12 days before the vote, DOJ charges a Trump critic
What’s new
The Justice Department charged Virginia Senate leader Louise Lucas, a Trump critic, with racketeering and bribery, DOJ announced Thursday.
A grand jury returned the indictment October 14. DOJ unsealed it 12 days before the election.
Why it matters
DOJ has long avoided big moves against political figures close to a vote. Gov. Abigail Spanberger said this timing breaks that practice, CNBC reported.
- The indictment alleges a $4.5 million marijuana scheme. Lucas is not on the ballot, and her lawyer calls the case political.
- Attorney General Todd Blanche said the probe began before this administration: “We don’t do political paybacks.”
More news today on Trump’s money and power grabs
- 48 hours or else: The White House counsel gave Politico 48 hours to retract 3 stories on Susie Wiles, apologize to Trump and scrub its archive, or face “legal remedies,” Axios reported. Politico corrected one and stood by two.
- Off the plane: A day after Trump called the Independent’s Andrew Feinberg a “sick person,” the White House pulled him from the Air Force One pool. CNN was left off a pool trip too, a month after a judge restored its access.
- Appeal before a ruling: DOJ asked an appeals court to step in on its bid to hold back 20,000 Californians’ mail ballots before the judge had ruled. It called his silence a “constructive denial,” Democracy Docket reported.
- Kushner’s $343 million: Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners sold $343 million of Israeli insurer Phoenix in July while he negotiates Gaza for Trump. Its money comes mostly from Saudi, Qatari and Emirati funds. Kushner says Affinity doesn’t pick Phoenix’s investments.
By the numbers
The Trump family has collected $2.5B and counting and his wider circle is swimming in an enormous pool of $194B.
What to watch
October 27, when Judge David Carter hears DOJ’s bid to set aside the California ballots, unless the 9th Circuit acts first.