Monthly Archives: May 2022

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

Last December, when Donald Trump talked former U.S. senator David Perdue into challenging his bitter enemy, Georgia governor Brian Kemp, in the states May 24 Republican primary, it initially looked like a political coup for the ex-president. Perdue had high name ID, demonstrated fundraising chops, and a persuasive argument that only he could heal divisions among Georgia Republicans over Trumps efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss. Reuniting Republicans was a crucial task, as the winner of the gubernatorial primary would likely face Democratic star Stacey Abrams in the general election.

Now, days ahead of Tuesdays primary, Perdue is limping to the finish line in such poor shape that Trump is reportedly writing him off, as NBC News reports:

Even the man who recruited Perdue to run against Kemp former President Donald Trump seems to have given his campaign up for dead, said three Republicans who have spoken to Trump. They say Trump has groused about what he believes is a lackluster campaign effort from Perdue.

Trump isnt planning to make any more personal appearances in Georgia in Perdues behalf, having sunk enough of his own political capital in a race that looks like a lost cause, said a fourth source, a person close to the former president.

Trump has denied these reports, insisting on Truth Social, I am with David all the way because Brian Kemp was the WORST Governor in the Country on Election Integrity! But any pessimism the former president is privately expressing seems rational. Its looking so bad for Perdue that the once-formidable senator is trying to lower expectations himself:

Perdue is understandably upset by a new Fox News poll showing him trailing Kemp 60-28. Whatever you think of that particular survey, it confirms a pro-Kemp trend that has been steadily building for months, reinforced by a big financial advantage. The incumbent has convinced an awful lot of MAGA voters that his disagreements with the ex-president over the 2020 election are less important than his solidly right-wing record, his adroit manipulation of gubernatorial powers (he recently suspended collection of state gasoline taxes, a crowd-pleasing move if ever there was one), and the nasty, ruthless streak he showed in edging out Abrams in 2018.

The governors race isnt the only potential source of bad news for Trump in Georgia on Tuesday. He endorsed ten candidates in the primary up and down the ballot in an attempted show of force. But he probably intervened in the primaries for attorney general and for insurance commissioner too late for his little-known candidates to topple incumbents. And his endorsement of party-switching former Democrat Vernon Jones in the Tenth Congressional District is looking iffy. Jones is struggling to make a runoff against front-runner Mike Collins, a trucking executive who drives a big rig around the campaign trail emblazoned with the legend: TRUMP AGENDA.

Aside from Perdues near-certain loss, the biggest blow to the 45th presidents ego and perceived power could come in the secretary of State primary. Incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who, if possible, exceeds Kemp as a target of Trumps ire, is running a strong race for renomination. Raffensperger certified Bidens 2020 Georgia win, and when Trump attacked him for blocking his efforts to reverse the results, he released a tape of the then-president asking him to find enough votes to flip Georgia. This move exposed Trump to possible criminal prosecution in Atlanta. Unlike Kemp, who has largely ignored all the attacks from Mar-a-Lago, Raffensperger has been loud and proud about his defiance of demands to steal the election for Trump. The early assumption was that once Trump recruited a sitting congressman, Jody Hice, to take down the secretary of State, hed fall hard. But Raffensperger has shrewdly used his personal wealth to run ads depicting himself as a champion of Georgias controversial new election law and as the archenemy of Stacy Abrams. Hice, meanwhile, has struggled with fundraising and seems to be saving his dough for an August runoff (a calculated risk based on two other minor candidates being in the primary field). If Raffensperger wins on May 24, Trump and Hice will have no one but themselves to blame.

Even if everything else goes south in Georgia on May 24 for Trump, his silver lining will be his longtime personal friend, the football legend Herschel Walker, who is expected to win the U.S. Senate GOP primary handily without a runoff. One primary opponent, longtime Agriculture commissioner Gary Black, has tried to gain traction with harsh attacks on Walkers background (including incidents of alleged domestic abuse related to Walkers admitted history of mental illness). All Walkers Republican rivals have accomplished in the race is to inadvertently dig up some dirt for Walkers general-election opponent, Senator Raphael Warnock. The incumbent has been quietly putting together a record-setting stash of contributions for what could be an epic general-election battle between two celebrity politicians.

