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Trump Documents Trial May Put Resort Workers On Witness Stand, Sources Say

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1 year ago

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TRUMP TRIAL: According to multiple people familiar with the investigation, federal prosecutors may call Mar-a-Lago staffers and contract workers to testify against former President Donald Trump and his two co-defendants at their upcoming criminal trial in Florida.

CNN has compiled a detailed picture of how prosecutors are building their case against Trump for mishandling secret documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago.

While some witnesses who may be called to testify are from Trump’s inner circle, including his business career, political campaign, and time in the White House, other potential witnesses, according to the sources, are the types of workers whom Mar-a-Lago’s wealthy guests rarely notice.

According to the sources, other likely witnesses include:

  • Trump Secret Service agents.
  • Former intelligence officials.
  • Others were in the room with Trump when he was heard on multiple audio recordings referring to a military document regarding potential preparations to destroy Iran.

However, if summoned to testify, the low-level personnel who were the eyes and ears of Mar-a-Lago might provide the public with new insights into the elite club and Trump’s approach to sensitive national security intelligence after leaving office. Some are still working at Mar-a-Lago.

Following the publication of this report, Trump commented on social media, confirming that several people saw papers and boxes at Mar-a-Lago.

“Of course they did!” says the author. They could be the boxes and other items openly and visibly brought from the White House, as is my right under the Presidential Records Act.”

The Presidential Records Act states unequivocally that White House records about government activity are public property and must be handed to the National Archives when the president and vice president leave office.

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Trump Documents Trial May Put Resort Workers On Witness Stand, Sources SayTrump Documents Trial May Put Resort Workers On Witness Stand, Sources Say

The trial is scheduled to begin in May in Florida, far before the 2024 presidential election. However, Aileen Cannon, the federal judge presiding over the case, is considering postponing the trial until after the election, thus hiding details about Trump’s behavior until voters go to the polls.

Overall, prosecutors might use these witnesses to demonstrate to a jury the free-wheeling environment that Trump presided over after leaving the White House. The possible witnesses have already provided detailed information to federal investigators regarding the level of security at the Mar-a-Lago resort, including how boxes of documents were stored and if they were visible or accessible to visitors.

The special counsel’s office declined to comment for this article. Trump’s spokespeople waited to react to CNN’s request for comment.

Some witnesses told investigators that what they observed at Mar-a-Lago piqued their interest and appeared strange, out of place, or potentially suspicious.

According to three sources who spoke with CNN about what he told investigators, a woodworker from South Florida put crown molding in Trump’s bedroom in February 2022 and saw documents. While the stack of papers he saw was classified, the craftsman wasn’t sure what he had seen strewn about the site.

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Trump Documents Trial May Put Resort Workers On Witness Stand, Sources SayTrump Documents Trial May Put Resort Workers On Witness Stand, Sources Say

“He thinks he saw things, doesn’t know what they were – he eventually told investigators he thought what he saw may have been a movie prop,” a source involved with the investigation said.

According to the sources, prospective witnesses include:

  • A maid who cleaned Trump’s suite.
  • A plumber who has worked at the property several days a week for years.
  • Numerous other maintenance workers.

According to sources acquainted with the inquiry, some workers may not be called as witnesses by prosecutors trying the case and may not have even spotted boxes or documents around the property.

Nonetheless, prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith stated in their June indictment of Trump that lax security once visitors entered the Mar-a-Lago compound is an issue they expect to bring up in front of a jury.

According to the indictment, “Mar-a-Lago was an active social club that hosted events for tens of thousands of members and guests between January 2021 and August 2022,” including movie premieres, weddings, and fundraisers.

According to one source, police questioned a driver about wealthy businesspeople, including foreigners, who had visited the club as VIP guests. The chauffeur, for example, detailed transporting Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, who could be summoned as a witness.

Pratt paid Trump a visit at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left office, and the former president revealed secret information about US nuclear submarines with Pratt, according to two people. ABC News previously reported on this detail. This is not one of the incidents in which Trump has been charged with mishandling national security material.

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CNN has contacted Pratt’s representative.

A bustling nightclub

Prosecutors claimed in their June indictment that Mar-a-Lago had 25 guest rooms, two ballrooms, a spa, a gift shop, offices, pool, and fitness facilities. More than 150 employees, ranging from temporary to full-time, milled about.

Witness evidence at the trial is sure to bring that scenario to life.

Prosecutors claim that after January 2021, the club was no longer a place where sensitive materials could be legitimately stored, owned, read, displayed, or discussed, making the presence of those without security clearances a risk to national security.

Trump is accused of mishandling 32 national security records, the majority of which are classified, that he maintained after leaving office, primarily in boxes at Mar-a-Lago. He is also accused of conspiring with his co-defendants – Walt Nauta, his bodyguard, and Carlos De Oliveira, the club’s valet turned property manager – to conceal part of the boxes from the federal government and destroy security footage of the boxes being transported.

