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The Hill
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Baltimore mayor on cities called out by Trump: ‘The president could learn a lot from us'
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) accused President Trump of promoting 'racist viewpoints' after the president suggested Monday that his crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., could expand to other major U.S. cities, including Baltimore. Scott in an interview late Monday suggested that the White House should, instead, work with mayors who are already trying to drive down violent crime rates. 'The president could learn a lot from us instead of throwing things at us,' the Charm City mayor said on CNN's 'Laura Coates Live.' 'What he's doing is dog whistling through this right-wing propaganda and, quite frankly, racist viewpoints that they have about these cities and trying to convince the American people that what they know is not true.' Trump declared a public safety emergency in the nation's capital, paving the way for a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the deployment of National Guard troops. Trump told reporters as he unveiled his latest anti-crime efforts that he was concerned about other American cities 'that are bad — very bad.' The president specifically called out Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, adding 'then you have of course, Baltimore and Oakland, [Calif.] — they don't even mention them anymore, they're so far gone.' Scott said on CNN that cities like Baltimore have been working to curb violence through community-driven initiatives that bring together law enforcement, legal advocates and the public. 'I think it's very notable that each and every one of the cities called out by the president has a Black mayor, and most of those cities are seeing historic lows in violent crime,' Scott said. 'The reality is no mayor is out here saying that we don't have to deal with crime. That's our number one issue that we deal with each and every day.' Scott said the Trump administration has not reached out to him about crime or what the city is doing to fight it. The White House didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on Scott's remarks, but Trump and his allies have pushed back on claims that violent crime rates are falling in cities he's targeted. 'I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the hell out of you or anyone else,' U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at the White House briefing. White House officials have also pointed out that a D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly making changes to crime statistics in his district. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and MPD Chief Pamela Smith declined to comment on the case during a separate press briefing Monday, citing the ongoing investigation. Trump compared his anti-crime initiative to his migrant crackdown at the U.S. southern border. 'What you need is rules and regulations and you need the right people to implement them, and we have the right people here,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. The head of the D.C. Police Union backed up the president's move in a statement.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Epstein Grand Jury Smokescreen Immediately Called Out as BS
President Donald Trump's vow to seek the release of the Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts is being dismissed as nothing but smoke and mirrors. Facing scrutiny over his relationship with the disgraced financier and fury from his base over the administration's failure to release new information in the case, Trump announced in a social media post that he had asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.' Bondi—who has been facing calls from MAGA to resign over her failure to produce new Epstein revelations—responded minutes later, writing in a social media post, 'President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.' It wasn't clear if she was referring to Epstein's 2006 prosecution in Florida, which ended in a plea deal, or his 2019 prosecution in New York, where he was indicted and died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. Democratic lawmakers and legal experts alike, however, quickly poked holes in Bondi's pledge. Federal law generally prohibits releasing grand jury transcripts, and the nature of the proceedings themselves would have been limited in scope. 'Nice try @AGPam Bondi,' Rep. Daniel Goldman, a Democrat from New York, wrote in a post on X. 'What about videos, photographs and other recordings? What about FBI 302's (witness interviews)? What about texts and emails?' That's where any evidence about Trump and other high-profile associates would be, whereas the grand jury testimony would only be related to Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, the former prosecutor added. During a grand jury hearing, the prosecutor isn't trying to secure a guilty verdict—they just need to convince a jury that there's enough evidence to try the case. Instead of proving the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, prosecutors just have to show there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime was committed, a standard known as probable cause. Democratic Reps. Ro Kanna of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland expressed similar concerns, with Raskin—who is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee—telling CNN that congressional Democrats are also interested in Epstein's emails, correspondence, phone calls, and other evidence. 'Everybody can see through it—it's slicing the baloney extremely fine,' Raskin said during an appearance on Laura Coates Live. Kanna also pointed out during a House Rules Committee meeting on Thursday night, where Republicans voted down a Democratic-led measure to advance the release of the Epstein documents, that courts usually don't release grand jury testimony. Even if Bondi immediately requests the transcripts to be made public, it could be a long time before any information is released—if ever. Under the federal rules of criminal procedure, grand jury proceedings are secret unless the court authorizes disclosure based on a limited set of statutory exceptions. Barb McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, wrote in a social media post that Trump's order was a 'meaningless trick' because a court cannot violate federal Rule 6(e) prohibiting public disclosure. University of Alabama law professor and MSNBC analyst Joyce Vance wrote in a Substack post that the reason grand jury proceedings are kept secret is to protect the integrity of the investigation, prevent witness intimidation, and protect the reputations of people who are not indicted. To get the material disclosed, the requesting party needs to convince the court that the need for the information outweighs the interest in keeping it secret. 'All of the possible impediments to releasing grand jury material may well be the point for Trump,' Vance wrote. 'He can say, yet again, that he tried and the courts stood in his way. Even a delay, while lawyers brief the matter and a judge schedules a hearing, could work in Trump's favor if the fickle public loses interest in the issue and moves on, and he lives to fight another day, yet again.' If the administration were serious about releasing the files, it could have put the process in motion a long time ago, Politico reporter Kyle Cheney pointed out in a social media post. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the Department of Justice for comment. 'If there was a 'smoking gun' on Epstein, why didn't the Dems, who controlled the 'files' for four years, and had Garland and Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Dem Floats Dark Theory On Trump's Epstein Secrecy
