Investigator says Trump, allies were uncharged co-conspirators in plot to overturn Michigan election
A state investigator in Michigan says he considers former President Donald Trump and some key allies to be uncharged co-conspirators in a scheme to claim that he had won Michigan in the 2020 election.
Investigator says Trump, allies were uncharged co-conspirators in plot to overturn Michigan election
A state investigator in Michigan says he considers former President Donald Trump and some key allies to be uncharged co-conspirators in a scheme to claim that he had won Michigan in the 2020 election.
Feds raided Rudy Giulianiโs home and office in 2021 over Ukraine suspicions, unsealed papers show
A 2021 federal raid on Rudy Giulianiโs home and office was spurred by suspicions that the former New York City mayor had illegally acted as a foreign agent by seeking the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian officials.
Georgia election workers ask for court order barring Rudy Giuliani from repeating lies about them
Two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgement against Rudy Giuliani are asking for a court order barring him from continuing to repeat the lies he spread about them following the 2020 election.
Jury awards $148 million in damages to Georgia election workers over Rudy Giulianiโs 2020 vote lies
A jury has awarded $148 million in damages to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.
Jurors deciding how much Giuliani must pay for lies in a Georgia election workers' case
Jurors will continue deliberating Friday to decide how much Rudy Giuliani must pay two former Georgia election workers for spreading lies about them that led to a barrage of racist threats and upended their lives.
Georgia election worker tearfully describes fleeing her home after Giuliani's false claims of fraud
A former Georgia election worker suing Rudy Giuliani over false claims he spread about her and her daughter in 2020 has described fleeing her home after she endured racist threats and strangers banging on her door.
Georgia election worker suing Rudy Giuliani tells jurors that his lies made her fear for her life
A former Georgia election worker has testified that she feared for her life as she received a barrage of threatening and racist messages fueled by Rudy Giulianiโs false claims that she and her mother had rigged the 2020 election results in the state.
Jurors in a Giuliani damages case hear the threats election workers got after his false claims
Lawyers for two Georgia election workers are asking jurors in a federal case to make Rudy Giuliani pay the women tens of millions of dollars in damages for false accusations he made against them that led to threats and racist harassment.
Rudy Giuliani sued by former lawyer, accused of failing to pay $1.36 million in legal bills
Rudy Giulianiโs former lawyer has sued him, alleging the ex-New York City mayor has paid only a fraction of nearly $1.6 million in legal fees heโs racked up from investigations into his efforts to keep Donald Trump in the White House.
Georgia special grand jury report shows Graham and others spared from charges, and more new details
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis pursued charges against roughly half of the people recommended to her by a special grand jury tasked with investigating efforts to overturn Georgiaโs 2020 presidential election.
Hunter Biden seeks federal probe of Trump allies over laptop
A lawyer for President Joe Bidenโs son, Hunter, has asked the Justice Department to investigate close allies of former President Donald Trump and others who accessed and disseminated personal data from a laptop that a computer repair shop owner says was dropped off at his Delaware store in 2019.
Meadows trying to avoid testifying in Georgia election probe
Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, is trying to avoid having to testify before a Georgia special grand jury thatโs investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the stateโs 2020 election.
Judge again denies Graham's effort to skirt Georgia subpoena
A federal judge has ruled constitutional protections donโt shield U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham from testifying before a special grand jury investigating possible illegal efforts to overturn then-President Donald Trumpโs 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Lawyers: Eastman advised to plead the Fifth in Georgia probe
Lawyers for John Eastman say they advised their client to assert attorney-client privilege and invoke his constitutional right to remain silent when testifying before a special grand jury investigating possible election interference in Georgia.
Trump legal adviser ordered to testify in Ga. election probe
A judge in Colorado on Tuesday ordered a legal adviser for former President Donald Trumpโs campaign to travel to Georgia to testify before a special grand jury thatโs looking into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
Giuliani must go to Atlanta for election probe, judge says
A judge said Tuesday that Rudy Giuliani must appear in Atlanta in person next week to testify before a special grand jury thatโs investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
Lawyer: Giuliani won't testify Tuesday in Ga. election probe
A lawyer for Rudy Giuliani says the former New York mayor will not appear as scheduled Tuesday before a special grand jury in Atlanta thatโs investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 general election in Georgia.