Warnock and Abrams have no primary opposition. All the action in the Republican primaries has led to strong early voting (most of it in person), some of it provided by Democrats (an estimated 7 percent of GOP turnout) who in this open-primary state want to vote against Trumps candidates or help pick a general-election loser. But theres also a lot of optimism among Republicans that the midterm election dynamics can help them reverse their shocking 2020 losses in the recently reliable red state. One factor heading toward the general election will be whether Trump can overcome his pique over Perdues (and possibly Hices) impending defeat and join the party fight against Warnock and Abrams. In Georgia, the former presidents self-absorption was widely blamed for the losses by Perdue and his fellow incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, in the January 5, 2021, general-election runoff that gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. Democrats hope and Republicans fear an angry former president could sabotage his party again.

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Trump Faces More Humiliation in Georgia Republican Primary - New York Magazine

TULSA Donald Trump, former president of the United States and golf nut, said in a phone interview on Wednesday night that he will not be watching the 104th PGA Championship, which began here on Thursday at the historic Southern Hills Country Club, site of seven previous major championships.

I wont be watching it, no, Trump told me in a phone interview. I will not watch it. The only thing I like about it is that I love Oklahoma where, as you pointed out brilliantly, I have won 77 outta 77 counties. But I will not be watching it. No.

Trump was referring to a long piece I wrote, which originally appeared on FirePitCollective.com on Monday, that seeks to explain why the PGA of America moved this years tournament from Trump Bedminster to Southern Hills in the wake of the Jan. 6 lethal violence at the U.S. Capitol and the threat to American democracy and ideals it represented.

Throughout the interview, which came with no advance notice, Trump sounded relaxed and upbeat and much as he did before he entered politics. I had not talked to him in about seven years. Prior to that, I had interviewed him often over a 15-year period as he went on a golf-course buying spree. On Wednesday he said something that he has said many times before: I only do great. Im very good at property.

Trump watches a lot of golf on TV but his decision not to watch this years PGA Championship is an informal act of protest. For more than six years, Trump looked forward to being the host this week. The 2022 PGA Championship would have been the first time any of his 25 or so courses had been used for one of the four major mens events. Anybody who knows Trump as a golf entrepreneur knows the intense wooing he has done in an attempt to achieve that goal. He was finally rewarded on April 30, 2014, when the PGA of America announced that Trumps course in Bedminster, N.J., would be the venue for the 2022 PGA Championship. He had his major, the first of many, he hoped. Even after Trumps defeat in the 2020 presidential election, the PGA was something he eagerly anticipated.

And then came the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. To say they impacted the professional golf schedule is beyond trite but they did. Trump said he heard about the PGAs decision from his son Eric, who runs the golf business of the Trump Organization. My son, whos a great guy, called, Trump said. My son said, Dad, theyre canceling the PGA Championship [at Trump Bedminster]. I said, Thats terrible. Really? Are you serious? He said, Yeah, theyre canceling it. Can you believe it? I said, Not really. Let me think about that. Thats something.

(Some of Trumps comments have been lightly edited for clarity. Clean it up a little bit because sometimes when Im discussing things with a reporter, I speak differently than if Im making a speech. Then I speak perfectly, Trump said.)

And then I had to get back to work and China and all this stuff, Russia, the country. But its a hell of a thing when you hear that.

I wouldve loved to have done it and because I have the right place, I have the right location, the Tom Fazio course he feels it was one of his best jobs hes ever done. Its essentially right outside the Lincoln Tunnel, 20 minutes away. Its perfect and big. And I have the two courses there. We have parking for thousands of cars. It would have been phenomenal.

The Trump Bedminster property is in the New Jersey horse country on the former John DeLorean estate, and it is 20 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel by helicopter. (Google Maps has it, in rare traffic-free conditions, as a 54-minute car ride from the Jersey side of the tunnel named for the 16th president.) Many people who have spent time with Trump, from long before he became a candidate for president, have known not to take much of what he says literally. To some degree, his hyperbole is his sense of humor. But nobody would doubt that the Bedminster property would have room to park thousands of cars.

Trump said that Trump Bedminster will now be the venue for a tournament in mid-July, the third event of a new golf league financed by the Saudis Public Investment Fund and called the LIV Golf series. It is run by Greg Norman. Trump, who was speaking from Mar-a-Lago, an estate and private club he owns in South Florida, said he expects to attend that July event.

They asked me, they said they wanted to use the course, Trump said, speaking of the LIV Golf executives. I made a deal with them. Theyre very good people. Theyre very fine people. Greg Normans been a total gentleman, you know, and hes wanted to do this for years and now he has the right backers because, you know, [the Saudi money] is unlimited. They can do the job right. I think when you put up first-place prize money for $6 or $7 million, I think a lot of people are gonna be showing up, to be honest with you.

