Beyond The Gates Recap: Hayley Tells Bill She's Pregnant
On today's Beyond The Gates recap:
Uptown: Chelsea and Kat are hanging out discussing their new business. They look at the design and Chelsea makes some points about how it can be improved. Kat approves and says she will have the specs updated (a 'Lucinda' mention makes me think of As The World Turns). Chelsea makes mention of some personal issues and tells Kat she struck out with someone the night before. Kat indicates her life is going the same way.
Chelsea says Allison was a catch. She put herself out there and was humiliated. Chelsea even told her mother and the grands which makes Kat understand how much she actually liked this woman. Kat asks how Dani responded and Chelsea says she was kind and understanding, as were the grands. At the end of the day, Chelsea says she simply turned out to be a fun diversion for Allison and her man. Kat says, no matter what happened, she's proud of her cousin because she took a chance.
Kat brings up Tomas and says she tried to tell him about Eva and her mama. Tomas acted like she was the problem. Chelsea thinks he needs to sit down and wonders if Tomas even gets to have an opinion. That being said, she thinks Tomas is right and Kat knows it deep down inside. Kat doesn't know how to respond and Chelsea says Eva is their family.
Fairmont Country Club: Bill and Hayley run into Tomas, and she wonders if he will be joining them at the gala. Tomas is on the way out when Bill asks what he learned from spying on today's committee meeting. Tomas hesitates because Hayley is there, but Bill says she knows everything about his assignment and does not approve. Tomas promises to have his notes from the meeting in within the hour. With that, Tomas exits. Hayley knows the firm is his baby and will do what needs to be done to protect what's his.
Bill and Hayley take a seat and she says she feels like she doesn't measure up to his first wife. She knows there's always someone around the corner to grab his attention and take him away. Bill tells her to relax and have a glass of wine. Hayley says she can't because they are having a baby (Hmmmm…). Bill is so happy saying Hayley has made him the happiest man in the world. Just then, Chelsea arrives on the scene saying she is going to be sick.
Anita and Vernon's Mansion: Tracy and Anita continue their contentious conversation. Anita says all she can do is own her ambitions and what she sacrificed to meet her goals. Tracy is confused as to what she gave up as she went from their group to even more success as a solo artist, followed by marriage and family. Now, she sits in her palace like the Queen of Cabrini Green. Anita says Tracy has no idea the obstacles she had to overcome. Just then, Vernon arrives with hush puppies and chocolate pie from Orphey Gene's. He is met with the tension in the room and asks if there is anything he can do to help. He can't possibly understand all the issues associated with patching things up after so much time. Vernon does know how much Anita missed Tracy and how much the two of them once loved each other. That love has to be something worth salvaging. With that, Vernon smartly takes the food and heads to the kitchen.
Tracy thinks Anita must have spun some complicated stories to allow herself to sleep at night. Anita stands and says it's time for Tracy to go. She apologizes for even bringing up the idea of the reunion concert. Tracy was hoping Anita had changed but finds her to be the same person she knew all those years ago. She says, if what Vernon said was true, she has missed her all these years, as well. Anita thinks there's no need to go forward with the reunion concert. If Tracy isn't up for it, there's no way Sharon will do it. Tracy can't believe she is so sensitive that they can't talk about their real issues without Anita cutting out.
Tracy wonders if Anita is afraid about dredging up the past. She thinks if they can convince Sharon to sing, the reunion can go forward. Anita hates she hurt Tracy and Sharon when she was bought into what Dante Green was selling. She admits she didn't even think about what her choices did to Tracy and Sharon and says how sorry she is. Anita wonders what they might be able to do with a second chance. Tracy thinks it would be foolish to let it slip away and says she's in for the reunion. Anita thinks Sharon will be a harder sell as she is more angry than Tracy ever was. Anita says she tried to call Sharon but got nowhere. They join hands and agree to work together moving forward.
Vernon walks in and Anita says Tracy is freshening up before she flies home. Vernon is curious and Anita says Tracy is going to talk to Sharon about the possibility of a reunion concert. She notes Vernon didn't really know the real Anita Williams back then as she wasn't all sweetness and light. Anita admits to being ruthless and selfish and hates she can't erase all the hurt she inflicted. The two embrace as Anita breaks down.
