Prosecutors on the case of the government documents found at Mar-a-Lago are focusing on two men with close ties to Donald Trump: Kash Patel and Walt Nauta, The New York Times reports. Here’s a little about both men:
Patel is considered a Trump loyalist, and in his last days in the White House, the president elevated him to chief of staff to the acting defense secretary. He also considered appointing Patel as deputy director of the FBI and CIA, but was stopped by objections from more senior members of his administration, including attorney general William Barr, whom the Times reports considered him unqualified for the FBI job.
Patel – who wrote a children’s book about the Steele dossier – was among the Trump surrogates who echoed his claim that he had declassified all the documents found at Mar-a-Lago, but has asserted his fifth amendment right when prosecutors asked him to testify. The Times reports that the government is now trying to get a federal judge to force him to answer their questions.
The second man prosecutors are after is far less well-known, but apparently more cooperative. Nauta was a White House cook who became a valet for Trump, often bringing him the Diet Cokes he is known to spend his days drinking in quantity. The government has obtained surveillance camera footage showing Nauta moving storage boxes out of an area of Mar-a-Lago where the government secrets were thought to be kept, and investigators want to know why that was done. Nauta has spoke to the government at least two times, according to the report, but prosecutors question if he is being fully candid with them.
Key events
House progressives walk back Ukraine letter
Progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives who signed onto a letter urging president Joe Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to end the war in Ukraine appear to be reversing themselves less than a day after it was released.
The letter, which also asks the Biden administration to continue supporting Kyiv economically and militarily, was sent a week after Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, said some members of his party might resist further support to Ukraine if they win a majority in the chamber following the 8 November elections.
Some Democrats say the letter signed by 30 progressive lawmakers gives the appearance that Washington is wavering in its fight against Russia. Here’s how congressman Jake Auchincloss put it:
This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who’s losing his war.
Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind @JoeBidens effective strategy, including tighter – not weaker! – sanctions. https://t.co/3ymk7gwGM5
— Jake Auchincloss (@JakeAuch) October 25, 2022
Today, Democratic congresswoman Sara Jacobs said she signed the letter over the summer, but wouldn’t do so now:
Timing in diplomacy is everything.
I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I wouldn’t sign it today.
We have to continue supporting Ukraine economically and militarily to give them the leverage they need to end this war. https://t.co/jEJlTK1hJI
— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) October 25, 2022
Mark Pocan said he was unaware of the reason for the delay in sending the letter, and said he signed it as a response to people who were “banging war drums.”
Hear you. First, this was written in July & I have no idea why it went out now. Bad timing. Second, it was trying to get to a cease-fire & diplomacy as others were banging war drums, not criticizing Biden. Third, I’ve supported the efforts & will continue. Over analyzed by some.
— Mark Pocan (@MarkPocan) October 25, 2022
Signatory Mark Takano didn’t comment on the letter, but put out a statement reaffirming his support for aid to Ukraine:
The January 6 committee is continuing its work behind the scenes, and The New York Times has details on the latest interview lawmakers scheduled with a former official in the Trump administration.
Hope Hicks, who was one of Trump’s longest serving aides during his time in office, will speak to the bipartisan panel, the Times reports:
New: Hope Hicks, a former top Trump White House aide, is scheduled to sit for a transcribed interview with the House Jan. 6 committee today, per person familiar
— Luke Broadwater☀️ (@lukebroadwater) October 25, 2022
The January 6 committee held what is expected to be its last public hearing earlier this month, where it voted to subpoena testimony from Trump. The ex-president has not yet said if he will comply with the subpoena. The committee is also expected to release a report on the Capitol insurrection before the end of the year.
Democrats have a tenuous lead in voters’ preference for control of Congress in the 8 November midterms, while Republicans are seeing a jump in enthusiasm, polling firm Morning Consult reports.
The 48% preference for Democrats on the generic ballot against 45% for the GOP may seem like good news for Joe Biden’s party, but it’s down from a five-point spread earlier this month, and seems to confirm that Democrats may have hit a peak a month out from the election.
Meanwhile, Republican voter enthusiasm has jumped 13 points over the past month, again giving them an edge over Democrats:
The firm also found the share of voters naming the economy as their top concern has risen even higher over the past month, with more respondents hearing bad things about where it is heading. That’s ominous for Democrats, whom polls show have struggled to convince voters of their plans to fight inflation.