The LIV Series will feature three-day, 54-hole events with team and individual components for 48 players. The event at Trump Bedminster will have a $25 million purse. The winner will receive $4 million, plus any money he may make in the team aspect of the competition. The series is open to male professionals and amateurs and only by invitation. Speculation has run rampant about who might be playing in the first event, in London in early June. The season finale, in mid-October, will be held at Trump Doral in Miami. The purse for that event is $50 million.

Yes, the numbers are dizzying, as they are meant to be. At this weeks PGA Championship, 156 players are in the field and the winner will receive $2.1 million.

I asked Trump if he thought the LIV Series would be viable for years to come. Heres the thing, he said. You could take a rich guy and start a tour and lose $100 million for a couple of years. Every rich guy I know, I dont care how rich, including me after a couple of years, will say, Well, thats enough of that stuff.

And you sort of saw that on the Nike Tour where youve had about 10 different sponsors over the years, because sponsors got tired of losing money. Right? But Saudi Arabia loves golf. The top guys there love golf. I know them very well and theyre very good people, the people that are involved. Five years ago they didnt know anything about golf. Theyre incredibly wanting to do this and theyre willing to spend, they have unlimited pockets, Michael. Unlimited pockets. Right?

Everybodys limited. Im limited. All the rich guys you and I know are limited. Were all limited, because we dont wanna lose $100 million a year for the rest of our lives. Right? But Saudi Arabia has unlimited pockets, and its good for the country and its good for everything.

In other words, yes. Trump is bullish on their chances.

Had the Jan. 6 protests been peaceful, I asked Trump, would the golf world including Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler but not Phil Mickelson, the defending champion who is not playing be gathered this week in Bedminster?

Ill tell you this, Trump said. If you took a poll inside the PGA, the 28,000 members of the PGA of America, Id be 97 percent, I believe. Id be way up there. And people are really angry at what the PGA did to me by taking that tournament away. And I had nothing to do with January 6th. Theyd be very angry at what they did.

I meaning my people told Nancy Pelosi on January 3rd that I think theres a big crowd coming. I think you should have 10,000 soldiers wrapped around the Capitol or in the Capitol. And she said, No, it wont be a good look.

And that was up to her because shes in charge of the security. So if you had had a thousand soldiers, Michael, you wouldnt have had January 6th. And shes the one that turned it down because shes in charge of security. I had nothing to do with January 6th, but [the PGA of America] used that.

It should be noted that representatives for Pelosi, the House speaker, have dismissed the claim that she rejected the suggestion for more security for Jan. 6. They also point out that House speakers do not have authority over Capitol Hill security.

I should also note, despite that lapse into politics, and there were others, that Trump spoke casually and happily for more than 40 minutes chiefly on a subject that is dear to him: golf, golfers and most especially golf, and golfers, on his courses. Trumps unscheduled call to me came in response to interview requests I had made while reporting the long Fire Pit Collective piece. I had just filled the tank on my Nissan Rogue rental car at a Phillips 66 station on Route 66 in Tulsa when my phone rang. NO CALLER ID, the screen read. I answered and it was the former president, calling directly.

The earlier story, entitled Trumped, seeks to explain how the 2022 PGA Championship landed at Trump Bedminster, when the organizations CEO was Pete Bevacqua and how it was moved from there by Bevacquas successor, Seth Waugh. Bevacqua was named CEO of the PGA of America in late 2012 and is now the chairman of the NBC Sports Group. Waugh is a former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas.

In remarkable and personal detail and telling the story in the present tense, Trump described how Bevacqua went from the USGA to a talent agency before becoming, with Trumps help (per Trump) the PGA of Americas CEO. Trump knew Bevacqua when he worked for the USGA. So Pete is now an agent or something and I speak to him and I say, Pete, do you have any interest in heading the PGA of America? Trump said, telling the story with a certain glee and energy. He says, Uh, I would cut off my right arm for it. And then Pete gets hired for a fortune by NBC not my friends, NBC but Pete gets hired for an absolute fortune by NBC.

After Bevacquas move from the PGA of America to NBC Sports, in Trumps telling, the standing of Trump Golf with the PGA of America fell. Trump heaped praise on Bevacqua and was dismissive of Waugh. In the piece posted on Monday, Waugh said, Everybody wants to make this a political move, but we got put into a political place that was not of our own making. My feeling was we could do existential damage to our brand by staying at Bedminster.

