t like to discuss it. Even detractors of the Kentucky Republican’s leadership style are sensitive to the health issues he faces after falling in March and suffering a concussion.
Even so, the question now facing the GOP is whether McConnell’s health hastens a transition atop the conference leadership that has to happen eventually. McConnell squashed his first-ever challenge last fall from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on a 37-10 vote.
If a special conference meeting doesn’t happen, the issue could be punted until after the 2024 election. However, a special meeting would undoubtedly draw more media attention that would amplify the risk of specifically broaching the touchy topic of McConnell’s leadership. And his own support may be relatively unchanged even after the two summer pauses.
The day so far
Donald Trump will not be appearing in a Georgia courtroom for his arraignment next week, instead deciding to enter his plea of not guilty in writing and skip another trip to Atlanta. Separately, Republican governor Brian Kemp rejected an effort by a small group of rightwing lawmakers to call the state legislature back in session to remove Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney who indicted Trump and 18 others for trying to overturn Georgia’s elections in 2020. And next week, we may get more details about the special grand jury whose work led to the indictments, when their full report is potentially made public by a judge.
Here’s what else has happened today so far:
A self-described organizer for the Proud Boys militia group was just given a 17-year prison sentence for his actions on January 6.
Clarence Thomas, the conservative supreme court justice, released his delayed financial disclosure reports, in which he acknowledged luxury trips taken with Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.
Trump remains way ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight reports, though his support may have slipped a little bit since the Georgia indictment.
Updated
Proud Boys organizer given 17-year jail sentence on January 6 charges
Joseph Biggs, a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys militia group who entered the Capitol on January 6, was just handed a 17 year jail sentence by a judge after being convicted on seditious conspiracy charges.
The term was much less than the 33 years prosecutors requested, which would have been the highest meted out in the cases stemming from the attack on the Capitol. Biggs is one of five Proud Boys scheduled to be sentenced in the coming days, a group that also includes its former leader Enrique Tarrio.
Judge indicates grand jury report behind Trump's indictment in Georgia could be made public next week
A report produced by a special grand jury that Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis used to indict Donald Trump and 18 others for trying to overturn Georgia’s election in 2020 could be released in full on 8 September, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Judge Robert McBurney had earlier this year made public parts of the report, but kept other sections sealed at the request of Willis, who cited due process concerns. In particular, a chapter where jurors recommended who should be indicted was kept out of the public eye. If it was released, it could answer whether there were people who the jurors thought should face charges whom Willis ultimately did not indict.
McBurney said the due process concerns were alleviated by the announcement of charges in the case, and said he would release the report next Friday, unless any parties object.
Here’s more from the Journal-Constitution:
Such an “exceedingly public development” eliminates due process concerns, at least for the 19 defendants charged in the case and who might have been named in the special grand jury’s final report, McBurney wrote. For that reason, he said, he plans to release the final report at 10 a.m. on Sept. 8.
At the same time, McBurney said, if “any concerned party believes something less than everything should be published,” they have until close of business on Sept. 6 to raise an objection. “If objections are timely filed, they will be carefully considered and a new publication date will be announced,” he said.
Objections would likely come from individuals who were not indicted but who may believe the special grand jury voted that they be charged. They may want to keep such a recommendation from being made public.
When the full special grand jury’s final report is published, it will show the vote tallies from the 23-member panel on each recommendation as to who should be indicted, grand jurors told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in prior interviews. This will allow the public to know whether the panel was overwhelmingly in favor or closely divided on each person.
If you are wondering if Donald Trump’s indictment in Georgia has changed his political fortunes, poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight took a look at the numbers and the answer is … no.
“Looking at the big picture – including FiveThirtyEight’s averages of the national Republican primary and Trump’s overall favorable and unfavorable ratings – it’s clear that public opinion about Trump has not changed in a major way in several months, even after he was indicted on nearly 100 criminal charges in four different jurisdictions. After what is expected to be his final indictment, he remains the strong favorite in the GOP primary and a competitive candidate in the general election,” they write.
The conclusion comes in a piece that analyzes some of the more recent polls that have come out of Republican primary voters, which show some fluctuations in Trump’s level of support, but no change to his status as the far and away frontrunner for the party’s presidential nomination. He’s currently at 50% support in FiveThirty Eight’s polling average, down from 53% before news of the Georgia indictment broke, but still an overwhelming advantage.
Updated
Here’s the moment from his press conference today where Georgia governor Brian Kemp rejected using the legislature to oust Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis.