Martin and Smitty's Digs: Samantha and Jessica are hanging out. Jessica says she and Tyrell have homework to do and Samantha calls out for him. Jessica stops her saying she needs Samantha's help. Jessica wonders if Tyrell likes her as she likes him very much. Samantha is thrilled to hear how Jessica feels. She asks Samantha how to move forward with Tyrell. Samantha tells Jessica to go for it just as Tyrell comes downstairs.
Samantha tells Tyrell he has to help Jessica study for Physics. Samantha makes herself scarce leaving the two lovebirds to study. They get a little flirty whilst still discussing Physics. With that, they kiss just as Samantha returns with snacks. She quickly leaves before they notice her arrival.
Orphey Gene's: Martin wants to know what Smitty wants to discuss. When he doesn't immediately jump in Martin wonders what happened to the two of them. Smitty says, once the kids arrived, they struggled with communication. Martin notes Smitty used to write him the most amazing letters and wants him to draft one now. He asks Smitty the biggest thing he is dying to tell him. Smitty says he loves him and Martin means the world to him. Smitty wishes he made Martin as happy as he makes him. Martin says his husband does make him happy. Smitty says the problem is Bill Hamilton and asks Martin for more details.
Martin can't believe Smitty would ruin their special moment by bringing up Bill Hamilton. Smitty reminds his husband he loves him. He continues saying Bill said something about Martin that worries him. Martin can't believe Smitty is having secret meetings with Bill and asks for more details. Smitty says Bill called him to the house and he believes he knows something dangerous about Martin. Smitty wonders what Bill knows that he doesn't. Martin gets condescending with his husband saying he got played by Bill. Smitty wonders why Bill would make vague insinuations about his husband. Martin thinks Bill is simply making a power move. Just then, Martin gets a text from work (or is it?). He says he has to go and Smitty says he'll get the check and see him at home.
Uptown: Kat notes they are only related to Eva by marriage. She also thinks Eva tried to kill Laura by running her off the road and then giving her a heart attack. Chelsea says her accusations are unsubstantiated, but Kat says they are the only two who benefitted from her accident. Chelsea knows Eva got mixed up in some horrible things but notes Ted is trying to forge a relationship with her. Just then, Tomas arrives, and Chelsea makes her exit.
Kat and Tomas sit together and she wonders why he constantly tries to make her feel bad for shutting Eva out. She thinks he is never willing nor able to see things from her perspective. Tomas thinks he knows enough about her to have some opinions. Kat wonders when she gets to challenge his life choices. Tomas counters she has never actually taken the time to get to know him.
Kat decides to take him up on his offer and begins to ask questions. She asks what he does on the weekends and Tomas says he often curls up with a good fantasy romance book. Kat pushes and he says he stays fit by hiking and salsa dancing, which impresses her. Tomas goes on saying he's been working with the big brother program for over five years, which is probably why he pushes her to make nice with Eva. Kat ignores the comment about Eva and says she is going to continue to ask more questions. Kat circles back saying she is entitled to mistrust Eva and should be able to do so without feeling like a bad person.
Previous Beyond The Gates Recap:
Endings
Kat understands the key to moving their relationship forward is to ask more questions. She also admits they don't see Eva from the same perspective and maybe never will. Tomas says he's not pushing her to like Eva. He simply wants her to be more interested in what makes him tick. With that, they kiss and make their exit.
Chelsea can't believe what she heard but Bill says they are really having a baby. Chelsea notes they thought they were being shunned before… just wait until everyone hears about this latest update. Hayley wonders if Chelsea and family thought she and Bill were simply a passing fling instead of a couple who is here to stay.
Vernon tells Anita he knew her when she was with the Articulettes as that is when they fell in love. Anita thought seeing Tracy would be healing but it was all so confusing. Vernon says Anita was manipulated by the dastardly Dante Green but she's a different person now who is trying to make amends.