Trump knows many PGA Tour players, including Jim Herman, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Not one prominent active player has publicly stood with Trump on the PGA of Americas decision to move this years PGA Championship from Trump Bedminster. But Trump noted several times what Jack Nicklaus, whom Trump has hired for design work, said in the earlier piece.

I like Seth Waugh, Nicklaus said in that story. Seth didnt need this job. He took the job because he thought he could give the PGA of America some good guidance. And I think hes doing that. But this move is cancel culture. Donald Trump may be a lot of things, but he loves golf and he loves this country. Hes a student of the game and a formidable figure in the game. What he does in the future in golf will depend on what the cancel culture will allow him to do.

Ive been very good for golf, Trump said, after discussing the quote. Jack Nicklaus said it: Hes been great for golf.

I asked Trump about the settlement he reached with the PGA of America on a lawsuit over the moved tournament. Trump did not divulge the number.

It was fine, it was fine, he said. But money cant replace that. I dont need money and cant replace that. They did something so terrible. They took away a major from somebody thats done a great job for golf.

Years ago, when Trump had a course-construction contract with a construction company owned by Nicklaus, the two men were feuding. In that period, I told Trump how much I liked a public course in North Palm Beach, Fla., that Nicklaus designed on a pro-bono basis. Trump said (and this is from memory), I went to that course, that muni. I put on my disguise and bought a little ticket and walked around. That course is a piece of shit. You know nothing about golf. He was being funny, Im sure. I doubt he ever got past the parking lot, if he got that close. But the two men did not have a good relationship. In the years since, that has all changed.

In 2014, I was interviewing Nicklaus in his office in North Palm Beach about his life in golf. Near the end, Nicklaus said he had to wrap things up, because Trump and Kerry Haig, a PGA of America official, were waiting in another room to discuss possible sites for the PGA Championship, courses that would have both the Trump and Nicklaus stamps on them.

I asked Trump if he still thought he might get a mens major championship at one of his courses, including Trump Turnberry on the rugged West Coast of Scotland, where the British Open was played in 1977, 1986, 1994 and 2009.

I think its highly unlikely, he said.

We talked about the Turnberry course, where Tom Watson won the 77 Open, over Nicklaus, and lost the 09 Open, at age 59, in a playoff with Stewart Cink. Turnberry , you know its very interesting, Trump said. In Europe, Ive been given great credit for the job I did at Turnberry. I rebuilt greens, I moved the 9th hole out into the ocean. I moved the 11th hole and the 10th hole out into the ocean. You know, you had the ocean. I remember when Tom Watson say hello to him when you can; I love Tom Watson said, Why dont you move, I think he said, the 11th hole? You know, Tom Watson. He won five Opens, and I think he won five Senior Opens. Would you say he was a good links player?

Beyond good. Watson won five British Opens and three Senior British Opens, by the way. But I had to look it up. While speaking with Trump, I mentioned the name Bob Charles (great links golfer from New Zealand) when I meant Peter Thomson (far greater links golfer from Australia). Trump picked up on the mistake immediately. He knows a lot about golf and he is good at golf, although some of the scores he has reported over the years, and some of the club titles he claims, seem beyond unlikely.

I asked about the 2018 club championship at his West Palm Beach course. A story I wrote for Golf.com about the event ran under this comical headline: President Trump won a 2018 club championship without actually playing in it! After the event, a small gold plaque was put on his locker, under his name. There were six plaques in all, for events he won, the last one honoring the course owner as the 2018 mens club champion. The actual winner was a New York financier named Ted Virtue.

Teds a nice guy, Trump said. Well play golf with him. Hes a high-quality guy.

I asked Trump if he had challenged Virtue to a nine-hole match after Virtue had won the title.

I did, Trump said. I was not able to be down to Florida very much. So he won down in Florida. He played good and he won. Hes a good player. I said, So Ted, I heard you won. I met him on the 10th hole. I said, Im gonna challenge you now for the club championship. Which of course he wouldnt do, because the club championship is like a four-day deal. You have to win your different matches and all that stuff. I said, Ted, Im challenging you. He said, OK, Ill do it. Which is cute. And we did it. I did challenge him, but I did not accept [the title]. Youre not gonna see my name up there. Now I did win the senior club championship there two weeks ago. And Ive won the senior club championship in Bedminster too. So thats good.