Prosecutors have publicly mentioned a few potential witnesses in recent court sessions, including a receptionist at the club, the head of maintenance, and a personal aide to Trump.

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The social network of Mar-a-Lago

Some of the persons named by CNN as possible witnesses are long-term Trump property employees who live in South Florida and learned about the Trump staff’ concentration on attempting to remove the security film through word-of-mouth.

Many past and present club employees are still in regular communication, and they relayed word about the FBI search of the resort in August 2022 to one another. Previously, federal agents had approached several of them for preliminary interviews. Some of them agreed to extra interviews with prosecutors and testified in front of a grand jury.

Jim Trusty, an attorney who stopped representing the former president in the documents case after Trump was indicted, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” Thursday that the Justice Department and the FBI “aggressively” intimidated a lot of “salt of the earth, good people, hard-working people down in the Mar-a-Lago scene.”

“It’s the kind of thing where, Kaitlan, you could drive by Mar-a-Lago, go to the beach and get a subpoena,” Trusty told me.

The federal investigation into the Mar-a-Lago payroll enraged the former president, who spends his winters in Florida and frequently poses for photos with club guests. When the maid who cleans Trump’s bedroom suite was requested to talk with investigators, for example, Trump’s answer was “ballistic,” according to a CNN source.

According to two people who talked to CNN, one important witness, Yuscil Taveras, only recently left his position as the club’s director of IT as the start of South Florida’s winter season approached. Taveras is designated in the indictment as “Trump Employee 4,” and it was publicly stated that prosecutors offered him a favorable deal in exchange for his cooperation.

However, Trump had no idea Taveras had remained to work at the club after his divorce from a Trump-provided lawyer this summer, and the former president was upset to learn of his ongoing employment, according to the sources.

Taveras’ attorney declined to comment.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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Trudeau Accelerates Bond Selloff Over Mass Spending Fears

Published

2 days ago

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2024-11-23

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Trudeau, Bond Market
Trudeau accelerated a bond selloff due to expectations of faster growth and a deeper deficit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accelerated bond selloffs, citing fears of a larger deficit over his GST giveaway. Investors were concerned he was returning to his free-spending strategy as an election loom.

On Thursday, Trudeau unveiled a C$6.3 billion ($4.5 billion) tax relief and rebate program. It includes a two-month moratorium on federal sales tax on various commodities such as Christmas trees, wine, toys, and books and a C$250 check for almost 19 million Canadians, or over half of the population.

The declaration looked to mark the end of a brief period of fiscal restraint, as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland committed to contain budget deficits to prevent stoking inflationary pressures.

Now that inflation has returned to the Bank of Canada’s 2% target, policymakers have reduced the benchmark interest rate by 125 basis points since June.

Trudeau’s Liberal government sees an opportunity to dig deeper into the public purse, but some analysts believe investors are keeping a careful eye on the country’s debt.

Bonds continued to fall on Thursday following the announcement, as the 10-year benchmark yield rose 7 basis points to 3.457%. After retail data showed a rise in consumer spending on Friday, it increased by up to 3.488%.

As the Trudeau government considers additional fiscal spending, concerns about Canada’s financial situation persist.

Budget Shortfall

Freeland has yet to publish final spending and income figures for the fiscal year that ended in October. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux predicts a deficit of C$46.8 billion, much exceeding Freeland’s self-imposed aim of a C$40 billion shortfall.

Despite promises to reduce deficits, the Trudeau government continues to increase expenditure. This year’s budget includes a new capital gains tax inclusion rate to balance the cost of new housing and social initiatives.

This sparked anger from investors and entrepreneurs but allowed Freeland to present a consistent deficit despite significant spending.

The recent declaration indicates that Trudeau’s government no longer feels restrained in its capacity to use economic stimulus to restore favor.

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have led most surveys by roughly 20 points for over a year. They have pounded the prime minister on affordability and promised to reduce taxes, especially income taxes. An election is expected in late October 2025.

The sales tax break will run from December 14 to February 15. The left-wing New Democratic Party intends to support it but has stated that it will continue to advocate for its permanent implementation and expansion to include additional items.

Let the Bankers Worry

Following Trudeau’s announcement, traders in overnight swap markets reduced their bets that the Bank of Canada will drop interest rates by 50 basis points for the second time in December, lowering the odds to fewer than 25% by the end of Thursday. As of late Friday morning, the odds were less than 17%.

The announcement also encouraged several experts to improve their short-term projections for Canada’s GDP. Analysts at the Bank of Montreal predict that the country’s GDP will increase at a 2.5% annualized rate in the first three months of 2025, up from 1.7%.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trudeau praised his government’s approach to program expenditure, claiming it fosters optimism and possibilities for families and the middle class.

“We’re focusing on Canadians. “Let the bankers worry about the economy,” Trudeau stated.