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is sharing some unvarnished thoughts on President Donald Trump's connection to Jeffrey Epstein, whose rumored 'client list' of sex trafficking co-conspirators the administration vowed to release — before claiming it doesn't exist. Raskin appeared Wednesday on CNN's 'Laura Coates Live' to share his theories. 'Donald Trump said for years that they were going to release the files,' he said. 'And now, all of a sudden, he apparently knows what's in the files, and he doesn't want to release them anymore.' 'We know he was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein. Some people have said that they were best friends for a decade,' Raskin continued. 'We know that there are lots of photographs of them and video together. Perhaps that explains it, perhaps it's because there are other friends of Donald Trump that are in there.' Trump was indeed shown palling around with the financier in the 1990s and in the early 2000s. Epstein was later indicted on state sex crime charges, however; he was given in 2008 what critics have called a 'sweetheart deal' by Alexander Acosta, the then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida — who was appointed in 2017 as Trump's Secretary of Labor. Epstein pleaded guilty at the time to soliciting prostitution and soliciting an underage prostitute. He was sentenced only to 18 months, and was allowed to leave his jail cell almost daily under a work-release program that has since been shut down. 'I mean, the guy was convicted of one charge of solicitation when he was having sex with all of these underaged girls and running this predatory ring,' Raskin said Wednesday. 'He had to sleep in jail but, otherwise, he was free during the daytime.' 'I mean, it was crazy, the way he was treated,' he added. 'There cannot be two separate systems of justice, one for the vast majority of American people and another for power elites who know people and can get away with this stuff.' Trump previously tried to distance himself from Epstein but is now claiming parts of the files were 'made up' by his political enemies to hurt him. The reversal, from floating potential answers to rejecting mere questions about the case, has angered swaths of his own base. 'It's ridiculous,' Raskin said Wednesday. 'There's already been numerous law enforcement investigations. The file exists. The information is there. That's why Donald Trump has been demanding that it go public for the last several years.' 'Perhaps he wants to be using all of this information for purposes of blackmail,' he added elsewhere during his appearance. 'I don't know. But he has done a 180-degree turn from what he said, and he's the one who has created this entire crisis.' Related... Republicans Again Kneel Before Trump, Giving Up More Powers Rep. Jasmine Crockett Has 1 'Very Interesting' Question About Trump's Link To Epstein Republican Sen. Calls Out Trump For Trying To Move On From Epstein
The Hill
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Dean Phillips: Mamdani ‘grave threat' to Democrats around US
Former Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) on Wednesday called New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani a 'grave threat' to Democrats across the U.S. 'Mamdani, as you have referenced just moments ago, is a grave threat to Democrats around the country. He could be the mayor of New York,' Phillips told CNN's Omar Jimenez on 'Laura Coates Live.' 'I think that would be detrimental for the party. Anyone who talks about seizing the means of production or opening government-run grocery stores is at great odds with most of the country,' he added. Some Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill have also raised concerns about Mamdani's victory as the Democratic nominee for New York City's mayor, saying that him not condemning the phrase 'globalize the intifada' or acknowledging Israel as a Jewish state could be risky amid a current moment of rising antisemitism in the U.S. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, recently shocked American political observers with his win over political heavyweight and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. 'When Democrats elevate people like Mamdani — and look at him. I do not know him. I can't — I'm not going to disparage him personally, but I can tell you, based on what I've read about his positions, his platform, you know, it's nonsensical to believe that America is looking for democratic socialists around the country,' Phillips said. 'In urban America, in some cases, they may succeed,' he added. Mandani has said that his platform would be successful with candidates outside of his city. 'Do you think that is a platform that would work for other candidates running in other parts of the country?' MSNBC's Jen Psaki asked Mamdani in an interview on 'The Briefing.' 'Absolutely,' Mamdani responded. 'I think, ultimately, this is a campaign about inequality. And you don't have to live in the most expensive city in the country to have experienced that inequality, because it's a national issue. The Hill has reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment.
The Hill
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Clyburn: Newsom would be ‘viable' White House candidate if he runs
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said during a recent television appearance that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) would be a 'viable' White House candidate for Democrats if he decides to run for president in 2028. Clyburn agreed, when asked, if Newsom would be an 'effective' messenger for the Democratic Party. 'He's been that for some time now. Gavin Newsom has established a record in California that is enviable,' Clyburn said while on CNN's Laura Coates Live. 'He's been around the country over the last several years carrying the message of the Democratic party, and I think he will be a viable candidate going forward, if he were – were to run.' Newsom kicked off his two-day tour of South Carolina on Tuesday, visiting rural counties, taking photos and engaging with voters in the northeastern part of the state. The California governor, who has long been considered one of the top contenders to be the party's nominee in the next presidential election, said that Democrats need to be open to discussing their views with those who hold opposing viewpoints. 'I think it's really important for Democrats that we spend time in parts of our states, parts of our country, that frankly, we haven't spent enough time in, and so that's why I'm here,' Newsom told attendees at an event in Florence, S.C. Newsom, who was in the state in early 2024 when he stumped for then-President Biden, also slammed President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' pointing to the large cuts in Medicaid. 'We can talk about the big, beautiful betrayal. The largest health care cuts in American history, just happened. They are celebrating that success. Cutting meals on wheels. Eliminating for millions and millions of people access to food,' the California governor said on Tuesday. 'Our children's access to food. Stacking debt to likes of which none of us could have ever imagined. The greatest transfer of wealth in American history. All for tax cuts for corporations and billionaire that weren't even asking for them,' Newsom added. 'That's the world we are living in today.' CNN's Omar Jimenez asked Clyburn if Newsom, who is term-limited, would be a 'strong' candidate for president. The veteran South Carolina Democrat pointed to Newsom's event in Camden, S.C., where the crowd exceeded Clyburn's expectations. 'Well, I was with him in Camden this evening, and I went there expecting a modest crowd on a Tuesday afternoon, and this was in fact his, I think, sixth or seventh stop of the day,' Clyburn said. 'It was an overflowing crowd of people, some of whom I have never seen at an event like this before and so I do think people are listening to him and they are listening to the Democratic Party in a big way.'