Sen. Graham to fight Georgia election subpoena, lawyers say
Attorneys representing Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina say he intends to challenge a subpoena compelling him to testify before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating ex-President Donald Trump and his alliesโ actions after the 2020 election.
Georgia subpoenaing Giuliani, Graham in Trump election probe
The Georgia prosecutor investigating the conduct of former President Donald Trump and his allies after the 2020 election is subpoenaing U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to testify before a special grand jury.
Rudy Giuliani among Trump allies subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel
The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani and other members of Donald Trumpโs legal team who filed bogus legal challenges to the 2020 election that fueled the lie that race had been stolen from the former president.
Giuliani lawyers: Feds treat him like drug boss or terrorist
Attorneys for Rudy Giuliani say a covert warrant prosecutors obtained for his iCloud account in November 2019 and raids last month show they are treating him more like a drug kingpin or terrorist rather than one of ex-President Donald Trump's lawyers.
'Borat,' 'Promising Young Woman' win at Writers Guild Awards
This image released by Amazon Studios shows Sacha Baron Cohen in a scene from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." (Amazon Studios via AP)NEW YORK โ Sacha Baron Cohen's โBorat Subsequent Moviefilmโ was partly improvised and scripted by nine writers, but it still walked away Sunday night with one of the Writers Guild Awards' top honors, best adapted screenplay. Best original screenplay went to the script for the feminist revenge thriller โPromising Young Woman,โ by writer-director Emerald Fennell. โThank you for this incredible award, though I canโt help thinking we won it because 60% of the Writers Guild worked on this movie,โ said Baron Cohen. The guild's awards came after the conclusion of a two-year battle with talent agencies over potential conflicts of interest as representatives of film and TV writers.
Giuliani probe awaits Garland as he nears AG confirmation
The full scope of the investigation is unclear, but it at least partly involves Giuliani's Ukraine dealings, the officials said. AdThe Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people who lobby on behalf of a foreign government or entity to register with the Justice Department. AdThe Justice Department requires that applications for search warrants served on lawyers be approved by senior department officials. Giuliani's attorney Robert J. Costello told The Associated Press he has โheard nothingโ from federal prosecutors concerning Giuliani. Giuliani has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations and hadnโt seen any evidence that Parnas and Fruman did anything wrong.
Dem's lawsuit accuses Trump of inciting deadly Capitol riot
Thompson has sued former President Donald Trump, alleging Trump incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. A Trump senior adviser, Jason Miller, said in a statement that Trump did not organize the rally that preceded the riot and โdid not incite or conspire to incite any violence at the Capitol on Jan. Additional suits could be brought by other members of Congress or by law enforcement officers injured while responding to the riot. That process was temporarily interrupted when Trump supporters broke into the Capitol. Trump encouraged supporters at a rally preceding the riot to โ fight like hell,โ but lawyers for the former president adamantly denied during the impeachment trial that he had incited the riot.
Florida man sentenced in Giuliani-related fraud case
FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2019, file photo, David Correia walks from federal court in New York. David Correia, 45, was sentenced remotely by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan. In court papers, Correia largely blamed his slide into criminal behavior on his association with Parnas. The Securities and Exchange Commission said when it recently filed civil charges related to the fraud that Correia lives in West Palm Beach. Prosecutors have not alleged Giuliani did anything wrong and he was only referenced in court papers and at the sentencing as โAttorney-1."
Voting company sues Fox, Giuliani over election fraud claims
A voting technology company is suing Fox News, three of its top hosts, Giuliani and Sidney Powell for $2.7 billion, charging that the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped steal the U.S. presidential election away from former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)MIAMI โ A voting technology company is suing Fox News, three of its hosts and two former lawyers for former President Donald Trump โ Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell โ for $2.7 billion, charging that the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped โstealโ the U.S. presidential election. On Jan. 25, a rival election-technology company โ Dominion Voting Systems, which was also ensnared in Trump's baseless effort to overturn the election โ sued Guiliani and Powell for $1.3 billion. Fox "is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion,โ the company said in a written statement. Death threats, including against an executiveโs 14-year-old son, poured in as Internet searches for the company surged, Smartmatic claims.