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘There Is No Feud': Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood Tell All on Their ‘White Lotus' Connection, a Cut Love Scene and Yes, Why He Unfollowed Her on Instagram
'Rick and Chelsea, may your souls be tied forever.' That's how Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood were first introduced, via a text from producer David Bernad. There was no chemistry test, no read-through, so the soon-to-be co-stars hadn't met yet. More from Variety 'The Boys' Mocks 'The Last of Us,' 'House of The Dragon' and 'The Bear' in 'Superclass' FYC Clip (EXCLUSIVE) Could AI Help the Emmys? Why the TV Community Is 'Curious, but Not Yet Committed' Emmys Just Aren't Quite Sure What to Do With Eligibility for All of This Season's Guest Stars and Cameos 'He said, 'I'm Scorpio,' and I said, 'I'm Scorpio moon.' And then we both didn't know what to say after that. 'See you in Thailand!'' Wood is laughing and looking to Goggins to confirm, which he does with a nod. The pair has only seen each other once since the February premiere event. Now, it's the first weekend of May. And a lot has happened since then. Namely, the entirety of HBO's 'The White Lotus' Season 3 came and went. Audiences fell in love with the mysterious Rick Hackett and his free-spirit girlfriend, Chelsea. Their love story was an up-and-down, complicated journey that featured Chelsea consistently trying to pull her boyfriend from a dark spiral as he struggled with the fact that the man he believed had killed his father was close by. Ultimately, that spiral got the best of him, resulting in both his and Chelsea's deaths. 'I think we were there for a day or two without meeting because I was so fucking in my head alone,' Goggins says. Then he texted her to come over for lunch. She remembers, 'I didn't know what to order. I was like, 'Can you pick for me?' I was so nervous.' Goggins was nervous, too. But their journey started before she reached the table. 'The minute she walked around the corner, I felt, 'This is gonna work,'' he says. 'Two minutes into the conversation, it felt like I've known this person for 100 years.' So began their tradition of meals together. The cast stayed at the Four Seasons in Thailand and naturally, due to the filming schedule, spent most of their times in their own character bubbles: The women (Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan); the Ratliffs (Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook); and Chelsea and Rick. Schwarzenegger would hold group dinners or breakfasts to debrief, but it quickly became too much for the duo. 'I don't mean to sound like an asshole, it's not method or anything, I just felt like I needed to stay in the space,' says Goggins. Wood agreed, 'Both of us would get overwhelmed.' She refers to them as the 'foxes' who would run in, grab food and run out. 'But there were never any negative vibes,' Goggins says before I can even ask. Yes, he's aware of the rumors. Isaacs has referred to tension on set in a few interviews, once saying that during filming, there were 'fewer deaths but just as much drama' as on the show. 'We'd never lived on a set. This is the first time we were all experiencing basically a reality TV show,' Wood says. 'I think we both struggle with work-life balance anyway, so it's hard because there's not even separation in distance.' Since wrap, there's been distance between Goggins and most of the cast because he's been working 70-hour weeks on 'Fallout.' While most watched the finale together at an event, he was alone in New York for a late-night appearance. 'I probably wouldn't have gone anyways,' he says at first. But within 15 minutes of discussing the finale, both are tearing up and he admits to Wood, 'I wish I would have been able to watch this with you. It was so cathartic and so painful, and I regret that. I really do.' Mostly, they both realized something at the same moment while watching: A key Chelsea and Rick love scene had been cut. In the finale, the characters have an emotional reunion on the beach, then went to their bedroom and discuss their relationship. Wood says it had a 'similar feel' to the 'that's the plan' scene at breakfast, confirming their love for each other. It also involved an intimate sex scene. 'We designed the whole journey, even down to the fact that Chelsea gets on Rick in the first [love] scene. Then in the last episode, it was Rick picking Chelsea up. It was so, so delicate,' Wood recalls. Goggins echoes her. While the first love scene showed their connection, 'the last one was two people who were free. It was this very long, suspended moment of these two people looking at each other. It was so powerful.' With that, he picks up my recorder and yells a message for creator Mike White: 'Fuck you, Mike! We want a director's cut!' But back to other topics. Goggins is the 'most enthusiastic man ever,' Wood says — something I didn't need to hear. When he came in for the 10 a.m. photoshoot, his energy was contagious. 