Connect with us
BMW

Politics

Special counsel obtains thousands of Trump transition emails

Published

on

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian contacts with President Donald Trump’s campaign has gained access to thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his administration, according to several people familiar with Trump’s transition organization.

But the investigators did not directly request the records from Trump’s still-existing transition group, Trump for America, and instead obtained them from the General Services Administration, a separate federal agency that stored the material, according to those familiar with the Trump transition organization.

The tens of thousands of emails in question pertain to 13 senior Trump transition officials. Many of the emails that Mueller’s investigators have now include national security discussions about possible Trump international aims as well as candid assessments of candidates for top government posts, said those familiar with the transition. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the records’ sensitivity.

On Saturday, Kory Langhofer, general counsel for the transition group, sent a letter to two congressional committees arguing that the GSA had improperly provided the transition records to Mueller’s investigators. In the letter to the Republican chairmen of the House Oversight and the Senate Homeland Security committees, Langhofer contends that the disclosure by GSA was “unauthorized,” and it considers the documents private and privileged and not government property.

Langhofer also said that a GSA official appointed by Trump in May had assured the transition in June that any request for records from Mueller’s office would be referred to the transition’s attorneys. According to Langhofer, the assurance was made by then-GSA General Counsel Richard Beckler, who was hospitalized in August and has since died. A copy of the letter was viewed by the AP.

But late Saturday, another GSA official present for the conversation told Buzzfeed News that there was nothing improper about the disclosure of the emails to Mueller’s team. The GSA has provided office space and other aid to presidential transitions in recent years and typically houses electronic transition records in its computer system.

GSA Deputy Counsel Lenny Loewentritt told Buzzfeed that Beckler didn’t make a commitment to the transition team that requests from law enforcement for materials would be routed through transition lawyers.

Loewentritt said the transition was informed that by using government devices, the agency wouldn’t hold back records from law enforcement. Transition officials signed agreements that warn them that materials kept on the government servers are subject to monitoring and auditing, he told Buzzfeed, and there’s no expectation of privacy.

The documents were provided to Mueller’s team by the GSA in September in response to requests from the FBI, but the transition wasn’t informed at the time, according to people familiar with the transition organization. Officials with Trump for America learned last Wednesday that GSA officials had turned over the cache of emails to Mueller’s team.

Late Saturday, Mueller’s spokesman, Peter Carr, said the special counsel’s office has followed the law when it has obtained documents during its investigation.

“When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner’s consent or appropriate criminal process,” Carr said.

Among the officials who used transition email accounts was former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to a count of making false statements to FBI agents in January and is now cooperating with Mueller’s investigation. Flynn was fired by Trump in February for misleading senior administration officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.

It’s unclear how revelatory the email accounts maintained by the GSA will be for Mueller. Several high-level Trump advisers sometimes used other email accounts to communicate about transition issues between Election Day and the inauguration.

Flynn attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment. Jay Sekulow, an attorney on Trump’s personal legal team, referred questions to the transition group. Spokespeople for GSA didn’t immediately respond to AP’s emailed requests for comment.

The media site Axios first reported on the transfer of the emails to Mueller’s team.

Politics

Frost Secures Nearly $12 Million For Key Local Projects in Central Florida

Published

on

FILE-Congressman Maxwell Frost (D, FL-10) speaks at Orlando City Hall to announce a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Justice as part of their Office of Justice Programs Community Violence Intervention Initiative October 9, 2023. Photo: J. Willie David III, Florida National News file photo.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) announced that he has successfully secured nearly $12 million in federal dollars to fund all 15 of his Community Funding Projects requests and deliver millions to support critical projects to improve housing, transportation, and infrastructure across Central Florida.

The funding, which was signed into law by President Biden earlier this month, will soon start being distributed across Central Florida.