I dont know precisely what Trump meant when he said you wouldnt see his name up there. Most likely his name in gold paint, on stained wood, on a clubhouse wall, as the 2018 senior champion. As noted, precision is not Trumps strength. That relates to his golf too. His driving game is far better than his chipping game. Most of his golf is casual and contested at match play, which is why the scores he claims should not be taken seriously, even though they do reveal something significant about him. Regardless, just in terms of his golfing skill and his devotion to golf, he is head and shoulders above any other golfing president, although JFK had a lovely, flowing patrician swing with little oomph. Trumps swing is an effective lunge in which he makes good use of his heft.

This is getting long! But thats because golf is a sweet spot for Trump. Im on 18 here.

I asked Trump if he expected Mickelson or DeChambeau or Johnson to play in any or all of the LIV events.

I dont know, Trump said. I know [the PGA Tour] is putting a lot of pressure on the players [not to play]. I dont think its legal. Itll end up going to court someday. And youre gonna find out whether or not the Tour has the Constitutional right to stop them, to preclude them from playing. I think theyd want to play. Phil got himself into a little trouble with his explanations. That could have been better handled, I guess. But Phils Phil. Why is he not playing? Whats the real reason hes not playing? Do you know?

I said I didnt but offered that maybe he was embarrassed by the remarks he made to my colleague Alan Shipnuck about the Saudi golf investors and the PGA Tour. I said maybe he was not ready to be with his peers and face reporters. He cant be embarrassed, not that bad, Trump said. Phil is, you know, a good guy, a great representative [for golf]. You know, with the smile and the whole deal. And Phil should be out playing in this championship. His manner, when he walks around with a smile, tipping the cap, the whole thing. You know?

I do. Everybody who follows the pro game does.

I asked Trump if he expected to see Mickelson in the Mickelson Villa at Trump Doral when the final event of the LIV inaugural season is played in October.

Well, hopefully, Trump said, laughing.

I mentioned Woods. Theres a villa at Trump Doral named for Tiger too.

I gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of what hes been through, after he won that [2019] Masters, Trump said. That was incredible. And frankly, even when he played [at this years Masters], that was incredible.

Trump brought up something from the earlier story, that (in my opinion) he was never embraced by the upper-crust, elite Eastern Establishment golf people. I found your statement interesting, Trump said. You know, they treat me great. Like when I go out to National [Golf Links] or any of these places? You dont know anybody. Youve never heard of anybody. Youre meeting these people. Youve never heard of Worthington Smith the third or the fifth. Right? You dont know any of these people and its sort of strange because usually I know people, weve worked together or whatever. But they treat me great. And I do love Winged Foot.

Trump is a longtime member at Winged Foot, where DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open. After his win, on that Sunday night, DeChambeau hung out with Eric Trump at the Trump course in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Eric once told me about the success he had been having with a TaylorMade driver given to him by Dustin Johnson.

It was interesting to hear Trump mention Winged Foot. He plays nearly all his golf at courses that bear his name, and golf conversation with him is usually about those courses as well. When I asked him when he had last played, I got another surprise. His most recent round had been last Saturday, at Dallas National. I played with Scottie Scheffler and I played with Tony Romo, Trump said, along with two others from the club. And you might ask them about the round if you want, if youre with Scottie. I love Scottie. We had a great time. Tony Romo hes a very good player, And Scottie Scheffler? I mean, man, hes very good.

I asked Trump how he played.

I played good, he said. I mean, youd have to ask them. But if you asked them, I think theyd say very good. I had a lot of people watching that first tee shot, getting that ball off the tee. We had a lot of people, and it was good.

Regarding Scheffler, Trump said, Hes favored to win this week, right?

You had the feeling that Donald Trump, former President and golf nut, might sneak just a peek at the golf from Southern Hills this week.

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Donald Trump speaks out on Phil, Jack, Saudi Arabia and the PGA that got away - GolfDigest.com

As Donald Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, there were few officials more willing to help than Doug Mastriano, then a little-known Pennsylvania state senator.

Mastriano, a retired army colonel first elected in 2019, regularly communicated with Trump in the weeks after the election. He helped arrange a pseudo-hearing weeks after election day in which the Trump campaign presented baseless claims of fraud. Mastriano helped facilitate a plan to appoint a fake set of electors in Pennsylvania for Trump after Joe Biden won the state by more than 80,000 votes. He embraced and promoted a fringe, anti-democratic legal theory that state legislatures can override the results of an election and appoint its own electors. He was also at the US Capitol on January 6, and helped bus supporters there. He pushed an unofficial review of election equipment that prompted the state to decertify election machines in a county. He has been subpoenaed by the January 6 committee. He supported efforts to decertify the election, which is legally impossible.

