*{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img+div{display:none} @media (max-width:620px){.desktop_hide table.icons-outer{display:inline-table!important}.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}.reverse{display:table;width:100%}.reverse .column.first{display:table-footer-group!important}.reverse .column.last{display:table-header-group!important}.row-7 td.column.first .border,.row-9 td.column.first .border{padding:5px 5px 15px 25px;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0}.row-11 td.column.last .border,.row-7 td.column.last .border,.row-9 td.column.last .border{padding:5px 20px 25px 5px;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0}.row-11 td.column.first .border{padding:5px 5px 15px 25px;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:15px solid transparent;border-left:0}} Welcome to The Hill's Campaign newsletter{beacon}
Campaign Report
Campaign Report
The Big Story
Trump legal issues draw frustration from all sides
Former President Trump's legal battles — from alleged hush money payments to federal election interference — are starting to come to a head, and updates spanning two cases he faces show he's not the only one growing frustrated with the ongoing disputes.
© AP
Former President Trump is fighting legal issues from New York to Florida. All of them seem to be coming to a head as he ramps up his campaign to regain the White House.
Special counsel Jack Smith already appeared to be growing frustrated by the handling of the classified documents case and the pace toward trial.
In a filing this week, Smith accused Judge Aileen Cannon of handing Trump a “fundamentally flawed legal premise” that covered documents found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Cannon asked both sides to propose jury instructions that would take into account Trump’s view on the Presidential Records Act (PRA), which dictates how records are handled, and later archived, after presidents leave office.
Authorities found boxes of documents, some classified, stored in unsecured areas in Trump's resort.
Smith’s team argued that accepting Trump’s theory about his default declassification “would distort the trial.”
“The PRA’s distinction between personal and presidential records has no bearing on whether a former President’s possession of documents containing national defense information is authorized under the Espionage Act, and the PRA should play no role in the jury instructions,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “Indeed, based on the current record, the PRA should not play any role at trial at all.”
The Espionage Act prohibits the willful retention of national defense information. The former president faces an obstruction of justice charge after he allegedly tried to conceal the records from authorities when they demanded he return them.
The Hill has a handy Trump case tracker to help keep you up on the latest developments in the cases the former president faces.
Essential Reads
Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage:
Most Americans say democracy important for US, but not functioning well: Survey
Most Americans say democracy is important to the U.S.’ identity, but that the nation’s democratic system is not functioning well, according to a new poll. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found 76 percent of Americans saying “a democratically elected government” is extremely or very important to the U.S.’ identity as a nation. Only 13 percent of Americans said that “a democratically elected …
Full Story Trump tests gag order by sharing articles on judge’s family
Former President Trump shared articles critical of Judge Juan Merchan and his family on Wednesday, appearing to test the bounds of the gag order placed on Trump in his New York hush money case. Merchan expanded the gag order Monday to prevent Trump from discussing his family, after the former president made comments critical of Merchan’s daughter, Loren. Trump was already barred from speaking about court employees and witnesses …
Full Story Rove: Trump Jan. 6 pardons pledge a ‘critical mistake’
Republican strategist Karl Rove urged Democrats to “go hard” at former President Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, calling the former president’s pledge to free imprisoned rioters a “critical mistake.” “If they were smart, they’d take the Jan. 6 and go hard at it. And they would say, ‘He wants to pardon these people who attacked our Capitol,'” Rove said told MSNBC’s Ari Melber. “One …
Full Story The Countdown
Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:
- 102 days until the Republican National Convention
- 137 days until the Democratic National Convention
- 215 days until the 2024 general election
In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Nebraska lawmakers overwhelmingly reject Trump-backed ‘winner-take-all’ electoral system
An attempt to change Nebraska to a “winner-take-all” Electoral College system failed a key procedural vote late Wednesday, despite support by former President Trump, Gov. Jim Pillen (R) and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R). Switching Nebraska’s Electoral College vote distribution in the Republican-dominated state would bring it in line with much of the rest of the country and could net Trump an extra vote this November, though an …
Full Story Around the Nation
Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections:
- Georgia GOP leader demands vice-chair resign after he was sanctioned for illegal votes (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- 2024’s ‘extremely active’ hurricane season could bring 23 named storms, experts say (Florida Sun Sentinel)
- Las Vegas woman aims to fight ‘period poverty' (KLAS)
What We're Reading
Election news we've flagged from other outlets:
- "George Santos’ Second Coming — This Time It’s Personal," (The Daily Beast)
- NATO plots Trump survival strategy on its 75th birthday (Axios)
- Trump Courts Palm Beach Billionaires as Power of His Rallies Fades (Bloomberg)
Elsewhere Today
Key stories on The Hill right now:
Georgia judge refuses to toss Trump’s charges under First Amendment
The judge overseeing former President Trump’s Georgia election interference case on Thursday rejected his attempt to toss his charges under the First Amendment. Trump and some of his co-defendants had contended their charges must be tossed because their efforts to contest the 2020 election comprised constitutionally protected “core political … Read more
How Michael Cohen became central to Trump’s hush money case
The last time former President Trump and his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, publicly came face-to-face, their courtroom encounter during a civil business fraud trial ended with Trump storming out in a huff and Cohen swearing his old client would “ultimately be held accountable” for his actions. The two men aren’t rid of each other yet. … Read more
What People Think
Opinions related to campaigns and elections submitted to The Hill:
- Trump’s GOP isn’t built to win, but only to protect himself
- The media’s ‘Main Character Syndrome’
- Press: Top psychologist says Trump likely to fall off mental cliff
You're all caught up. See you next time!
Close Thank you for signing up!
Subscribe to more newsletters here
The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Campaign and Election News newsletter Subscribe
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Donald Low
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
visit website