Nevada is the site of a Senate race expected to be a squeaker, with Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto facing a tough challenge from Republican Adam Laxalt.
While other surveys have lately shown Laxalt with a slight advantage in a very close race, a new poll from the Phillips Academy today gives Cortez Masto the advantage – but warns her lead is within its margin of error:
The GOP needs to gain only one seat in the Senate to regain control, assuming Democrats aren’t able to win any of the races viewed as opportunities to expand their majority, such as in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
We’re 13 days from the midterms and Democratic big shots are stepping up to sway races nationwide, including perhaps the biggest of them all, Barack Obama.
He’s out with an ad for Maryland’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore, who is not exactly struggling in his campaign against Republican Dan Cox:
If elected, Moore would replace governor Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican who has led the reliably blue state since 2015. He’s unable to run again due to term limits.
Former defense secretary Ash Carter dies at 68
Ash Carter, who served as US defense secretary under Barack Obama and helped guide the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, died yesterday at the age of 68, Reuters reports.
He suffered a “sudden cardiac event” on Monday evening, according to Reuters, which cited a statement from his family.
Carter was most recently the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
“This loss is so sudden and so devastating,” the school’s dean Douglas W. Elmendorf said in a statement this morning. “My heart goes out to Ash’s wife Stephanie and to all of Ash’s family. Our thoughts and sympathies are also with everyone who knew Ash, learned from him, and worked with him.”
White House condemns Russia’s detention of Brittney Griner in ‘intolerable circumstances’
The Biden administration has decried Russia’s continued jailing of WNBA star Brittney Griner after a court today turned down an appeal of her nine-year jail sentence.
Reuters reports that Griner hoped to have her sentence for possessing and smuggling cannabis vape cartridges reduced, or to be acquitted in today’s hearing. She was arrested days before Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, and her case has been seen in the context of the wider deterioration in relations between Russia and the United States that followed.
Here’s the full statement from White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan:
We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today. President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately. In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan. The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world. The Administration remains in regular touch with representatives of the families, and we continue to admire their courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances.
Prosecutors on the case of the government documents found at Mar-a-Lago are focusing on two men with close ties to Donald Trump: Kash Patel and Walt Nauta, The New York Times reports. Here’s a little about both men:
Patel is considered a Trump loyalist, and in his last days in the White House, the president elevated him to chief of staff to the acting defense secretary. He also considered appointing Patel as deputy director of the FBI and CIA, but was stopped by objections from more senior members of his administration, including attorney general William Barr, whom the Times reports considered him unqualified for the FBI job.
Patel – who wrote a children’s book about the Steele dossier – was among the Trump surrogates who echoed his claim that he had declassified all the documents found at Mar-a-Lago, but has asserted his fifth amendment right when prosecutors asked him to testify. The Times reports that the government is now trying to get a federal judge to force him to answer their questions.
The second man prosecutors are after is far less well-known, but apparently more cooperative. Nauta was a White House cook who became a valet for Trump, often bringing him the Diet Cokes he is known to spend his days drinking in quantity. The government has obtained surveillance camera footage showing Nauta moving storage boxes out of an area of Mar-a-Lago where the government secrets were thought to be kept, and investigators want to know why that was done. Nauta has spoke to the government at least two times, according to the report, but prosecutors question if he is being fully candid with them.
Investigators tighten screws on Trump aides as they seek answers in Mar-a-Lago investigation
Good morning, US politics blog readers. The steady drip of details about the investigation into government secrets found at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort continues, with the New York Times reporting yesterday that prosecutors are pressuring two aides to the former president for more information about how documents were handled at the south Florida property. There’s no saying yet what the revelation means, but it makes clear how many avenues investigators are pursuing as they look for answers about sensitive documents Trump took with him when he left the White House.
Here’s what’s happening in politics today:
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Joe Biden will speak about America’s fight against Covid-19 at 2.05pm eastern time.
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There’s a slew of debates between candidates standing in the 8 November midterm elections, including Pennsylvania’s Senate candidates Mehmet Oz, a Republican, and John Fetterman, a Democrat, who face off at 8pm eastern time.
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Progressive Democrats appear to be walking back a letter sent to Biden yesterday urging more diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.