'Let's have some fuckin' fun,' he told our crew as he walked into the photo studio in West Hollywood, carrying his own speaker and asking to connect his own music. First, he played Soul Coughing's 'Screenwriter's Blues,' and followed up with Led Zeppelin. The pair didn't see each other until Wood finished taking her solo photos a bit later. While she didn't bring her own music, she suggested 'Miss You' by the Rolling Stones before he entered: 'Anything Stones I think, now that Walton's coming in.' Visibly emotional seeing each other, the two embraced for 30 seconds as the Variety team suddenly felt we were intruding on a private moment. The laughter then began almost immediately, and their photo shoot transitioned into a dance party. After, they asked to step outside for a quick break. 'We were saying outside, 'We can't start crying!' We're the two most emotional, sensitive people!' Wood says with a laugh. But there's a reason for the emotion. There's a reason that they've hugged multiple times, held each other's hands and continuously exchanged compliments during our conversation. Part of that is because of how much Wood helped Goggins through the darkness. 'I was alone purposely in this experience — not selfishly, not narcissistically,' he says. 'Everyone has their process. Mine is being alone. But Aimee as Chelsea wouldn't let me do that.' On set, she'd tell him, 'You're going into the sad, parallel world. Stay in the real one.' So, let's talk about the real one. First, I bring up 'Saturday Night Live,' since, at the time of our chat, Goggins is seven days out from hosting. A week before his gig was announced, Wood called out the show's 'mean and unfunny' parody of her. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't host, she says. 'I was so upset when people [said that],' she says. 'For fuck's sake, of course Walton should do 'SNL.' That's got nothing to do with me. He's fucking had a career for, like, how long?' Without missing a beat, Goggins responds, '70 years.' Wood continues, commenting on the sketch show: 'I said it, and then the next minute, [lowers her voice,] 'Aimee caught crying over 'SNL' skit.' I was not crying over the 'SNL' skit. I was over it the minute I said it.' As she continues, she sits up, chin up. 'This is an important moment for me, because what I would usually do is see it and turn the anger inward. I thought, I'm just gonna say it, so I don't spiral.' Goggins puts it perfectly: 'That's self-love.' It's hard not to share the transcript of the next part of the discussion: Wood: 'I know for a fact a man wrote that. It wasn't Sarah Sherman, don't hate on her. I didn't like the concept. Take the piss out of me. Do the teeth! I've got the teeth, but, like —' Goggins: 'You have the most beautiful smile in the world, you know that.' Wood: 'Thank you. The punch line should not be how I look. That's what bothered me. Do the caricature, because that's what 'SNL' is. It felt misogynistic. It felt like the punch line was a woman's appearance, which is just not funny. It's not cool.' Goggins, picking up my microphone: 'Here it is everybody. Dude in the U.K., we'll get to that too.' At the time, Goggins, half-asleep and heading into makeup to become the Ghoul, shared the parody clip and complimented Jon Hamm's impression of him. Hours later, he saw Wood's response, felt awful and deleted his post. 'Then the next day, I made a vicious swipe against my friend? I've been posting for 14 fucking years, and if I'm gonna say something, but I'm gonna say it to your face,' he says. 'I don't use social media in any way, and I'm not a mean guy.' He picks up my recorder again: 'That's the story.' But earlier, he mentioned the 'dude in the U.K.,' referencing the Times' story, which was published 48 hours before we sit down, with the headline, 'Walton Goggins: Aimee Lou Wood? I'm not gonna have that conversation.' First, he wants to make one thing clear about his relationship with Wood. 'There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,' he says, getting choked up. Goggins turns to look at Wood. 'This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will. You watch what the next 20 years of her experience will be. I'll be on an island, I think Greece. But she's special. There is no feud. She is love and I know that I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply.' The Times interview wasn't the time for the discussion, he says, first because Wood wasn't there. 'What am I gonna do, speak for both of us? Never.' Goggins says the reporter asked three different times about Wood and had a 'divisive nature.' The last question, he says, compared Goggins' teeth to Wood's, asking if they'd bonded over that. 'What he was insinuating, it was so disgusting. It was so appalling. I was flabbergasted. And I said, 'Fuck mate, wow. I think we're done here,'' Goggins says. When he mentions the story calling him 'sleazy,' Wood is shocked. 'What???' she gasps. 'How horrible!' I make sure that Wood has a chance to speak about the rumors and the fact that Goggins unfollowing her on social media has made headlines for months. 'I think it's such a comment on where we're at culturally. Why is everyone obsessing over Instagram? That is irrelevant. We don't give a shite about Instagram,' she says. 'Why not have conversations about the story and Rick and Chelsea and enjoy it?' At first, Wood wanted to correct people and bring it back to the show, but knew anything she said would get twisted: 'Eventually I just started to sit back and watch these people making something out of absolutely nothing.' She pauses and Goggins scooches to the edge of the couch, leaning into the recorder more. 