Latest news with #LaCivita
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump campaign chief tells undercover reporters he advised Liberal party ahead of election
Footage of the undercover conversations between veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita and undercover reporters shows LaCivita claiming he visited Australia to advise the Liberal party ahead of the election. LaCivita says he made an unpublicised visit to Australia to advise the Liberal party about 'structural issues' related to Peter Dutton. 'I was in Australia two weeks ago helping the Liberal party there, on some of their structural issues that they were having with Peter Dutton,' LaCivita says on 16 April in the first of two calls. The footage was published on Thursday by the Europe-based organisations Correctiv and the Centre for Climate Reporting. A Coalition spokesman has denied LaCivita had any connection to the Dutton campaign. In a statement, LaCivita told Guardian Australia: 'I did not and do not work for the Liberal Party of Australia. I provide consulting to a wide variety of business interests – some in Australia some in the US etc in terms of a political party – I have not. Also, I have never met Mr Dutton, but I hope to when he is elected prime minister'
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump campaign chief claims he visited Australia to advise Liberals at start of election campaign
One of the architects of Donald Trump's 2024 victory claims he made an unpublicised visit to Australia to advise the Liberal party about 'structural issues' related to Peter Dutton ahead of the federal election. The veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita told undercover reporters posing as prospective clients for political consulting work he was working as a private consultant on the visit to Australia, not in an official capacity or as an adviser to the US president. Footage of the undercover conversations was published on Thursday by the Europe-based organisations Correctiv and the Centre for Climate Reporting. ''I was in Australia two weeks ago helping the Liberal party there, on some of their structural issues that they were having with Peter Dutton,' LaCivita said on 16 April in the first of two calls. Australia's election campaign began on 28 March. 'Things somewhat seem to be moving in the right direction there… those efforts are strictly political in nature and don't require me to engage with the United States government.' LaCivita told the undercover reporters in a second call on 24 April he made the trip without publicity. He contrasts this to media reporting about his paid work with Albania's opposition party. 'Never knew I was there,' he said, in reference to his claimed visit to Australia. 'I try to maintain a degree of discretion … it just it gives us a degree of freedom of movement.' A Coalition spokesman denied LaCivita had any connection to the Dutton campaign. 'Mr LaCivita is not advising, has never advised, and is not involved in any way with the Coalition campaign. Mr Dutton has not met with him. In a statement, LaCivita told Guardian Australia: 'I did not and do not work for the Liberal Party of Australia. I provide consulting to a wide variety of business interests – some in Australia some in the US etc in terms of a political party – I have not. 'Also, I have never met Mr Dutton, but I hope to when he is elected prime minister.' LaCivita was Trump's co-campaign manager in his successful 2024 presidential run, along with the current White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Trump thanked LaCivita in his victory speech and LaCivita briefly took the microphone to thank the president, saying Trump was 'a hell of a candidate, and he's going to be a hell of a great 47th president'. Visits and knowledge-sharing between like minded political parties and consultants are not uncommon in election campaigns. Anthony Albanese has previously talked up ties with UK Labour. The ALP's campaign boss Paul Erickson offered advice to strategists working to elect Sir Keir Starmer ahead of the UK's 2024 election. Erickson was later invited to present at Labour's annual party conference. A US Marine veteran who received a Purple Heart for service in the first Gulf War, LaCivita helped craft the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, considered a fatal blow for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in his 2004 race against George W Bush. Dutton has distanced himself from associations with Trump during the campaign after initially pursuing policies that nodded to parts of the US president's agenda – promising to sack 41,000 public servants, announcing a role for senator Jacinta Nampinjinpa Price in pursuing 'government efficiency', claiming students were being 'indoctrinated' by the school curriculum and denouncing the ABC and Guardian Australia as 'hate media'. During the second leaders' debate of the campaign, Dutton said: 'We trust the US. I don't know the president. I've not met him.' Labor has tried to tie Dutton to Trump-style politics as polling showed voters were increasingly uncomfortable with the actions of the US president, particularly following the implementation of trade tariffs. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has labelled the opposition leader 'Dogey Dutton', referring to the so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) set up by Trump under the leadership of Elon Musk. Labor is likely to point to claims about LaCivita's visit as more evidence Dutton's agenda is being guided by the unpopular Trump, but it also signals close ties between the Coalition and key members of the president's inner circle, likely advantageous if Dutton wins Saturday's election. LaCivita's credentials within Trump's orbit are strong. Donald Trump Jr. called him 'a supremely competent nuts-and-bolts guy,' in an interview with New York magazine. 'He doesn't care about getting credit, he doesn't care about stroking his own ego, he only cares about getting the job done and delivering for my father,' Trump Jr. said.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's Former Campaign Manager Sues the Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is being sued by Chris LaCivita over reports alleging that he and his company received millions of dollars for his work as co-manager of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The Daily Beast reported that LaCivita and his company were paid $22 million over two years leading up to the election, a figure that was reduced in later reporting to $19.2 million. The Trump operative claims in court filings that 'the vast majority' of these funds were used for 'campaign advertising expenses.' The lawsuit was filed by LaCivita and his company, Advancing Strategies LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he is a resident. LaCivita is claiming two counts of defamation and one of conspiracy to injure another in trade, business, or profession. He is seeking a jury trial and demanding compensatory and punitive damages. He says 'defamatory reporting created the false impression' that he was 'excessively' cashing in on his work for Trump and 'prioritizing personal gain over the campaign's success.' In the filing, LaCivita claims the stories were based on 'unreliable information provided by Corey Lewandowski and others in a blatant act of revenge against Mr. LaCivita and the Republican National Committee.' Lewandowski, a political consultant, was a campaign manager during Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016. LaCivita