Cochise County officials want to sue over colleagues' legal bills from 2022 election delay
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors wants to know if it can sue its insurance provider and former county attorney for damages after two supervisors were denied insurance coverage in an ongoing election interference case.
The move by county officials centers on legal bills incurred by former Supervisor Peggy Judd and current Supervisor Tom Crosby, a pair of Republicans who voted in 2022 to delay the certification of the election. The delay came despite documentation supplied by the state election director showing the voting machines were certified, repeated legal advice from the county attorney that their actions were illegal, and a warning from the county's insurance provider that it would not cover legal bills stemming from the vote.
They were quickly sued and eventually indicted by a grand jury for felony counts of conspiracy and interference with an election officer.
Cochise County is among thirteen of Arizona's counties that have joined together to secure insurance through the Arizona Counties Insurance Pool. Though the pool is designed to cover some legal bills, Republican former Cochise County Attorney Bryan McIntyre said it only pays expenses related to civil litigation, not criminal actions brought against public officials.
That meant Judd and Crosby were not covered by the Arizona Counties Insurance Pool and had to foot their own legal bills.
Judd in October 2024 pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor as part of an agreement with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, which investigated and presented the case to a grand jury. Crosby currently faces felony counts of conspiracy and interference with an election officer. He petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court to review the case against him.
Supervisor Frank Antenori, a Republican former state legislator who was elected to the board in 2024, said the new lawsuit came from concerns public officials would "go bankrupt because of a political difference with an attorney general."
'I don't want to be bankrupt and deny my kids their inheritance because I took a political stand on an issue,' he said.
The Arizona Counties Insurance Pool and McIntyre did not respond to requests for comment.
The current board of supervisors wants to make sure they don't foot the bill for future decisions they might make 'in good faith,' Antenori said during a special board meeting on Feb. 5.
He said the insurance pool told him it would not cover the legal fees in the case against Judd and Crosby because the supervisors were going against the advice of the county attorney.
Judd had her life was 'basically taken away from her,' Antenori said. He noted that she ultimately lost her house to pay for legal bills. He also said she had to move in with her mother and has very little to live on during her retirement.
'She thought she was doing what was best for her constituents,' he said. 'She heard from a lot of voters they wanted her to do a deep dive and look at what happened in that election before approving the canvas.'
Supervisor Kathleen Gomez, a Republican who was elected to the board in 2024, said that had she been a sitting board at the time, she would not have certified it.
'I made a joke that no matter what I would probably end up going to jail for my constituents,' Gomez said.
Gomez's statement echoed a similar statement Judd made two years prior when the board of supervisors was considering a full hand count of the ballots ahead of the 2022 election. Judd said during a board meeting she could go to jail for her vote after the county attorney told her and the other supervisors repeatedly that hand counting was unlawful.
'I'd like to take this chance. My heart and my work have been in it, and I don't want to back down. I might go to jail,' Judd said about the hand count proposal.
Judd and Crosby ultimately voted to authorize a hand count audit of voting precincts. Trial court judges blocked the hand count, a decision that was affirmed by the state appeals court last year.
The Arizona Counties Insurance Pool warned the supervisors at that time that it would not cover any legal costs resulting from the matter, noting it would be improper to expect other member counties in the insurance pool to pay Cochise County's attorney bills in the face of a lawsuit.
During the board meeting on Feb. 5, Antenori requested the county hire outside counsel to investigate whether the board has a case against the insurance pool and McIntyre. He suggested hiring Rusing Lopez and Lazari, a firm with offices in Scottsdale and Tucson, who he said would be willing to look into whether they have a case.
Antenori told Paul Correa, chief civil deputy county attorney, that the crux of the issue is that McIntyre's legal opinion was taken on by the attorney general and the insurance pool.
'I would like to remedy that, and I would like to set a precedent so if this occurs again, we have the ability to get multiple opinions, and that the attorney's one opinion ... isn't the one that is used to beat us over the head because we decided to go against your opinion and go with another opinion,' Antenori said.