His remarks amounted to both a repudiation of the effort to stop her prosecution, and a defense of her conduct:
Gov. Kemp (R-GA) in his hurricane presser squashes idea of calling a special session targeting DA Willis, which Trump & his allies have pushed:
— The Recount (@therecount) August 31, 2023
“A special session of the General Assembly to end-run around this law is not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional.” pic.twitter.com/DqUTLveNAl
Georgia governor rejects calling special session to remove prosecutor who indicted Trump
Georgia’s Republican governor Brian Kemp says he will not call the legislature into a special session to impeach Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney who last week brought charges against Donald Trump and 18 others for trying to overturn the state’s presidential election result in 2020, Atlanta’s WSB-TV reports.
A handful of GOP lawmakers have requested Kemp convene the legislature outside of their normal session to remove Willis from the case, but the governor, who has publicly rejected the former president’s baseless insistence that Joe Biden’s election victory in the state was fraudulent, turned down doing that.
“We have a law in the state of Georgia that clearly outlines the legal steps that can be taken if constituents believe their local prosecutors are violating their oath by engaging in unethical or illegal behavior,” Kemp said at a press conference today, according to WSB-TV.
He characterized a special session targeting Willis as unfeasible and potentially also unconstitutional, and said, “As long as I am governor, we’re going to follow the law and the constitution, regardless of who it helps or harms politically.”
Updated
Politico obtained the document in which Donald Trump entered his not guilty plea and waived attending next Wednesday’s arraignment in the Georgia election subversion case:
NEWS: Donald Trump has waived his arraignment in Fulton County. pic.twitter.com/LmXMLQAMe5
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 31, 2023
A couple of Donald Trump’s other co-defendants in the Georgia election subversion case have opted out of next week’s arraignment and entered not guilty pleas in writing.
Sidney Powell, a lawyer who briefly worked for his campaign during the period when he tried to overturn the election, entered her plea on Tuesday:
Ray Smith, another former Trump lawyer, pleaded not guilty on Monday:
All defendants who have not yet entered pleas will appear at an in-person arraignment in Atlanta set for Wednesday of next week.
Updated
Trump pleads not guilty to charges in Georgia election subversion case
Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him by Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis for trying to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results in 2020.
By entering his plea, Trump opted to skip an in-person arraignment of the 19 suspects charged by Willis, which is scheduled to take place in Atlanta next week.
Here’s Clarence Thomas’s nine-page financial disclosure form, obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The document covers last year, and on page two, you can see Thomas reporting the trips he took on Republican megadonor Harlan Crow’s dime. One was a return flight from Dallas, Texas, which he said was necessary “due to unexpected ice storm.” Crow pops up twice more, as paying for “transportation and meals” when Thomas was the keynote speaker at the American Enterprise Institute’s Conference at Old Parkland, and then as paying for “Transportation, meals and lodging” when Thomas was his guest in Keese Mill, New York.
On page eight is Thomas’s acknowledgement of his real estate deal with Crow:
Although outside the covered period, filer provides the following supplemental information regarding the 2014 disposition of certain real estate interests he held with members of his family in Savannah, Georgia. In 1984, filer inherited a 1/3 interest in three properties: his mother’s residence and two additional houses on the same street.
In 2014, Mr. Harlan Crow, a longtime friend of filer and his wife, bought all three properties for $133,000, along with other houses/lots on the same street. Filer and his wife had put between $50,000 to $75,000 into his mother’s home in capital improvements over the years, and therefore, the transaction amounted to a capital loss.
Filer had previously reported his interest in two of the Savannah properties (excluding his mother’s residence) in the years when they generated rental income. Once these properties no longer generated any rental income, filer was advised by Committee staff to remove the two properties from his disclosure forms.However, filer inadvertently failed to realize that the “sales transaction” for the final disposition of the three properties triggered a new reportable transaction in 2014, even though this sale resulted in a capital loss.
Conservative supreme court justice Thomas discloses billionaire-funded travel – report
Conservative supreme court justice Clarence Thomas has acknowledged trips paid for by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow in a disclosure released today after a delay, CNN reports.
Reports from ProPublica and other media outlets including the Guardian released earlier this year found Thomas, the court’s longest-serving conservative justice, had questionable entanglements with parties interested in its cases, including by taking luxury vacations with Crow.
In the disclosure, Thomas reports Crow paid for him to fly by private jet for a speech in Texas and a vacation in New York last year, and said one of the trips was necessary because of “increased security risk” caused by the leak of the court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade.
Thomas also said he “inadvertently omitted” information from previous disclosures and amended them in today’s filing to acknowledge a 2014 real estate deal with Crow.
