LOS ANGELES – Rick Caruso and Rep. > an attack James got ahead of during her press conference in Manhattan.
“Mr. Trump and his allies may see these penalties are too harsh or that this is part of a witch hunt. I will remind everyone that this investigation only started after Michael Cohen, the former lawyer — his former lawyer — testified before Congress and shed light on this misconduct.” James said. “Claiming you have money that you do not does not amount to the art of the deal. It’s the art of the steal. And there cannot be different rules for different people in this country or in this state. And former presidents are no different.”
The suit from James’ office is the latest development in Trump’s swelling legal troubles. His attorneys are fighting in federal court this week to block the Justice Department’s efforts to investigate his handling of highly classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate. In Georgia, a grand jury appears to be reaching a critical point in its election-related investigation, while former Trump aides and allies have been called to testify before a grand jury probing the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Trump Organization and its longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, > Chair is calling for term limits. He called Senators like Chuck Grassley who have sat in DC for DECADES part of the ‘Washington ruling class.’”
An attack like that “sort of validates the strategy that Sen. McConnell is talking about,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who is up for reelection. “You want to be talking proactively about things you would do. But I think most candidates will be making those determinations [based] on their own circumstances.”
Led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans are expected to roll out their own agenda in the summer or early fall. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he agrees with McConnell that "Democrats are self-destructing on their own," but that McCarthy and House leaders "made a decision to put on a platform, and I'd rather participate than not."
And it’s possible McConnell and other Senate leaders do eventually put together a broad outline of their goals for the 2022 election. But at the moment, that's not the party’s focus.
“We’re wiser to have each senator promote their own view on the issues they care about,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
Though Scott’s platform has roiled some corners of the GOP, it has some support in the party too. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said he’s “on board” with Scott’s blueprint and said Republicans need to be thinking about “a universal plan that we need to sell to the American people.”
Scott’s plan is a mixture of fiscal conservatism and the more confrontational style of politics ushered in by former President Donald Trump. Scott wants to treat socialism “as a foreign combatant which aims to destroy our prosperity and freedom” and says the party should “prohibit debt ceiling increases absent a declaration of war.”
He also wants to name the southern border wall after Trump, drawing a gentle reproach from some of his colleagues.
“Completing the border wall and the broader issue with border security is on the top of mind for the American people,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). “What we name it after to me is less relevant than fixing 2 million people coming across the border.”
Because of how the Senate map is shaping up, Scott’s blueprint will only affect a handful of Republicans running for reelection. Just three GOP senators are running in states considered at all competitive: Grassley, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Asked if Scott’s agenda is making his reelection harder, Grassley said “absolutely not.” But he also defended McConnell’s lower-key approach.
“This is just [Scott’s] own personal ideas, and just like Chuck Grassley can express my views, he can express his,” Grassley said. “As a practical matter, you wouldn’t count your chickens before the eggs are hatched … McConnell is putting all of his effort into winning because if we don’t win in November, there isn’t such a thing as a Republican agenda.”
Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.