This week, Republican voters in Pennsylvania nominated Mastriano to be their governor.

If elected this fall, there seems to be little doubt Mastriano would be willing to use his power to reject the results of a free and fair election in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in US presidential elections. As governor, he would be responsible for certifying the election, and could refuse to sign off on an outcome he disagrees with. He would also be responsible for appointing a secretary of state, charged with overseeing elections in the state and signing off on the results. (Pennsylvania is one of three states where the secretary of state is appointed, not elected.)

We really need voters to be paying attention to how dangerous it is to have someone in a position like the governor who does not believe in the elections or in our system, who has cast so much doubt on the 2020 elections and would be in a great position of power, said Lizzie Ulmer, senior vice-president for communications at States United Action, which is tracking election deniers running for office across the US. Its really important to not fall into that trap of thinking OK, these are really extreme candidates. Because theyre not fringe candidates, theyre raising money. Theyre campaigning on these issues.

David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said: If a governor would not certify an election in which his candidate lost, which had been upheld by the courts and election officials throughout the state, thats incredibly dangerous period. Thats incredibly dangerous in a state where that governor gets to appoint the chief election official, who might share similar inclinations.

While Becker has said courts would ultimately thwart any effort to block the certification of a lawful election, Becker said he was worried about the confusion that would arise from a governor refusing to accept election results.

I am very concerned about what happens in the meantime. And what messages are used to inflame the base of the losing party to act in a way that is anti-democratic and perhaps violent, he said. Mastriano is one of a number of candidates who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election and are seeking elected offices in which they would play a key role in overseeing the 2024 election. Candidates in Michigan and Minnesota have already earned their partys nomination and there is a closely watched primary for the top election office in Georgia on Tuesday.

What weve seen is that there are a number of elected officials within the Republican caucus that are still advocating or supporting this notion that the 2020 presidential elections were stolen, said Khalif Ali, the executive director of the Pennsylvania chapter of Common Cause. Were not just talking about a gubernatorial race, were talking about the very essence of democracy in this state and in this country.

Mastriano has embraced the possibility of getting to overturn an election, saying he already has a secretary of state picked out (he has declined to say who). I get to appoint the secretary of state, who is delegated from me the power to make the corrections to elections, the voting logs and everything. I could decertify every machine in the state with the stroke of a pen, he said in a March radio interview.

Hes saying that part out loud, said Ulmer. It goes to show just how prevalent and mainstream the far right and the big lie supporters have made this issue. Its so wild to think about. They really are campaigning, raising money, and generating a lot of interest and support from carrying this thing forward.

Mastriano has also said he might reset voter registration in Pennsylvania and start all over, something that would probably violate federal law. He has pledged to eliminate the states contract with compromised voting machine companies, even though theres no evidence any machines were compromised in 2020. He wants to end no-excuse mail-in voting, which passed the state legislature with Republican support.

Mastriano, who grew up in New Jersey, joined the military in 1986, and was deployed to the West German-Czechoslovakia border before being sent to Iraq, according to a New Yorker profile of him last year. A few years ago, he began attending events hosted by the New Apostolic Reformation, a group whose goal it is to return the United States to an idealized Christian past, according to the New Yorker. He is often described as a Christian nationalist, embracing the belief that America should be a Christian nation.

Beyond elections, Mastriano has embraced other extreme policies. He has signaled his support for a complete ban on abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest. He railed against Covid-19 restrictions, at one point falsely questioning whether mRNA vaccines were actually vaccines. He has supported legislation that would require teaching the Bible in public schools, according to the New Yorker, and allow adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples. If elected, Mastriano has pledged to be more conservative than some of the most conservative governors in the country.

You guys think Ron DeSantis is good? Amateur, Mastriano cracked, adding: We love you, Ron, but this is Pennsylvania. This is where the light of liberty was set in 1776, where this nation was born, he said earlier this month, according to NBC News.

He has promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory, and spoke at a conference in April organized by far-right activists who have promoted the movement.

Ulmer, from States United and Ali, from Common Cause, both said it would be a mistake to dismiss Mastriano as too extreme to win a statewide election.

I take every candidate who has won their partys nomination seriously, Ali said. Hes made a number of inflammatory statements, and I think we should absolutely believe him and take him seriously as the Republican nominee.