Gov: Fraudster raised money pitching Giuliani as firm's face
His lawyer asked in papers filed last week that Correia serve no prison time. In court papers, Giuliani was identified as โAttorney-1," a lawyer who was assisting the company in exchange for a $500,000 fee. AdThe investor told Correia that if Giuliani โwasnโt part of this thing, I probably wouldnโt do it. Correia promised the investor that Giuliani would help with compliance and regulatory issues, advertising and marketing, and several other deliverables, prosecutors wrote. Correia said Giuliani also agreed that the company could โuse his likeness to be the โface of the companyโ (should we choose) for commercials, advertisements, etc.
Dominion Voting Systems sues Giuliani over election claims, seeks more than $1.3 billion in damages
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 file photo, voting machines fill the floor for early voting at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON โ Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Monday against Donald Trumpโs personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who led the former presidentโs efforts to spread baseless claims about the 2020 election. The lawsuit seeks more than $1.3 billion in damages for the voting machine company, a target for conservatives who made up wild claims about the company, blaming it for Trump's loss and alleging without evidence that its systems were easily manipulated. The company faced such a mountain of threats and criticism that one of its top executives went into hiding. The lawsuit also details Giuliani pitching supplements to cure their achy joints and muscles, offering a special discount code as he held up the bottles.
Indicted Giuliani associate seeks White House communications
On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges against the associate of Rudy Giuliani, who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden's son. Trumpโs efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens led the House to impeach him, though he was later acquitted by the Senate. When Parnas was arrested in October 2019, Democrats in the U.S. House were seeking his testimony about his involvement with Giuliani's Ukrainian effort. Giuliani, a Republican, has said he knew nothing about illegal campaign donations. In his legal filing Tuesday, Bondy didn't offer evidence that there had been any interference by the White House in the campaign fraud investigation, which was overseen by prosecutors in New York.
AP sources: Trump floats Sidney Powell as special counsel
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump floated naming lawyer Sidney Powell, who was booted from his campaign's legal team after pushing unfounded conspiracy theories, as a special counsel investigating allegations of voter fraud as he grasps for straws to stay in power. It is unclear whether Trump intends to try to move forward with the effort to install Powell. Trumpโs campaign and his allies have now filed roughly 50 lawsuits alleging widespread voting fraud and almost all have been dismissed or dropped. That includes Giuliani, who during the Friday meeting pushed Trump to seize voting machines in his hunt for evidence of fraud. "She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team.
Hunter Biden subpoena seeks info on Burisma, other entities
FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2020, file photo, President-elect Joe Biden, right, embraces his son Hunter Biden, left, in Wilmington, Del. Hunter Biden's ties to Burisma in particular have long dogged the policy work and political aspirations of his father, Joe Biden, now the president-elect of the United States. Hunter Biden confirmed Wednesday that his taxes are under federal investigation. In addition to the Burisma-related request, the subpoena issued last week also seeks information on Hunter Biden's Chinese business dealings and other financial transactions. At one point in the investigation, federal prosecutors were also examining potential money laundering offenses, two people familiar with the matter told the AP.
Hunter Biden subpoena seeks info on Burisma, other entities
FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2020, file photo, President-elect Joe Biden, right, embraces his son Hunter Biden, left, in Wilmington, Del. Hunter Biden's ties to Burisma in particular have long dogged the policy work and political aspirations of his father, Joe Biden, now the president-elect of the United States. Hunter Biden confirmed Wednesday that his taxes are under federal investigation. In addition to the Burisma-related request, the subpoena issued last week also seeks information on Hunter Biden's Chinese business dealings and other financial transactions. At one point in the investigation, federal prosecutors were also examining potential money laundering offenses, two people familiar with the matter told the AP.
