Politics
Giuliani brags about forcing out Trump’s Ukraine ambassador
Published
7 years agoon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, is now openly admitting that he pushed President Donald Trump to dismiss the former ambassador to Ukraine — a key factor in the Democrats’ impeachment case against his boss.
In a series of interviews ahead of Wednesday’s historic impeachment vote by the House of Representatives, Giuliani bragged that he “forced” out Marie Yovanovitch and provided the president with information allegedly showing that she impeded investigations that could have benefited Trump politically.
Within weeks, she was recalled from her post.
The admission from Giuliani, who does not work for the U.S. government, is the latest example of his highly unusual meddling in official diplomatic channels. It also underscores his ongoing efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals — the very pressure campaign the House is poised to impeach Trump for later this week.
“I forced her out because she’s corrupt,” Giuliani said in an interview with Fox News late Monday, offering his most unabashed claims of responsibility yet.
Yovanovitch, a respected career diplomat, had been pressing the Ukrainian government to address long-standing concerns by the U.S and others about corruption.
Giuliani’s comments come as Trump is facing near-certain impeachment by the House for abuse of power over his administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations, including one into former vice president and 2020 candidate Joe Biden and his son’s dealings in Ukraine. The push came as Trump’s administration was withholding crucial security aid from the Eastern European nation that was needed to counter Russian aggression.
Trump maintains he did nothing wrong.
As part of his ongoing campaign on Trump’s behalf, Giuliani recently traveled to Kyiv, Budapest and Vienna to gather additional evidence he claims bolsters debunked theories. All the while, Republicans in Congress have largely turned a blind eye to Giuliani’s efforts. And White House officials, long weary of Giuliani’s influence with the president, have tried to tread carefully, distancing themselves from the former New York City mayor without openly criticizing him.
In an interview with The New York Times on Monday evening, Giuliani portrayed himself as directly involved in the effort to oust Yovanovitch. He said he’d passed information to Trump “a couple of times” allegedly showing that Yovanovitch was impeding investigations in Ukraine that could benefit Trump politically, including the push to have Ukraine investigate the Biden family and other Democrats.
Trump, in turn, passed the information on to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to Giuliani. Within weeks, Yovanovitch was told Trump had lost trust in her and was recalled to the U.S.
Giuliani said Trump and Pompeo had “relied on” his information as they considered Yovanovitch’s future, including a charge that she blocked visas for Ukrainian prosecutors to come to the United States to present evidence that Giuliani claimed could be damaging to Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
“I just gave them the facts,” Giuliani said. “I mean, did I think she should be recalled? I thought she should have been fired. If I was attorney general, I would have kicked her out. I mean — secretary of state.”
Testimony in the Trump impeachment inquiry has shown accusations against Yovanovitch were either unsubstantiated or taken out of context.
Yet Giuliani continued to press his case in an article published by The New Yorker on Monday.
“I believed that I needed Yovanovitch out of the way,” he told the magazine. “She was going to make the investigations difficult for everybody.
On Fox, Giuliani further claimed that Yovanovitch “committed perjury” when she testified that she turned down a prosecutor’s visa requests because he was corrupt.
Giuliani claimed he had witnesses “who will testify that she personally turned down their visas because they were going to come here and give evidence either against Biden or against the Democratic Party. ”
“She should have been fired if the State Department weren’t part of the deep state,” he said.
Giuliani continued to press his case on Twitter on Tuesday, insisting that, “Yovanovitch needed to be removed for many reasons most critical she was denying visas to Ukrainians who wanted to come to US and explain Dem corruption in Ukraine.”
“She was OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE and that’s not the only thing she was doing. She at minimum enabled Ukrainian collusion,” he wrote. There is no evidence to support those claims.
Yovanovitch, testifying in October in defiance of Trump, described a “concerted campaign” against her based on “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.”
Trump and Giuliani have been pushing the conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, even though U.S. intelligence agencies have blamed Russia, not Ukraine.
At the White House, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway sidestepped questions about whether Giuliani was helping or hurting the president, telling reporters: “He’s been his personal attorney, I assume he still is.”
Nonetheless, she said she gets “a little tired of people … not showing the former mayor of New York the respect he deserves for bringing this country through our darkest darkest days after 9/11 and being a fantastic mayor there.”
Asked whether he was comfortable with Giuliani’s comments, Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, stressed on MSNBC that Giuliani is the president’s “personal attorney.”
“He’s not a part of this administration, and I think that that’s a conversation between Rudy and the president,” he said.
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Politics
Vice President JD Vance to Visit Milwaukee, Discuss Trump Administration’s Anti-Fraud Efforts
Published
8 hours agoon
July 6, 2026WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — Vice President JD Vance will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, where he is scheduled to deliver remarks on the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud, according to a White House press release.