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The Trump loyalist who could be a major threat to US democracy - The Guardian US

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump reacted to the bombshell testimony out of the trial of Michael Sussmann that Hillary Clinton herself approved the dissemination of false information alleging a covert communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank to the media.

Trump told Fox News Digital that the entire Russia investigation is "one of the greatest political scandals in history," and that he will "never" get his "reputation fully back."

Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook on Friday testified as part of the first criminal trial out of Special Counsel John Durhams years-long investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, saying Clinton approved and "agreed" to share the discredited data with the media.

HILLARY CLINTON APPROVED DISSEMINATION OF TRUMP-RUSSIAN BANK ALLEGATIONS TO MEDIA, CAMPAIGN MANAGER TESTIFIES

Former FBI General Counsel James Baker testified Thursday that the bureau investigated the data alleging a Trump connection to the Kremlin-linked bank, and found that "there was nothing there."

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the American Freedom Tour at the Austin Convention Center on May 14, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

"This is one of the greatest political scandals in history," Trump told Fox News Saturday morning. "For three years, I had to fight her off, and fight those crooked people off, and youll never get your reputation fully back."

"Where do I get my reputation back?" Trump said again.

"I had to fight them off," Trump said. "And if we had real leadership, instead of people like Mitch McConnell, they would do something about it. And guys like Bill Barr. They would have done something about it."

Trump said that the law enforcement and intelligence community resources devoted to investigating him and members of his 2016 campaign distracted officials from what "could have been a real danger with Russia."

Attorney Michael Sussmann departs the U.S. Federal Courthouse after opening arguments in his trial in Washington, D.C. (REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson)

The FBI, in July 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Donald Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign.

That FBI investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, was handed off to Special Counsel Robert Mueller after Trump was elected. Mueller was appointed on May 17, 2017.

DECLASSIFIED TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE DOCS TO DATE: WHAT TO KNOW

After nearly two years, Muellers investigation yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Durham was tapped in 2019, shortly after Mueller announced his findings, byAttorney General Bill Barrto investigate the origins of the FBIs original investigation into the Trump campaign, which led to the appointment of Mueller as special counsel.

Special Counsel John Durham departs the U.S. Federal Courthouse after opening arguments in the trial of attorney Michael Sussmann. (REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson)

Mook, during cross-examination by government prosecutor Andrew DeFillippis, was asked about the Clinton campaigns understanding of the Alfa Bank allegations against Trump and whether they planned to release the data to the media.

Mook said he was first briefed about the Alfa Bank issue by campaign general counsel Marc Elias, who at the time was a partner at law firm Perkins Coie.

Mook testified that he was told that the data had come from "people that had expertise in this sort of matter."

Mook said the campaign was not totally confident in the legitimacy of the data, but had hoped to give the information to a reporter who could further "run it down" to determine if it was "accurate" or "substantive."

He also said he discussed whether to give the information to a reporter with senior campaign officials, including campaign chairman John Podesta, senior policy advisor, now White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and communications director Jennifer Palmieri.

"I discussed it with Hillary as well," Mook said.

"I dont remember the substance of the conversation, but notionally, the discussion was, hey, we have this and we want to share it with a reporter," Mook said.

The government asked Mook if Clinton approved "the dissemination" of the data to the media.

"She agreed," Mook testified.

DECLASSIFIED TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE DOCS TO DATE: WHAT TO KNOW

Mook later said he "can't recall the exact sequence of events," when asked if he shared the idea to give the Trump-Alfa Bank allegations to the media with Clinton before or after the decision was made.

"All I remember is that she agreed with the decision," Mook testified.

Sussmann has been charged with making a false statement to the FBI when he told Baker in September 2016, less than two months before the presidential election, that he was not doing work "for any client" when he requested and attended a meeting in which he presented "purported data and white papers that allegedly demonstrated a covert communicates channel" between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, which has ties to the Kremlin.

Durhams team alleges Sussmann was, in fact, doing work for two clients: the Hillary Clinton campaign and a technology executive, Rodney Joffe. Following the meeting with Baker, Sussmann billed the Hillary Clinton campaign for his work.

Sussmann has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mook, earlier in questioning from the defense, was asked whether he or anyone on the Clinton campaign approved or gave Sussmann permission to bring the allegations to the FBI, to which he said: "No."

Later, the defense further questioned Mook, asking if Hillary Clinton herself approved Sussmann going to the FBI.