Michigan lawmakers, groups condemn Republican leaders for punishing state rep. over Facebook video
After the hearing, Rep. Johnson received death threats in several voicemails, with one even calling for her lynching. Be in order, make them pay.โThough Rep. Johnson says she was not inciting violence with her message, Republican Michigan leaders and lawmakers whole heartedly disagreed. Whitmer, Secretary Benson, Rep. Johnson herself, and others. The MLBC is on record condemning all acts of violence, threats, racist rhetoric toward any citizen of this great state. Rep. Johnson released a video this week, where she discussed these spiteful messages and as a result, sheโs been stripped of her committee assignments.
Michigan AG on lawsuit seeking to overturn election: โThis is how democracies dieโ
Related: AG Barr: No evidence of voter fraud thatโd change election outcomeโThis is how democracies die,โ Nessel said Friday. โBy virtue of these types of actions, which are unprecedented in American history.โLegal experts donโt believe the high court will hear the case. Despite that, four Michigan GOP congressmen have signed onto the case and 15 GOP state lawmakers. Nessel and the Attorney Generals of the other states have all filed briefs with the high court. Each member who signed their names on their respective briefs also won their own elections in 2020, which they are now asking to be invalidated.
Michigan AG responds to Texas lawsuit against stateโs election process
Michiganโs election results faced another round of legal challenges in courts both big and small just four days before the Electoral College is slated to meet and finalize the 2020 election. In the U.S. Supreme Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel responded to the state of Texas, which is suing Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia -- three other key states that voted in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. Texas alleged that Michigan broke its own election laws to send absentee ballots to voters during a pandemic, and argued that the court should throw out millions of votes. More: Michigan AG: Texas AG Paxtonโs election lawsuit is clear signal request for pardon by TrumpNessel said the claims in the lawsuit are โabsurdโ and already have been debunked in lower courts. The scheme has been floated and then called for by President Trump, his campaign and his legal team before and after the presidential election in an effort to overturn election results.
Local 4 News at 5 -- Dec. 9, 2020
Hereโs what you missed on Local 4 News at 5:State representative under investigation for comments made in Facebook videoRepublican leaders in the Michigan House stripped a Democratic lawmaker of her committee assignments Wednesday after she threatened โTrumpersโ in a social media video. Rep. Cynthia Johnson of Detroit sits on a GOP-led committee that heard baseless allegations of election fraud from President Donald Trumpโs personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others last week.
Rep. removed from Michigan House Oversight Committee amid investigation
LANSING, Mich. โ Michigan Rep. Cynthia Johnson is under investigation after she posted on social media a response to the many violent, vulgar and racist death threats sheโs received. The video, posted Tuesday night, has quickly gone viral and legislative leadership removed her from her House Oversight Committee assignments Wednesday. โMy soldiers, they are soldiers for Christ, soldiers against racism, soldiers against domestic violence, soldiers against domestic terrorism,โ Johnson said. Rep. Johnson has been removed from her committee assignments, and we are looking into further disciplinary action as the proper authorities conduct their own investigations. Whitmer, Secretary Benson, Rep. Johnson herself, and others.
Michigan lawmaker disciplined for warning Trump backers
Theyโre even more unbecoming of an elected official," they said in a joint statement stating that violence and intimidation is never appropriate in politics. "That applies to threats made toward public officials, and it must also apply when the threats come from public officials. Behavior like this will not be tolerated this term or next.โJohnson could not be reached for comment. Earlier in the video, she urged people to โbe smartโ and โhit them in the pocketbook" โ an apparent reference to Trump supporters. She urged people to call 911 or the police if they have been threatened or fear for their safety.
Lawmakers who met with Giuliani scramble after COVID news
The president on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 confirmed in a tweet that Giuliani had tested positive for the virus. On numerous occasions, Giuliani met with officials for hours at a time without wearing a mask, including hearings last week with state lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan. Giuliani spoke for hours last week before a Republican-led committee in Lansing investigating alleged election irregularities. Giuliani traveled last Monday to Phoenix, where he met with Republican legislators for an hourslong hearing in which he was maskless. The Arizona Republican Party tweeted a photo of Giuliani and several state GOP lawmakers standing shoulder-to-shoulder and maskless.