The yearly report was due in May, but Thomas requested, and received, an extension to submit his filing later.
Updated
Here’s more from the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly on Mitch McConnell’s health scare yesterday, the second to occur in public in as many months:
The Republican leader in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell, experienced another public health scare on Wednesday when he appeared to freeze for more than 30 seconds while speaking to reporters in his home state, Kentucky.
McConnell, 81, was eventually escorted away by staff, footage from an NBC News affiliate showed.
Asked for his thoughts about running for re-election in 2026, McConnell laughed and said: “Oh, that’s a … ” He then appeared to freeze.
Coming to his side, an aide said: “Did you hear the question, senator? Running for re-election in 2026?”
McConnell did not answer. The aide said, “All right, I’m sorry you all, we’re gonna need a minute.” Another aide exchanged quiet words with the senator, who said: “OK.” The first aide asked for another question, saying: “Please speak up.”
The aide repeated questions loudly into McConnell’s ear. He gave quiet, halting answers.
Told, “It’s a question about Trump,” McConnell said he would not comment on the presidential race “on the Democratic side or the Republican side”.
The two aides then escorted McConnell away.
Hours after top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell froze up while speaking to reporters, he met with a Republican running for Senate in Indiana yesterday:
Enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion with @LeaderMcConnell this evening about the future of our country. I look forward to working with him on issues confronting our bordering states. pic.twitter.com/gJcJMPJO31
— Jim Banks (@Jim_Banks) August 31, 2023
Banks, who currently represents a district in the state in the House of Representatives, is seen as the frontrunner for the Republican Senate nomination in a state that has lately voted overwhelmingly for the GOP.
Proud Boy faces potentially longest sentence of January 6 cases in sentencing today
Joseph Biggs, a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys militia group who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his actions on January 6, will be sentenced in federal court today.
Prosecutors are asking the judge to impose a 33-year jail sentence, which would be the longest doled out to any defendants facing charges over the violent attack on the Capitol. Biggs’s sentencing will be the first in a series to take place over the coming days of five Proud Boys defendants, including Enrique Tarrio, the group’s former leader. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Alleging 'staggering' fraud, NY attorney general lawsuit could have many consequences for Trump
Last year, New York attorney general Letitia James accused Donald Trump of carrying out a “staggering” level of fraud by inflating his net worth to get better loan conditions.
Take for example Mar-a-Lago, his south Florida resort. The property is worth about $75m, but valued as high as $739m, the suit said. Or 40 Wall Street, a commercial property in New York City: James alleged Trump had claimed it was worth as much as $530m, even though commercial appraisals found it would, at best, go for $220m.
James also accused him of inflating the square footage on his Trump Tower in Manhattan, calling it, “intentional and deliberate fraud” and “not a mistake”.
If a judge finds in her favor, it could force Trump to pay a potentially large judgment, and bar him and three of his children from serving as executives in New York state, or from taking out loans or purchasing properties for five years. But perhaps more worrying for the former president was James’s announcement that she had forwarded her findings to federal prosecutors, though they have not yet said if they will pursue criminal charges based on their work.
Here’s our full report from last year, when the suit was filed:
Updated
Trump accused of inflating net worth by $2b as he argues he averted 'nuclear holocaust'
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Besides the four criminal indictments filed against him and others since the start of the year, Donald Trump is also being sued by New York attorney general Letitia James, who alleges he inflated his net worth to secure more favorable terms on loans. Yesterday, a transcript of a deposition from the former president was made public, and reveals just how much James believe he overstated his assets: by as much as $2.2b in some years. The document also shows Trump making grandiose and rambling assertions that won’t be a surprise to anyone who lived through his presidency. He, for instance, asserts that his diplomatic outreach to North Korea averted a “nuclear holocaust”.
Unlike the criminal cases against him, there’s no jail time threatened by this case, but in a best-case scenario for James, a judge could order Trump to pay an expensive judgment. The lawsuit is set to go to trial in October, but the New York prosecutor is hoping a judge will opt to resolve all or part of the case in a hearing set for 22 September.
Here’s what else we’re watching today:
Questions are swirling about Mitch McConnell’s health after the 81-year-old top Senate Republican froze up during a press conference yesterday, the second time something like this has happened in as many months.
Hurricane Idalia continues to churn through the southeastern United States, and could potentially already be the costliest climate disaster to strike the country this year.
Rudy Giuliani yesterday was found liable for defaming two Georgia election workers and ordered to pay what could be an expensive judgment.