Correa said in the instance where board members disagree with the county attorney's advice and interpretation of a statute, finding a second opinion would be a valid practice and help when the insurance pool is deciding whether to insure board members.
Gomez and Antenori voted to hire the firm of Rusing Lopez and Lizardi to provide them with legal counsel and determine if they have a claim against ACIP and McIntyre. Crosby left the room during the discussion and did not vote.
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic's coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cochise County officials want to sue over bills from election delay
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
6 minutes ago
- Politico
Jolly takes the plunge into wide open field
BREAKING LAST NIGHT — 'President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a sweeping new travel ban for people from 19 countries, citing national security risks,' reports POLITICO's Myah Ward. The ban fully restricts people from Haiti and partially restricts entry for nationals of Cuba and Venezuela. Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Zero Democrats in statewide office. An electoral shortfall of 1.3 million voters. The home for much of President DONALD TRUMP's staff and his 'Winter White House.' The testing ground for MAGA. It's how Florida looks for Democrats. And running for Florida governor in that kind of environment, where fundraising is sputtering and the party has immense hurdles to overcome? Seemingly no one would rush to take that on. Except for DAVID JOLLY. The former Republican congressman, who was a politically independent voter since 2018 and registered as a Democrat in April, has officially filed to run for governor. The biggest challenger on the Republican side so far is Trump-endorsed Rep. BYRON DONALDS. But the Democratic field has been full of only crickets thus far. Those who openly expressed interest in running a year ago have since stepped back, underscoring just how bleak the landscape appears after Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024. 'People who might have been very strong candidates would want to see the party infrastructure build up and be a better atmosphere to run,' said state Sen. TINA POLSKY (D-Boca Raton). 'But then it kind of takes someone maybe a little bit different, a little bit out of the norm — like David Jolly is — to upend the system. If anyone's going to do it, I think he has a better chance than a run-of-the-mill Democrat.' A lot could change ahead of the August 2026 primary. But the dearth of interest — or of candidates even at the very least floating trial balloons to gauge reaction — stands in contrast to what's happening at the national level, where Democratic hopefuls are already making moves to signal their 2028 presidential interest. The last time Florida had an open seat for governor, in 2018, seven Democrats competed for the nomination. But Jolly could help unify the party with an easy path to the nomination. He told Playbook in an interview that he's hoping the 2026 cycle will be a 'change election' in which voters are driven to outside-the-norm candidates given Trump's policies and how unaffordable Florida has become under GOP leadership. He said he's going to try to bring together not just Democrats but unaffiliated voters and Republicans. 'The ones we've spoken to have either indicated they're not running or they'll support us, either privately or publicly,' Jolly told Playbook of top Florida Democrats. While he does anticipate a primary, he added: 'What I know is we have to unify this primary early if we want to win next November.' Of course, the primary would have been contested early if state Sen. JASON PIZZO had remained a Democrat. Now, they'll just be delaying a showdown. Pizzo plans to run as an independent in a move that has many Democrats concerned he'll serve as a spoiler and deliver the governor's mansion to Republicans. But Jolly and Pizzo have had a chance to talk, and it seems there's no bad blood there. While Jolly didn't disclose details of the conversation, he said he respected 'anyone who follows their convictions,' and that he thinks Pizzo is 'doing what he believes he can do to change Florida.' 'You won't hear me say an ill word about Jason Pizzo,' Jolly said. 'I respect his decision.' Reached by text, Pizzo called Jolly 'bright' and said their conversation went well. 'I commend him for the endeavor,' he said, 'and wish him well.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will speak at the Florida Professional Firefighters convention in Palm Beach Gardens at 9:45 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... FLORIDA'S NEW EDUCATION COMMISSIONER — 'The state Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously backed Anastasios Kamoutsas, the governor's deputy chief of staff who has long played a key behind the scenes role, to lead the agency. Kamoutsas, in accepting the position, pledged to follow through on Florida's reforms on parental rights and school choice that have thrust the state into the national spotlight,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'During his time with the agency, Kamoutsas, who is known as 'Stasi,' helped the state carry out policies bolstering parental rights, quashing 'wokeness' in education and battling with school districts that pushed pandemic student masking.' TIME IS TICKING — 'State lawmakers forged through a second day of Florida budget negotiations Wednesday, reaching accords on several significant items including how much money they will steer into a program designed to help homeowners hurricane-proof their homes,' report POLITICO's Gary Fineout and Bruce Ritchie. 