Michigan House Oversight Committee members receive death threats, racist voicemails
LANSING, Mich. โ Michigan Rep. Cynthia Johnson, the Democratic chair of the House Oversight Committee is receiving death threats due to the election. She posted several of the threats to social media. After both Democratic and Republican representatives have received threats of violence over the election, Michigan Assistant Minority Floor Leader Laurie Pohutsky posted on Twitter about the SNL sketch. The SNL skit was amusing, I guess, but last night my caucus was trying to figure out how to keep those on that committee safe from the deluge of death threats theyโre receiving. Iโm sorry to be a bummer and Iโm glad people enjoyed the skit, but the reality of it is heinous.
Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19, President Trump says
President Donald Trumpโs personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the president. Trump said in a tweet Sunday that the former New York City mayor has tested positive for the virus. It is currently unclear when exactly Giuliani tested positive or how severe his infection is. โThe Michigan Republican Party sends out our prayers to Mayor Giuliani, and we wish him a speedy recovery. Last month, Giulianiโs son, Andrew Giuliani -- who is a special assistant to Trump -- said he tested positive for coronavirus.
Trump lawyer Giuliani in hospital after positive COVID test
President Donald Trump says his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus. The president on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 confirmed in a tweet that Giuliani had tested positive for the virus. Trump, who announced Giuliani's positive test in a Sunday afternoon tweet, wished him a speedy recovery. His son Andrew Giuliani, who is a White House aide, announced a day after the event that he had tested positive for the virus. To say I am livid would be too kind.โBefore the hearing, Giuliani and Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox โ both maskless โ did a virtual briefing for GOP activists.
EXPLAINER: How does AP choose which lawsuits to cover?
While The Associated Press has covered the details of many of these lawsuits, it has not written a story on every one. Even before voting began, AP assigned a team of legal reporters to cover litigation in battleground states and to follow those cases through to the end. AP reporters and editors have read every lawsuit and their affidavits to assess which ones are the most newsworthy because of their potential impact on the overall election. As with all stories, AP reporters and editors approach the topic with an open mind, then collect facts and assess them. Remember, hundreds of lawsuits are filed in the United States each day, and journalists use their judgment about which ones merit news coverage.
Trump tactics to overturn election could have staying power
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)ATLANTA โ Even after he exits the White House, President Donald Trump's efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the election and seeking to overturn the will of voters could have staying power. Supporters include congressional candidates, state lawmakers, party chairs, conservative legal groups and appointees to previously little-known state vote-certification boards. Even so, Trump has found friendly lawmakers and party officials willing to bolster his claims and adopt his tactics. The effort then shifted to Michigan, where Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani appeared at a four-hour legislative hearing to argue that fraud had occurred. As Trump hints at running for president again, he will need his supporters to stay energized and on his side.
WATCH: โSNLโ spoofs Giulianiโs Michigan election hearing in cold open
โSaturday Night Liveโ took aim at Rudy Giuliani and a witness that went viral during a hearing before the Michigan House earlier this week on the 2020 election. โRudy Giuliani (Kate McKinnon) tries to make an argument to prove widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election,โ the cold open is captioned. Laurie Pohutsky, a Democratic state representative for Michiganโs 19th House District reacted to the SNL skit on Twitter. Iโm sorry to be a bummer and Iโm glad people enjoyed the skit, but the reality of it is heinous. โ Laurie Pohutsky (@lpohutsky19) December 6, 2020More: Giuliani to Michigan Republicans: Pressure Legislature on Biden winWatch the โSNLโ cold open below:
Evidence? Hearsay? Voter fraud claims in affidavits, explained
DETROIT โ While no hard evidence has been discovered to support widespread voter fraud claims in the 2020 election, plenty of people have signed their name to sworn testimony. Trumpโs lawyer Rudy Giuliani has targeted Detroit in recent weeks, despite there being no evidence of fraud in the city. Related: Michigan AG to GOP on voter fraud evidence: โPut up or shut upโAn earlier lawsuit was dismissed by Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens who said the claims presented were hearsay. If there is none, which has been the case in Trump election lawsuits, the โfinder of factโ could rule that thereโs insufficient evidence to prove the plaintiffsโ claims. Related: The must-read deep dive into Michiganโs 2020 election, erroneous voter fraud claims