'If I may add, just to put this to bed? The following or unfollowing. I'm a grown-ass man.' Long story short, Goggins isn't good with goodbyes. 'When I left 'Justified,' I went up to Tim [Olyphant], and I hugged him and I said, 'I love you, and I hope I see you in rooms for the rest of my life,'' he says. 'I didn't talk to him for almost two years. I've done that with every single thing that I've done.' 'The White Lotus' was no different; in fact, it was painful. In 2004, his wife died by suicide. He spent the next three years traveling and searching for peace. It led him to Thailand, then to Bangkok. When he arrived in Bangkok on set, he realized he was in the exact same place. 'My catharsis in this experience was different than other people's, because of my history in this place. I knew what we had gone through, and I knew how close that we had gotten, and I needed to begin to process saying goodbye to Rick and Chelsea,' Goggins says, beginning to cry. 'And I knew that that was going to take a while for me, so I let her know, this is what I've gotta do. And she was extremely supportive about that.' After filming ended, 'I needed to just back away from everyone,' he says. 'I haven't spoken to anyone. I couldn't handle it. Judge me or don't. I don't give a fuck what you think. This is my process. Rick means everything to me, and Chelsea means everything to me. And so that's what I needed to do for me to process all of this.' He jokes that if he had been following Olyphant or his 'The Shield' co-star Michael Chiklis, he would have unfollowed them after those shows wrapped, too. 'You know what?' Goggins laughs and gets up. 'I'll follow you right now!' He heads across the room to find his phone, coming back to sit with Wood. He opens Instagram and becomes one of her 3 million followers. 'It's all so ridiculous,' he says. 'It's just a part of me just saying goodbye to this character so that now Aimee and I will be friends for fucking ever.' They hug again, and Wood tells him, 'I completely understand.' He tells her, 'I love you.' With tears in his eyes, he continues, 'I'm emotional because we haven't been in the same city to ever talk about this. So for me, this is just so wonderful.' I begin wrapping up, aware that Wood has to catch a flight to New York. 'Hopefully that answers everybody's questions,' he says. He's wiped his tears. The contagious smile is back. 'What else? Do you guys want to talk about astrology?' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
a day ago
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Chilled Cole Palmer ready to play ‘wherever' and win spot in England XI
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Oh, and southerners. Manchester's finest made a comment last summer about how he was finding them hard work after his first season at Chelsea. Has he come to terms with them now? 'No, they're all still moody,' he says. 'I think because it's so busy, they're all stressed. It must be a southern thing. I don't live in central London. Sometimes I go in but I couldn't live there.' If Palmer is a unique talent on the pitch, he is unique to interview, as well. Short shrift is his default setting; plenty of his answers are monosyllabic, some just a sound – hmmm. A shrug. It is impossible to ignore the quintessentially Manc vibe. Advertisement Palmer has a deadpan expression which wonders: 'Why are you asking me that?' Example: how is he spending his downtime at the Camiral? 'Play PlayStation … Fifa,' he replies. Like, seriously? As on the pitch, Palmer is cool, cold. He is highly entertaining. When was the last time Palmer was angry? 'Errr,' he says, after a typically long pause. 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'Last season I played all wide [in midfield] and this season I've moved [more centrally]. Wherever he [Tuchel] puts me, I'll play.' Palmer's goal against Spain was the perfect illustration of his ability to live in the moment and seize it, oblivious to the pressure. It was a similar story in Chelsea's Conference League final win over Real Betis last week, albeit the stakes were not as high. One-nil down, Palmer said he was 'sick of going backwards and sideways'. So he trusted his skill, ran at Betis and made it happen with the assists for 2-1. Chelsea won 4-1. Advertisement Palmer is back on the up after an unfathomable dry spell from mid-January when he went 18 matches without a goal. The run ended with the penalty against Liverpool in the fourth-last game of the Premier Leagueseason. He finished with 15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. 'Things weren't happening for me and it went on a bit longer than I thought it would,' Palmer says. 'But I spoke to people about it and they explained it's going to happen. They said that when I get out of it, I'll be an even better player. When you go to Chelsea and you jump up and then you go into a dip, you think: 'What's going on?' But I didn't mind …' Palmer catches himself, and there is a rare line from him before he remembers who he is. 'Well, obviously, I did mind,' he says. 'But I didn't think: 'Ah, this is the end of the world.''