Politics
Five Charged in Florida EBT Fraud Case; Two Illegal Aliens Among Defendants, Attorney General Says
Published
8 hours agoon
July 6, 2026TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — James Uthmeier announced today that five individuals have been charged in connection with an organized scheme to defraud Florida’s public assistance program by using stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card information and personal identifying information (PII) to obtain taxpayer-funded benefits.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the investigation was conducted by the Orlando Police Department and involves an alleged fraud operation that spanned Orange County and Seminole County.
“Florida is not going to tolerate organized schemes that steal taxpayer-funded benefits intended for Florida families,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
“We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to identify every individual connected to this scheme and hold them accountable.”
Investigation Details
Investigators allege the defendants used stolen personal identifying information and EBT card data belonging to numerous victims to purchase high-resale merchandise, including:
- Monster energy drinks
- Red Bull energy drinks
- Coffee
- Bottled water
- Other retail goods
Authorities allege the merchandise was later resold for cash, diverting taxpayer-funded nutritional assistance intended for eligible Florida families.
Defendants Charged
The five defendants are:
- Carlos Ruben Gomez Jimenez
- Maite Lazara Mesa Labrada
- Carlos Luis Diaz Jimenez
- Enrique Gonzalez
- Luis Gonzalez Dominguez
According to the Attorney General’s Office, immigration records indicate that Gomez Jimenez and Mesa Labrada entered the United States unlawfully in 2024.
Criminal Charges
All five defendants are charged with:
- Organized Scheme to Defraud (less than $20,000)
- Public Assistance Fraud ($200 or more but less than $20,000)
Additional charges include:
- Gomez Jimenez, Mesa Labrada and Diaz Jimenez are charged with Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information involving EBT accounts belonging to 10 or more individuals.
- Dominguez is charged with Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information.
- Diaz Jimenez and Enrique Gonzalez are also charged with Dealing in Stolen Property.
Potential Sentences
According to prosecutors:
- Carlos Luis Diaz Jimenez faces up to 40 years in prison.
- Carlos Ruben Gomez Jimenez, Maite Lazara Mesa Labrada and Enrique Gonzalez each face up to 25 years in prison.
- Luis Gonzalez Dominguez faces up to 15 years in prison.
Additionally, Gomez Jimenez, Mesa Labrada and Diaz Jimenez face mandatory minimum sentences of three years if convicted of Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information involving 10 or more victims.
Investigation Remains Active
The Attorney General’s Office said the investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional arrests or charges may be filed as investigators continue to identify others connected to the alleged fraud scheme.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel for Public Assistance Fraud Scott Strauss in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
Central Florida News
Orange County Commission District 3 Lawsuit Set for July 10 Hearing, Candidate Randy Ross Says
Published
9 hours agoon
July 6, 2026Florida National News learned of the July 10 court date following a press conference held by Ross and later received a news release from his campaign announcing the scheduled hearing.
Lawsuit Challenges Election Process
Ross filed the lawsuit after challenging the application of Florida’s resign-to-run law following Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe’s decision to seek another elected office.
“This lawsuit has never been about me,” Ross said. “It has always been about the right of District 3 residents to elect their own County Commissioner. On Friday, the people finally get their day in court.”
Ross: ‘The Law Matters’
Ross said his legal challenge is focused on ensuring election laws are applied consistently.
“While others relied on politics, assumptions and opinion, I relied on one thing … the law,” Ross said. “If we expect our citizens to follow the law, then government must follow it too. There cannot be one set of rules for politicians and another for everyone else.”
Concerns Over Election Accountability
Ross said the case raises broader questions about accountability and public confidence in Orange County’s election process.
“Candidates place their trust in our election officials to provide competent, accurate guidance,” Ross said. “Voters deserve confidence that elections are conducted according to Florida law … not political convenience. When government gets it wrong, someone has to stand up. I chose to do exactly that.”
Campaign Message
Ross, a longtime Orange County resident and community leader, said the lawsuit reflects the type of leadership he would bring to the County Commission.
“I don’t back down from difficult fights. I don’t accept government incompetence. And I don’t believe taxpayers or voters should pay the price when public officials fail to do their jobs.”
He also pledged to provide a public update immediately following Friday’s hearing.
“I welcome this opportunity because facts matter. The law matters. Most importantly, the voices of District 3 voters matter. This isn’t about politics … it is about protecting the integrity of our elections and ensuring the people, not government bureaucracy, decide who represents them.”
The hearing is scheduled for Friday, July 10, 2026. The court’s ruling will determine the legal issues presented in the case. The allegations and legal arguments discussed are those advanced by the plaintiff and remain subject to judicial review.
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