says the implication that his company was making millions 'unbeknownst to President Trump and the campaign' imputed a lack of integrity and harmed his reputation. He says the Daily Beast articles subjected him to 'hatred, ridicule or distrust.' The lawsuit details several articles published in the weeks before the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election and an interview included in an episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, co-hosted by the Beast's chief content officer, Joanna Coles, and Samantha Bee. LaCivita alleges that award-winning freelance journalist Michael Isikoff first made the allegations in an Oct. 15, 2024, article published by the Daily Beast under the headline 'Trump in Cash Crisis As Campaign Chief's $22m Pay Revealed.' That was followed by four further articles over the ensuing days repeating the original article's allegation that LaCivita 'raked in' $22 million 'and counting' from his work with the Trump campaign and PACs, the suit alleges. LaCivita claims in the filing that allegations about the payments were 'categorically false and belied by the publicly available campaign finance records themselves.' 'These records clearly show that the $22 million figure is the gross spend (the overwhelming majority of which was for ad buys), not the money which Mr. LaCivita personally received,' the lawsuit adds. 'It is estimated that it would cost millions of dollars to repair Mr. LaCivita's reputation as a result of the defamatory articles published about him which had mass circulation and international reach,' the suit alleges. LaCivita claims the allegations were repeated by Isikoff when he appeared as a guest on an Oct. 23, 2024, episode of The Daily Beast Podcast. He says in the court papers that the Daily Beast modified its reporting on Nov. 8, 2024, 'after further review of FEC records' to claim LaCivita's company 'received $19.2 million in compensation, rather than the $22 million figure originally reported.' In the lawsuit, LaCivita claims the $19.2 million figure was also false. The Daily Beast stood by its reporting. A spokesperson said the Daily Beast would defend itself against the lawsuit. 'The Daily Beast stands by its reporting on Chris LaCivita. His lawsuit is meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press. The Beast will defend itself vigorously and looks forward to following the money to confirm where every penny flowed in LaCivita's LLC,' the statement said. It's not the first time the president or someone in his orbit has sued a media company—last year Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over an interview on '60 Minutes' with his then-Democratic rival Kamala Harris, which he claimed was edited in a way that constituted 'voter interference.' That lawsuit remains ongoing. ABC News also agreed last year to pay $15 million toward Trump's presidential library as part of a defamation settlement. The case was brought when anchor George Stephanopoulos inaccurately asserted on air that Trump was found civilly liable for raping the writer E. Jean Carroll—he was only found liable for sexual abuse and defaming Carroll.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump campaign manager sues the Daily Beast over stories on how much he earned
The co-manager of President Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign sued the Daily Beast for defamation Monday over stories regarding how much he was paid for his work. The lawsuit on behalf of Chris LaCivita said the online publication's stories that he was paid $22 million over two years — later corrected to $19.2 million — 'created the false impression that Mr. LaCivita was personally profiting excessively from his work for the campaign and that he was prioritizing personal gain over the campaign's success.' The Daily Beast said it stood by its reporting and said the lawsuit 'is meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press.' Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is representing LaCivita in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia. The filing was first reported by Axios. The case continues a trend of aggressive action taken against the news media by Trump and those in his orbit. Trump has sued CBS News for $20 billion over editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with his 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris, and sued the Des Moines Register over an Iowa election poll that turned out to be inaccurate. ABC News settled a lawsuit with Trump over its incorrect claim that the president had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. LaCivita, in his lawsuit, said the majority of the money paid by Trump to him and his firm, Advancing Strategies LLC, was to buy media ads. He alleges that the stories created a negative perception for him and his firm and hindered the ability to attract new clients. In a letter to Geragos last month, the Daily Beast said it would request that Trump and several of his aides be made available for the discovery process. The company's lawyer, Neil Rosenhouse, disputed the idea that LaCivita's business had been hurt. 'The Beast's reporting that the LLC earned millions of dollars by successfully managing President Trump's campaign is not defamatory,' he wrote, 'it is the opposite.' ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and
Associated Press
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Trump campaign manager sues the Daily Beast over stories on how much he earned
The co-manager of President Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign sued the Daily Beast for defamation Monday over stories regarding how much he was paid for his work. The lawsuit on behalf of Chris LaCivita said the online publication's stories that he was paid $22 million over two years — later corrected to $19.2 million — 'created the false impression that Mr. LaCivita was personally profiting excessively from his work for the campaign and that he was prioritizing personal gain over the campaign's success.' The Daily Beast said it stood by its reporting and said the lawsuit 'is meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press.' Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is representing LaCivita in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia. The filing was first reported by Axios. The case continues a trend of aggressive action taken against the news media by Trump and those in his orbit. Trump has sued CBS News for $20 billion over editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with his 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris, and sued the Des Moines Register over an Iowa election poll that turned out to be inaccurate. ABC News settled a lawsuit with Trump over its incorrect claim that the president had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. LaCivita, in his lawsuit, said the majority of the money paid by Trump to him and his firm, Advancing Strategies LLC, was to buy media ads. He alleges that the stories created a negative perception for him and his firm and hindered the ability to attract new clients. In a letter to Geragos last month, the Daily Beast said it would request that Trump and several of his aides be made available for the discovery process. The company's lawyer, Neil Rosenhouse, disputed the idea that LaCivita's business had been hurt. 'The Beast's reporting that the LLC earned millions of dollars by successfully managing President Trump's campaign is not defamatory,' he wrote, 'it is the opposite.'