'Lawmakers are racing to wrap up their budget work in time for a mid-June vote — about two weeks before the end of the fiscal year. The two sides agreed to spend half of the $200 million proposed by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus farmer from Wauchula, to boost the state's ailing citrus industry. That includes $70 million for replacement trees, less than the $125 million he had proposed.' STATE PARK SLASHES — 'Florida's renowned state parks would suffer under state House and Senate proposals for the 2025-26 state budget, supporters of the public lands said this week,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'Budget negotiators from both chambers met publicly Tuesday for the first time on a 2025-26 state budget. The House proposal that passed in April would slash 25 vacant positions in the Florida Park Service as part of a workforce reduction across state government.' RESERVOIR CLAW BACK — 'State House and Senate budget negotiators agreed this week to revert $400 million in spending approved last year for a controversial Central Florida reservoir to appropriations for the coming year,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'The two sides also got closer on slashing funding from the 2023 state budget for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a priority of then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples).' NEW LIFE FOR AP AND IB — 'The Florida Legislature's latest budget proposal could relieve concerns of local schools that feared devastating funding losses were coming for top programs like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'A Tuesday offer by the state Senate scraps a previous plan that would have reduced by half the bonus funding levels schools receive for a list of popular programs, replacing the idea with a new section of the budget for these costs. Lawmakers say this proposed change would ensure schools can still score coveted extra cash for AP, IB, Advanced International Certificate of Education, dual enrollment and early graduation, while giving the state a clearer picture of where the money is going.' STILL FAR APART — 'The state House and Senate made some progress Wednesday in hammering out the state health care budget for next year, but the two chambers' proposals are still more 2,000 vacant agency jobs apart when it comes to possible cuts,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The latest budget offer presented to the Senate by House Health Care Budget Subcommittee Chair Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) on Wednesday afternoon called for cuts of more than 2,900 vacant jobs, still well over 2,000 more than the 454 cuts proposed by the Senate. Andrade had asked the health care agencies facing the proposed job cuts to justify why those positions should exist. None of the agencies offered a justification, and the state Department of Children and Families, which could lose 802 vacant jobs under the latest House offer, did not respond.' NO HOPE FOR HOPE? — State Rep. ALEX ANDRADE (R-Pensacola) proposed cutting millions of dollars from Hope Florida's state funding early on in the dedicated two-week budget conference which started on Tuesday, Alexandra Glorioso and Lawrence Mower of the Miami Herald report. Andrade spent a good deal of the session investigating Hope Florida, the state program spearheaded by Florida first lady CASEY DESANTIS intended to gradually get Floridians off government assistance. The cuts would affect 20 Hope navigator positions who work on a helpline that connects Floridians in need to nongovernment assistance. MUSEUM DISCONNECT — 'The House is failing to go along with proposed funding for several Holocaust museum projects across the state,' reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. 'St. Petersburg's Florida Holocaust Museum was chosen to hold a permanent exhibit to preserve the legacy of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who later won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Senate is proposing to fund the exhibit with $850,000 while the House doesn't want to fund it at all.' LAND ON CABINET AGENDA — The governor and Cabinet next week will consider buying 75,000 acres of conservation easements in rural north central Florida. The state would pay $93.6 million to Weyerhaeuser Forest Holdings, Inc. for an easement over 61,389 acres in Baker and Union Counties. And the state would pay Blackbottom Holdings LLC $24.3 million for an easement over 14,743 acres in Baker and Bradford counties. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the Cabinet also will consider a proposal by Cabot Citrus Farms, a golf course developer, to sell 340 acres in Hernando County near where it sought to acquire state forest land in a controversial 2024 trade deal that was recently scrapped. — Bruce Ritchie BALLOT INITIATIVE LATEST — 'A federal judge on Wednesday placed a temporary halt on part of a new law tightening Florida's control over ballot initiatives. But he refused to press pause on the entire measure,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'A group called Florida Decides Health Care filed a lawsuit in Tallahassee federal court about a month ago challenging a new state law. The measure has been heralded by DeSantis and other state GOP leaders as the solution to fraud allegations made by state elections officials as campaigns gathered enough voter-signed petitions to qualify for the ballot. The new restrictions also come with hefty penalties and tight deadlines critics believe were designed to make the state's citizen-led initiative process unaffordable for most groups.' TALLAHASSEE ICE RAID — The families of more than 100 ICE detainees say they are struggling to locate their loved ones, Ana Goñi-Lessan and Valentina Palm of USA Today Network — Florida. The detainees, construction workers who were arrested at their job site, were taken into custody by ICE during the largest immigration raid in Florida this year. Some remain in Florida, some were sent to El Paso, Texas, and some are already in Mexico less than a week after being detained. Family members' questions about the whereabouts of some of the detainees have been unanswered since May 29. — 'Florida quickly appeals injunction against law aimed at keeping kids off social media,' reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. — 'Florida's National Guard will soon leave state prisons,' reports Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. PENINSULA AND BEYOND NO IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT — The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says it is following city attorneys' legal advice by not enforcing the city's two-month-old immigration enforcement law which serves to punish people who enter Jacksonville while they are in the country illegally, reports David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union. City Councilor KEVIN CARRICO, who introduced the legislation, said the lack of enforcement undermined the will of City Council and the state Legislature by siding with 'open-border politics.' — 'Hialeah's $45,000 farewell to Bovo: When public money pays for private parties,' by Verónica Egui Brito of the Miami Herald. — 'It's not just his wife. Lee County undersheriff has another relative on the payroll,' by Bob Norman of the Florida Trident. TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP FREE LAND FOR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY — 'Of the locations considered, FAU in Boca Raton, Fla., emerged as the preferred site because of its proximity to Mar-a-Lago, a private Trump club,' report The Wall Street Journal's Meridith McGraw, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey. 'A person familiar with the negotiations said that Trump's team is nearing a deal with FAU — which has offered a 100-year lease at no cost — and that Trump expressed interest in the university during a meeting with lawyers at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.' ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN BIRTHDAYS: Former Chief Financial Officer and gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, founder of Ruth's List … former State Rep. Seth McKeel … Heidi Otway, president and partner at SalterMitchell PR. CORRECTION: Wednesday's newsletter incorrectly stated that the Stanley Cup finals began in Florida on Wednesday. The first game was in Edmonton.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Conflicted Tennessee Senate overwhelmingly passed business tax refund
Sen. Shane Reeves, R-Murfreesboro, received a $1 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to start a business which has since received a tax rebate from the state. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Thirteen of Tennessee's 33 senators declared a conflict of interest before voting on a $1.9 billion business tax break in 2024, including one whose companies reaped the benefits of the cut and a prior state grant. Two years before winning the seat in 2018, Republican Sen. Shane Reeves of Murfreesboro received a million-dollar FastTrack grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development when he opened TwelveStone Health Partners in Rutherford County in 2016. The company invested nearly $15 million to create 200 jobs for the packaged medication, healthcare services and medication equipment company. A pharmacist by trade, Reeves started the business after he and his former business partner, Rick Sain, sold Reeves-Sain Drugstore and EnTrustRx, a specialty pharmacy business, to Fred's Inc. for $66 million. TwelveStone has expanded several times over nine years, opening infusion centers in multiple locations, including Virginia and Georgia. Senators declaring a conflict of interest with tax rebate bill: Paul Bailey, R-Sparta Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald Jack Johnson, R-Franklin Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol (no longer in office) Bill Powers, R-Clarksville Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield Paul Rose, R-Covington John Stevens, R-Huntingdon Page Walley, R-Savannah Bo Watson, R-Hixson Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro Ken Yager, R-Kingston Nearly a decade later, TwelveStone Health Partners and TwelveStone Holdings are two of 16,000 Tennessee businesses receiving a franchise tax refund of more than $10,000 after Republican lawmakers pushed the measure backed by Gov. Bill Lee through the legislature last year. Reeves told the Lookout this week that TwelveStone met all requirements for receiving the 2016 grant and now employs nearly 300 people. Asked whether he's concerned about the appearance of double-dipping, Reeves described himself as a 'part-time citizen legislator' the first four months of the year and chief executive officer of TwelveStone the rest of the time. 