Related:

Canada’s Budgetary Watchdog Warns Over Trudeau’s Spending

Canada’s Budgetary Watchdog Warns Over Trudeau’s Spending

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Forced Sale Google Chrome Could Fetch $20 Billion

Published

3 days ago

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2024-11-21

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Sale Google Chrome

Antitrust officials in the US could force the sale of Google’s Chrome browser for up to $20 billion, demonstrating the tremendous worth of the world’s most popular web browser.

Bloomberg Intelligence attributes Chrome’s projected worth to its more than 3 billion monthly active users. The US Department of Justice is preparing to request a federal judge order the browser’s separation from Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Chrome’s worth comes from its overwhelming 61% market share and its crucial role in Google’s advertising ecosystem. User data enables businesses to better target adverts, and the browser also acts as an important distribution mechanism for Google’s AI technologies.

Industry analysts think it may be difficult to find a suitable buyer. While tech behemoths like Amazon could finance the purchase, they would likely face regulatory scrutiny.

AI businesses, such as OpenAI, may emerge as more viable contenders. They could potentially leverage Chrome to broaden their reach and develop an advertising business.

“It’s not directly monetizable,” one analyst told Bloomberg. “It functions as a gateway to other things. It’s unclear how you would assess that in terms of pure revenue generation.”

Google opposes prospective sales, claiming that they will hamper innovation. The firm does not break out Chrome’s revenue individually in its financial filings, even though the browser’s user data plays an important part in the company’s principal revenue stream, advertising.

The DOJ’s suggestion follows Judge Amit Mehta’s August decision that Google had illegally monopolized the search industry. The judge will consider the recommended remedies at a two-week hearing in April 2024, with a final judgment due in August 2025.

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Appeals Court Delays Order For Google To Open Its App Store In Antitrust Case

Appeals Court Delays Order For Google To Open Its App Store In Antitrust Case

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Bitcoin Has Set a New Record And Is Approaching $100,000.

Published

4 days ago

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2024-11-21

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Bitcoin

(VOR News) – Bitcoin broke beyond the $98,000 mark for the first time on Thursday as investors awaited Donald Trump’s second term as president. All of this happened during the day. As such, cryptocurrency has reached a significant turning point.

According to Coin Metrics, the top cryptocurrency was trading at $97,541.61 during the most recent trading session. Merchants provided this information. This suggests a price gain of more than three percent during the previous trading session.

When the period began, Bitcoin peaked at $98,367.00.

During the premarket trading session, MicroStrategy, a platform that facilitates cryptocurrency foreign exchange trading and serves as a bitcoin proxy, saw a 13% gain. Coinbase, on the other hand, had a 2% rise during that period. Furthermore, all of these increases occurred simultaneously.

The market value of Mara Holdings increased by 9%, which helped raise the valuation of mining companies overall. This was among the factors that led to the total rise.

Because of the widespread belief that President Trump will usher in a new era of prosperity for cryptocurrencies, one marked by more favorable laws and the possible creation of a national strategic bitcoin reserve, the price of Bitcoin has been rising steadily this month.

The most recent change brought about by the increase was the consequence of higher financing rates and more open interest in the futures market during Asian trading hours. The rise was the catalyst for this change. This action was prompted by the ensuing rush.

Throughout its lifespan, this legislation was the catalyst for this change for a variety of reasons. At the same time, spot market premiums decreased, according to CryptoQuant statistics. All of this happened at the same time.

Furthermore, a number of short liquidations have been sparked by the recent spikes in Bitcoin’s price, which has caused the price to rise overnight. As a result, the price has gone up much more. As a result, the total number of short liquidations has increased.

According to CoinGlass, these liquidations have effectively produced more than $88 million in capital during the last 24 hours.

Rob Ginsberg, an analyst at Wolfe Research, noted in a study released on Wednesday that “historically, following previous movements of this magnitude, Bitcoin has either entered a consolidation phase or disregarded the overbought condition as investors accumulate.” This phrase relates to the fact that this particular move has happened before.

Ginsberg stated this in reference to the evolution of Bitcoin over time.

Ginsberg’s answer makes reference to Bitcoin’s propensity to go through a period of consolidation. The comment also made reference to this.

He said, “Considering we are emerging from an extended consolidation phase and the price has reached a new high, it suggests that the pursuit is underway.”

The crucial psychological milestone of $100,000 is expected to be reached in the upcoming weeks, and this breakthrough could happen as early as Thursday. It seems likely that this level will be reached. There is a chance that this new development will take place.

This task will be carried out against the backdrop of this historical era. In addition, if Trump were to win a second term, federal budget deficits would increase, inflation would likely increase, and the dollar’s position in international affairs would change.

The administration that Trump would run during his presidency would be responsible for these consequences. All of these characteristics would positively impact the value of Bitcoin as a currency if they were taken into account in the order that they are presented.

The price of bitcoin had risen by more than 130% by the beginning of 2024.

SOUREC: CNBC

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