Month: December 2021

Former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have sued New York Attorney General Letitia James to ask a federal court to halt or limit her office’s ongoing investigations.  The lawsuit from Trump comes on the heels of James’ office seeking to depose Trump as part of its civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization, also seeks to enjoin James’ involvement in any civil or criminal actions against the former President or his company.  James’ office is investigating whether the Trump Organization manipulated the value of its properties, and is also working with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s office on a parallel criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. The two investigations are separate, but some attorneys from James’ office have been designated to work on the criminal investigation, which is ongoing.

Filed in federal court in Northern New York on Monday, the lawsuit accuses James of misconduct, claiming she has abused her investigatory powers to target her political adversaries and advance her career.  The suit states: “Since taking office, she has tirelessly bombarded him, his family and his business, Trump Organization LLC, with unwarranted subpoenas in a bitter crusade to ‘take on’ the President.”   The suit also accuses James of “relentlessly pushing” Vance’s office into a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization. A spokesman for Vance’s office declined to comment.

James responded to the suit in a statement Monday, saying the Trump Organization has repeatedly attempted to delay her office’s investigation into its business dealings. James said in a statement:  “To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”

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The stock market took a hit on Monday as investors began the trading week with fears of the surging Omicron COVID-19 variant and the setback to President Biden’s Build Back Better social spending bill. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down by about 433 points at the end of trading Monday afternoon, while the broader S&P 500 dropped 1.14%. The Nasdaq Composite sagged 1.24%.

Travel, entertainment and retail stocks had some of the greatest losses earlier in the day but bounced back some by closing. The energy sector also took a significant hit as U.S. crude oil prices tumbled 3% to below $69 per barrel as investors worried that new restrictions might cut into energy demand. The sell-off came after the World Health Organization said Omicron cases are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in countries where transmissions are documented. European leaders reacted by imposing new restrictions on Friday and over the weekend.

Analysts blamed some of Monday’s market downturn on Sen. Joe Manchin’s surprise announcement Sunday that he would not support President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion Build Back Better social spending agenda. The measure, with its billion of dollars in economic stimulus spending, is unlikely to pass the Senate.

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Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Sunday he can no longer support President Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Manchin told ‘Fox News Sunday’ that concerns over inflation, the national debt and the COVID-19 pandemic forced his decision, saying “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no on this piece of legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.   In a lengthy statement reiterating those concerns, Manchin said Democrats in Washington “are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face.”

In response, White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement early Sunday afternoon, disputing the senator’s public comments.  Psaki said Manchin’s remarks on Fox “are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances,” adding, “Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework ‘in good faith.’  Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word. The fight for Build Back Better is too important to give up. We will find a way to move forward next year.”

As written and proposed, the Build Back Better plan would pass through special Senate budgetary rebukes requiring a simple majority vote. Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has pushed for bipartisan cooperation in everything the chamber does since he arrived in the Senate in late 2010. In his statement Sunday, Manchin said he will “continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the needs of all Americans and do so in a way that does not risk our nation’s independence, security and way of life.”

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Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker said on Sunday that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Warren and Booker were both on the Senate floor last week for several key votes, including authorizing the Pentagon’s budget for 2022 and increasing the debt limit, which will prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its bills.

Warren tweeted that she tests regularly for COVID-19; she tested negative last week, however, then tested positive on Sunday.  Warren said: “Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.”

Booker shared in a statement that he had experienced mild symptoms on Saturday, and he learned he tested positive on Sunday.  Booker said: “Fortunately, my symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster — I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted.”

The two senators are among the thousands across the country that have tested positive amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The U.S. reported more than 80,000 cases and 250 additional deaths in the past 24 hours.  President Biden is expected to address Americans on Tuesday about the surge of the Omicron variant.

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