'My job is to do what's best for our company. I would never expect any more or less for my business than anyone else's,' Reeves said in a text statement. Chairman of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Reeves said he is 'comfortable' with the reporting ranges in the refund law, calling them a 'fair compromise' for transparency. Listings on the state Department of Revenue website show categories for companies receiving refunds up to $750, between $750 and $10,000 and more than $10,000. The lists totaling 60,000 companies were posted May 31 and are to remain available to the public for 30 days. Senators were reluctant to publicize any of the companies when they took up the bill last year, passing it 25-6, with former Sen. Art Swann of Maryville the only Republican to vote in opposition. Two members did not vote. But the House demanded some form of transparency, though Democrats and public records advocates say the ranges aren't specific enough considering the amount of money rebated to some of the world's largest companies, including FedEx and 13 subsidiaries, Ford Motor Co. and AT&T. The House passed the measure 69-23, largely along party lines. The Tennessee Senate uses a policy called Rule 13 as part of its code of ethics that allows senators to declare a conflict of interest, without giving details, but allowing them to vote based on their conscience and obligation to constituents. The House has no rule requiring members to state a conflict of interest before votes that could affect them or their businesses financially. In addition to Reeves, Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville, who voted against the tax cut and refund, declared Rule 13 before last year's vote. World's top businesses, Lee Company receive biggest Tennessee tax rebates Yarbro told the Lookout this week he pulled out of the partnership track at Bass, Berry & Sims law firm so he wouldn't be part of its financial decisions. 'I'm not opposed to any business or citizen taking a refund from the government. Who wouldn't? If I qualified for a refund, I'd take it. But I still think it's bad public policy,' Yarbro said in a statement to the Lookout. Yarbro added that, while he felt the bill ran contrary to public interest, he understood it would benefit many businesses in his Senate district, including the firm where he works, thus he declared the potential conflict of interest before the vote. Yarbro and state Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville also proposed a bill they said would enable the state's franchise tax law to withstand constitutional muster without making rebates. Republican leaders declined to consider it. When the matter arose last year, the Department of Revenue told lawmakers it received a challenge to the state's franchise tax on business property, leading most to say the tax cut and refund was justified in averting an expensive legal fight. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also advised lawmakers to avoid litigation. Other key legislators such as House Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland said the reductions were simply good tax policy and not necessarily based on concern about a legal threat. No lawsuit was filed against the state in advance of the vote. Republican Sen. Brent Taylor, former owner of Brentwood Funeral Services in Shelby County, voted for the measure last year after declaring Rule 13 but didn't apply for the tax refund. 'I just didn't think it was appropriate for me to have voted for the franchise tax cut and then go out and benefit from it, because I knew I'd have reporters … calling and wanting to know if I thought it was appropriate to take the refund and also vote for it,' Taylor said.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Calmes: The 'Trump Doctrine' revealed
'I run the country and the world,' President Trump boasted to reporters for the Atlantic in April, by way of explaining how his current presidency differs from his first. Even for the clinically braggadocious Trump, that was a mouthful. Yes, alas, he does run the country, with a bold recklessness like no president before him, and often lawlessly. He's virtually unchallenged by a supposedly co-equal Congress run by obeisant fellow Republicans who are scared of him and his voters, and he's only partly limited by federal courts that are constrained, as he's not, by fealty to the slow and deliberative rule of law. But Trump running the world? That's hardly clear. As often as not, the world seems to be running him. Yes, Trump is wielding power and forcing global leaders and foreign economies to react to his diktats. He's inflicting incalculable damage: by his hostility to the United States' longtime democratic allies and to the 80-year-old international structure that's bound them; by his shameful deference to the world's dictators; by his global trade war; and not least, by his near-wipeout of U.S. humanitarian aid resulting in the confirmed deaths of uncountable numbers of the globe's poorest people. Yet there is no peace between Ukraine and its Russian invader, despite then-candidate Trump's frequent claims he'd settle the worst European conflict since World War II even before he got to the White House. