Free Republic

TOPLINE Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has asked former President Donald Trump to testify before a grand jury investigating a hush money payment to a porn star in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign, according to the New York Times, in a strong signal that an indictment against the ex-president is near. KEY FACTS It’s not clear if Trump will accept the offer, though it’s rare for prospective defendants to testify, according to the Times report, which cited four unnamed sources “with knowledge of the matter.” The case centers around a $130,000 payment then-Trump fixer Michael Cohen...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on a podcast episode that aired Friday one of his biggest regrets in office was not speaking “much louder” against the Trump Administration’s calls for lockdowns in the early days of the pandemic, with the comments coming just days after former President Donald Trump appeared to label DeSantis “gutless.” DeSantis said on the conservative podcast “Ruthless” he believes Trump Administration officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci “panicked” as Covid-19 quickly spread around the U.S. in March of 2020, leading to calls for lockdowns. Tensions are reportedly growing between Trump and DeSantis, who was one of...

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on Monday, claiming her investigation into his business practices violates his constitutional rights, as the ex-president seeks to stem a growing trend of legal problems. * James has been overseeing a civil investigation into the Trump Organization to determine whether it purposely undervalued properties, according to reports. * James is reportedly set to subpoena Trump, asking him to appear for a deposition on January 7 as part of the investigation. * The suit was filed in federal court for the Northern District of New York,...

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) has been assigned law enforcement protection after receiving death threats over her opposition to the state's election recount, according to multiple reports, as the second full week of the Republican-ordered audit comes to an end. Friday marks two weeks since Arizona started the recount of 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, which was ordered by the GOP-controlled state Senate to determine whether widespread fraud took place in the 2020 presidential election and U.S. Senate race. The ballots are being hand counted, and an audit official earlier this week said at least some...