"I'm not aware," Mook testified.

When asked again, he said: "I don't knowI don't know why she would."

Meanwhile, Baker testified Thursday that the FBI began an investigation into the Trump-Alfa Bank allegations, which lasted "several weeks, maybe a month, maybe a month and a half."

"We concluded there was no substance," Baker testified. "We couldnt confirm it. We could not confirm there was a surreptitious communications channel."

Baker added: "There was nothing there."

FLASHBACK: MUELLER REPORT SHOWS PROBE DID NOT FIND COLLUSION EVIDENCE, REVEALS TRUMP EFFORTS TO SIDELINE KEY PLAYERS

In testimony on Tuesday afternoon, FBI Special Agent Scott Hellman also said the data revealing the alleged covert communications channel between Trump and Russia that Sussmann brought to the FBI turned out to be untrue, and said he did not agree with the narrative.

Hellman testified that whoever drafted the narrative describing the DNS data was "5150," and clarified on the stand that meant he believed the individual who came to the conclusions "was suffering from some mental disability."

Mooks testimony revealing Clinton approved the plan to share the Trump-Alfa Bank allegations with the media comes after Fox News first reported that the CIA, dating back to July 2016, had information of Clintons "approval of a plan" to tie Trump to Russia "as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server."

Fox News obtained declassified notes from then-CIA Director John Brennan after briefing then-President Obama on July 28, 2016, memorializing Clintons purported "proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service."

DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON 'STIRRING UP' SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA

The information was properly forwarded to the FBI in an Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL), and to the attention of then-FBI DirectorJames Comeyand then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok on Sept. 9, 2016.

"The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate," the 2016 CIA memo to Comey and Strzok stated.

FLASHBACK: SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN

"Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date," the memo continued. "An exchange [REDACTED] discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clintons approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server."

The memo was heavily redacted.

Fox News first reported that those materials were provided to the Justice Department by former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe in 2020 to support Special Counsel John Durhams investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Link:

Trump reacts to testimony that Clinton spread Russia allegations: 'Where do I get my reputation back?' - Fox News

Vladimir Putin had to keep explaining things to Donald Trump when Trump was US president, the former White House aide Fiona Hill said.

Putin doesnt like to do that, Hill told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

You could see that he got frustrated many times with President Trump. Even though he loves to be able to spin his own version of events, he wants to have predictability in the person that hes engaging with.

Under Trump, Hill was senior director for European and Russian affairs on the national security council. She is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The British-born adviser came to prominence when she testified in Trumps first impeachment for withholding military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to extract political dirt on opponents including Joe Biden.

Putin ordered the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. Bloody fighting continues. Biden has committed to supporting Ukraine.

At the Chicago event, Hill said Putin thought that somebody like Biden, whos a trans-Atlanticist, who knows all about Nato, who actually knows where Ukraine is, and actually knows something about the history, and is very steeped in international affairs, would be the right person to engage with as opposed to somebody that you have to explain everything to all the time, honestly.

The Russian president, Hill said, might still be waiting for us to sue for peace, [to] negotiate away Ukraine.

Trump and Republicans claim Putin would not have invaded if Trump was in power.

The Trump administration was dogged by investigations of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.

Trump was seen to be too close to Putin. Flashpoints included a Helsinki summit in July 2018 when the two leaders met alone but for translators and Trump said he believed Putin over his own intelligence services regarding election interference.

Hill was a co-author of a well-received book on Putin. Last year, promoting a memoir, There Is Nothing for You Here, she told the BBC that in Helsinki she considered faking a medical emergency to interrupt Trumps remarks.

My initial thought was just How can I end this? she said.

Trump has attacked Hill publicly, calling her a deep state stiff with a nice accent. In April, after Hill compared him to Putin, Trump told the New York Times: She doesnt know the first thing shes talking about. If she didnt have the accent she would be nothing.

Regarding Putins view of Trump, in 2020 Hill told the Guardian: Trump just wants to sit down with the guy, whoever it is, and create personal chemistry and then everyone else works out the details. He wanted to treat Putin the way he treated Xi [Jinping of China] or [Benjamin] Netanyahu [of Israel]. He wanted to be able to pick up the phone and talk to them.

Putin doesnt operate like that. Putin takes translators with him for every occasion. The Russians are incredibly organised. They take advantage of every opportunity, every vulnerability, every open door they can walk through.

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Putin had to keep explaining things to Trump, ex-White House aide says - The Guardian US