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Soap star on crusade to save her husband — accused of spying
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Tamara Beckwith After his 2020 arrest, McMahon began having panic attacks, according to Byrne, who snapped into action and became his personal trainer. 'You can have one day in bed,' she told her husband. 'But ONLY one … Depending on his mood, I balanced the dual role of cheerleader and tough love drill sergeant.' She also knocked on doors — going to police precincts in New Jersey to tell her husband's story, and seeking out other private detectives to warn them they were potential DOJ targets and of the need to verify Chinese clients were not working for the PRC. 'Justice would most certainly prevail,' she writes. 'We just had to fight.' 8 Martha Byrne worked as an investigator and advocate for her husband, trying to clear his name. Gregory P. Mango Not everyone rushed to help. Byrne went to see 2017 New York City mayoral candidate Bo Dietl, who runs one of the biggest PI firms in the world, based in Manhattan. She claims he listened to her story and then had a colleague hand her a card with a lawyer's name on it before abruptly ending the meeting. The Post previously revealed that Dietl went into business with a Chinese security company in 2015 and had boasted on WABC's 'Sid and Friends in the Morning' that he had surveilled the exiled Chinese billionaire dissident Miles Guo. He has never faced any charges related to this and declined to comment Wednesday. Advertisement Among those who have backed Bryne's fight is retired FBI agent Kevin Hecht, one of the foremost experts on Chinese counterintelligence, who began investigating Operation Fox Hunt in 2016. Despite his extensive experience, Hecht told The Post last week that he was never consulted on McMahon's case. He called McMahon's case an example of 'malicious prosecution' on the part of the DOJ. 8 Bo Dietl worked with a Chinese security firm and conducted surveillance on a Chinese billionaire. Paul Martinka Advertisement 'The facts of this case show McMahon was not part of the Fox Hunt scheme, but rather, used to obtain documentation of a civil nature, such as real estate and other financial footprints,' Hecht said in a statement. While preparing for McMahon's trial, which began 2023, the family was horrified when they found out that the federal government had obtained a secret warrant to track their emails. 'One day in early 2021 we received a very disturbing letter from Microsoft alerting us they had complied with a search warrant issued on December 31, 2018, from the Department of Justice for our emails,' she writes. 'We knew the government must have looked through our emails but seeing it in writing is something I can't describe. Microsoft's letter [said] the warrant was now finally closed. How long had it been open? We felt completely violated. I had no idea if they had spied on our children. How often was I followed' Advertisement 8 The People's Republic of China set up a 'police station' in Lower Manhattan in order to spy on dissidents in New York. REUTERS The family never found out. But Byrne said agents scoured 10 years of her and McMahon's banking records and credit card bills. Now, as McMahon prepares to turn himself in to authorities to serve his 18-month sentence on June 16, they are hoping for President Trump to intervene and issue a pardon. 'It brought me hope when I saw the caliber of people Donald Trump appointed to his administration … many who at one time had been targets of the government themselves,' she wrote. Advertisement McMahon was hired in fall 2016 by what he believed was a translation company from New Jersey to do surveillance on a luxury Short Hills, NJ, home occupied by a relative of Xu Jin and Liu Fang, and to use public records to find companies and other assets registered to the couple. 8 Byrne, seen here at home with McMahon, says the family has almost exhausted their funds trying to exonerate McMahon. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST He was told that he was locating assets for a civil court case. Xu and Liu, he was told, had stolen money from a construction company and the people who hired him wanted to find where the cash had gone. What he was not told was that Xu was a former Wuhan official who had fled China amid allegations of corruption. McMahon's work was used without his knowledge in a 2018 New Jersey civil suit against the couple and others, brought by the Xinba Construction Group Co., alleging they had embezzled millions. Xinba won a nearly $15 million default judgment in 2019, court records show. Meanwhile, Byrne and her family have practically exhausted their savings on legal fees, she writes, adding they have very little left to fund an appeal. 'Not sure what more I can do,' she told The Post. 'Pray. That's all I do. And slowly, prayers are getting answered.'