Last Spring, Congressman Frost worked closely with local community partners and stakeholders to submit funding proposals for 15 comprehensive projects to support a wide range of efforts from affordable housing to infrastructure and transportation. Some of the landmark projects that will now receive federal dollars thanks to Congressman Frost’s efforts include:
         

  • $4,116,279 million to convert a vacant property in Eatonville into an affordable multi-family housing rental apartment building;
  • $1,709,752 to the City of Orlando to rehabilitate a local community center used for Community Violence Intervention programs to stop gun violence before it happens, and to make major improvements to stormwater management to prevent flooding;
  • $1,641,000 to Orange County to construct a multicultural senior center where folks can congregate and be connected to services in partnership with the Office on Aging, and support transportation and energy efficiency projects;
  • $750,000 to support the construction of quality, affordable small houses for low-income people in Bithlo;

“I came to Congress with a mission to deliver on affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure issues, and to make our communities a better place where everyone can live and thrive, and I am now proud to say that our team is making these goals a reality” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “Central Florida is now set to receive nearly $12 million in federal dollars that will help transform our communities and help grow our local economy. While this $12 million is going to make a world of difference for so many working people and families in the Orlando area – this is only the beginning. My team is ready to secure and bring home even more money to help change Central Florida for the better.

Thanks to Congressman Frost, Central Florida will now receive $11,922,031 to fund the following 15 projects:

  • $4,116,279 for the Town of Eatonville to create a multi-family affordable housing apartment building;
  • $1,000,000 for construction at the Multicultural Senior Center;
  • $750,000 for community center rehabilitation for the Community Violence Intervention Project as part of the City of Orlando;
  • $500,000 for North Independence Lane Expansion for the City of Maitland;
  • $370,000 to provide low-income seniors with high efficiency air conditioning replacement, service, or system upgrades so they can stay in their homes longer;
  • $271,000 for Transportation Mobility Hubs for Orange County Government;
  • $500,000 for a housing rehabilitation and affordability preservation program in the City of Winter Park;
  • $750,000 for the Small House Project at Transformation Village in Bithlo;
  • $850,000 for bus bay reconstruction at LYNX Central Station Bus Terminal;
  • $500,000 for solar technology for bus shelters and shelter refacing for LYNX;
  • $200,000 to purchase and install a thermal energy storage system so Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida can store more food;
  • $400,000 for roof replacements for Meadow Lake Apartments for the Orlando Housing Authority;
  • $500,000 for community center education space for Shalom Orlando;
  • $255,000 for acquisition and rehabilitation of a vacant two-unit complex to create into affordable housing;
  • $959,752 for stormwater management improvements for Haralson Estates.

 

Congressman Frost will soon embark on a Community Project Funding tour across Central Florida to revisit the sites and projects that will soon receive federal funding.

Continue Reading

Politics

Florida’s Jewish Legislative Caucus on Antisemitic Attacks in Broward County

Published

on

Florida’s Jewish Lawmakers Show United Front Over Israel’s Right to Defend Itself
Area Representatives Randy Fine and Jennifer "Rita" Harris are members of the Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus

DAVIE, Fla. – In response to recent events effecting the Jewish community of South Florida, Chair of Florida’s Jewish Legislative Caucus, Representative Michael Gottlieb (D- Davie) issued the following statement:

“The South Florida Jewish community is once again the victim of deliberate and cowardly attacks.  In recent days, an arsonist set fire to a vehicle at the Las Olas Chabad in Fort Lauderdale, and a violent protest erupted at the Jewish Community Center in Davie. We are deeply saddened and angered by these attacks.

These are just a few of the many examples of the rampant antisemitism that Jews face daily. This is why the Jewish caucus remains vigilant in helping to pass legislation defining antisemitism and creating criminal penalties for antisemitic and racist activities. We condemn this and all hate crimes and remain committed to fighting for Jews in the diaspora to be able to live and worship freely.”

###

The Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus

Representative Michael Gottlieb, Chair

Senators

  • Senator Lori Berman
  • Senator Lauren Book
  • Senator Tina Polsky

Representatives

  • Representative Hillary Cassel
  • Representative Randy Fine
  • Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman
  • Representative Rita Harris
  • Representative David Silvers
  • Representative Kelly Skidmore
  • Representative Allison Tant

Continue Reading

Politics

President Joe Biden on the Volkswagen Plant in Tennessee

Published

on

I congratulate the Volkswagen autoworkers in Chattanooga who filed for a union election with the UAW. As one of the world’s largest automakers, many Volkswagen plants internationally are unionized. As the most pro-union president in American history, I believe American workers, too, should have a voice at work. The decision whether to join a union belongs to the workers.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement Ticket Time Machine ad
Advertisement Orlando Regional REALTOR Association logo
Advertisement Parts Pass App
Advertisement Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando
Advertisement
Advertisement African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
Advertisement FNN News en Español
Advertisement Indian American Chamber of Commerce logo
Advertisement Florida Sports Channel

FNN Newsletter

Trending