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his scorched-earth war in Gaza, though Trump told his pal Bibi last year to end the killing, before Trump took office. Talks with Iran are reported near collapse on a deal to prevent the country from building nuclear arms, replacing the Obama-brokered pact that was doing just that before Trump scrapped it. And despite White House bluster in April about cutting 90 trade deals in 90 days, as nations pleaded for relief from Trump's tariffs, no final agreements have been announced by the self-described artist of the deal. For more than a century, as the United States evolved from an isolated giant buffered by two oceans into the world's superpower, people here and abroad have looked to American presidents' early actions and pronouncements to discern a guiding doctrine. After all, not just Americans but all the globe's residents have a stake in U.S. policies — as HIV-infected children in Africa, Ukrainian soldiers, foreign traders and consumers, and many others are sadly finding. A Trump Doctrine is easily discernible in the president's foreign policy record: It's 'Me, Myself and I.' Aside from his vague 'America First' (white) nationalist sloganeering, Trump speaks and acts in ways that reflect little appreciation for the national interest or democratic ideals. He's all about himself and his interests — increasingly, that literally means his business interests. Trump's foreign policy is strictly transactional, motivated by what's in it for him, personally and politically. Which is why, contrary to past presidents for decades, Trump twice now has made his first foreign trip as president not to allies in Europe or North America who share America's values, but to autocratic Saudi Arabia. There, and in the smaller, oil-rich Middle Eastern monarchies he also visited last month, Trump is plainly comfortable, amid the opulence and the shared language of deal-making. In fact, Trump explicitly told reporters soon after his inauguration that he'd likely travel first to Saudi Arabia — if it agreed in advance to spend about $500 billion in the United States. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gamely offered $600 billion over four years. Ultimately, Trump came home from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates boasting of bagging $5 trillion — that's trillion, with a T — or maybe $7 trillion, he said, along with a Qatari royal jet for his own use. What details there were suggested that the trade deals for which the president was taking credit — no surprise here — included some commitments dating to the Biden administration. In any case, Americans shouldn't necessarily count on the promised investments: Saudi Arabia's MBS similarly vowed to spend up to $600 billion in the United States back in 2017, when Trump first took office. Yet a study by the Arab Gulf States Initiative concluded that over Trump's first term, U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia totaled $92 billion — below the $110 billion in exports during the preceding four years under President Obama. But here's what you can count on: As the Wall Street Journal has reported, the Trump family business is signing more deals internationally than ever before, mostly in the Middle East but also in India and eastern Europe, for 12 projects including residential high-rises, luxe hotels and golf courses. Beyond real estate, there's the Trumps' $2-billion cryptocurrency deal with the United Arab Emirates state fund. America First? 'We're the hottest brand in the world right now,' son Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, told the Journal. That's good, I guess, because the American brand under Trump has hit the skids. The other noxious sign of Trump's personalization of foreign policy: his constant references to foreign leaders in terms of his own relations with them. Trump's problem is that his supposed friends — the Saudis' MBS, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping — have ideological and national interests that, unlike for Trump, transcend their personal feelings and stakes. And so MBS resists making peace with Israel, as Trump wants, if Israel won't support a Palestinian state. And Netanyahu vows he'll never do so. Xi has avoided taking a phone call with Trump to talk U.S.-China trade. Meanwhile, Putin plays Trump along in the U.S.-sponsored peace talks with Ukraine; he doesn't want peace, he wants all of Ukraine. Only Trump, then, was surprised by Putin's murderous air attacks in recent weeks. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,' Trump posted. 'He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' The Kremlin dismissed Trump as 'emotional.' That's what happens when you think you run the world, and the world has other ideas. @Jackiekcalmes @ @jkcalmes If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
