(NEW YORK) — A New York judge ordered Donald Trump to pay The New York Times $392,638 in legal fees Friday following the former president’s failed lawsuit against the newspaper.
In 2021, Trump sued his niece Mary Trump, The New York Times and three of its reporters over an alleged breach of a confidentiality agreement related to his tax records. Trump alleged that the reporters were “motivated by a personal vendetta” when they engaged in a “insidious plot” to get his personal tax records.
New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed dismissed the case last year, clearing the way for the Times to recoup its fees.
“Courts have long recognized that reporters are entitled to engage in legal and ordinary news-gathering activities without fear of tort liability — as these actions are at the very core of protected first amendment activity,” Reed wrote.
Trump opposed the amount of money requested by the New York Times, arguing that the legal work included “unjustified or duplicative work and exorbitant hourly rates.”
“Considering the complexity of the issues presented in this action, the number of causes of action, the experience, ability and reputation of defendants’ attorneys, the considerable amount in dispute, and the attorneys’ success in dismissing the complaint against their defendants … the court finds that $392,638.69 is a reasonable value for the legal services rendered,” Reed said in a decision posted on the court’s docket Friday.
(NEW YORK) — The Justice Department said Friday in a court filing it will seek the death penalty for Payton Gendron, the then-19-year-old who killed 10 people in a racially motivated shooting at a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022.
“United States believes the circumstances in Counts 11-20 of the Indictment are such that, in the event of a conviction, a sentence of death is justified,” the filing said.
Lawyers for Gendron previously said he would consider pleading guilty to the federal charges if the death penalty was taken off the table.
Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without parole on state charges in February 2023 after pleading guilty to 15 charges, including domestic terrorism motivated by hate, murder and attempted murder.
Garland has pursued two death penalty cases under his tenure — one against Sayfullo Saipov, who killed eight people with a truck on a Manhattan bike path in October 2017, and the second against Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people in a shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018. A jury decided not to sentence Saipov to death, while Bowers was given the death penalty.
Both of those cases were carried over from the previous administration, however, and Garland instituted a moratorium on the death penalty in July 2021. The moratorium remains in place.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Over 1,800 flights have been canceled nationwide Friday as major winter storms prepare to unleash blizzard conditions, flooding rain and tornadoes.
The Midwest and the Great Lakes are in the crosshairs Friday morning.
Blizzard warnings are in effect for six states from Nebraska to Wisconsin, including the major cities of Des Moines, Iowa, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Strong winds are expected to accompany the snow, creating whiteout conditions, Snowfall could range from 6 to 12 inches.
In Illinois, roads are already covered with snow and visibility is poor.
The National Weather Service in Chicago asked drivers to consider postponing their travel Friday morning.
A ground stop was issued at Chicago O’Hare International Airport for part of Friday morning due to snow and ice.
Chicago O’Hare has canceled more than 650 flights so far.
In the South, the same storm system is bringing damaging winds, large hail and potential tornadoes from Texas to the Carolinas.
On Friday, severe weather is forecast from Mississippi to North Carolina with the bull’s-eye for damaging winds in northern Mississippi, from Jackson to Tupelo.
Tornadoes are possible in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The storm will move into the Northeast on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
Flood watches have been issued from North Carolina to Massachusetts, where local rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches is possible within a short period of time.
Rivers remain swollen in the Northeast from recent rainfall, so the incoming downpour will only prolong flooding issues. New Jersey’s Passaic River reached its crest on Thursday night in the major flood stage. Due to the additional rainfall, the river is forecast to stay in the major flood stage over the weekend and possibly into early next week.
A potentially record-breaking cold blast is moving in behind this storm. Up to 100 record-low temperatures are forecast from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast this weekend and into next week. The National Weather Service has already issued wind chill alerts for 17 states from Washington to Texas.
In Montana, wind chills — what temperature it feels like — could reach 50s and 60s below zero, during which frostbite could occur in less than five minutes.
Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago could see temperatures below zero on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The coldest air will reach the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana by Sunday into Monday and will last into Tuesday.
Another storm system is expected to sweep across the country this weekend into early next week with snow and ice possible for the South, from Texas to Tennessee.
This storm is forecast to move into the West on Saturday, bringing heavy snow to the Cascades and northern Sierra mountain ranges, before reaching the Rockies on Sunday, where snowfall amounts could get up to 2 feet.
By Sunday night into Monday, the storm will move into the Deep South with freezing rain and a wintry mix possible for parts of Texas, from Dallas to San Antonio and just north of Houston.
The storm will move into the rest of the South on Monday afternoon and evening with snow and ice possible in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
(NEW YORK) — One brother is dead while the other managed to survive after the siblings plunged into a freezing cold pond while ice fishing, authorities say.
The incident occurred on Saturday at approximately 2:45 p.m. in the town of Burlington in Ostego County, New York, when a man walking his dog alerted the authorities after seeing two ice fishermen fall through the ice on Basswood Pond, approximately 14 miles west of Cooperstown, according to a statement released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“Forest Ranger Laymon was at the Jacobs Road trailhead one minute away from the pond,” officials said. “Ranger Laymon saw one of the men treading water, but lost sight of the other. The ice was approximately one-inch thick, unsafe for fishing.”
Ranger Laymon then entered the ice and managed to crawl toward the two brothers – aged 41 and 42 – and was able to pull the 42-year-old man from Richfield Springs out of the water by using a throw bag.
“The subject grabbed the rope and Ranger Layman pulled him onto a sled,” the DEC said. “At 2:55 p.m., the Ranger pulled the sled to shore where he was met by members of the Edmeston Fire Department, who used their truck to start the drying and warming process to help the subject suffering from hypothermia.”
Officials said that Ranger Laymon immediately returned to the scene of the accident to search for the second brother.
“At 3:05 p.m., Ranger Laymon located the 41-year-old from Richfield Springs in seven to eight feet of water,” said the DEC in their statement. “New York State Police, Otsego County Emergency Services, and Edmeston, Fly Creek, Schuyler Lake, and West Edmeston volunteer fire departments helped pull Ranger Laymon and the submerged man out of the water and onto shore.”
The younger brother was transferred over to EMTs at approximately 3:23 p.m. as medics immediately began CPR in an attempt to revive the man.
Both brothers were taken to the hospital where the 42-year-old was treated and released. The younger brother, however, was declared deceased by the hospital later on Saturday night.
The New York State DEC issued a warning to others interested in ice fishing following the tragic accident.
“Before leaving shore, ice anglers are advised to check the thickness of ice. Four inches of solid, clear ice is usually safe for anglers accessing ice on foot. However, ice thickness can vary between waterbodies and even within the same waterbody, increasing the need to ensure thickness,” authorities said.
(NEW YORK) — Over 1,000 flights have been canceled nationwide Friday as major winter storms prepare to unleash blizzard conditions, flooding rain and tornadoes.
The Midwest and the Great Lakes are in the crosshairs Friday morning.
Blizzard warnings are in effect for six states from Nebraska to Wisconsin, including the major cities of Des Moines, Iowa, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Strong winds are expected to accompany the snow, creating whiteout conditions, Snowfall could range from 6 to 12 inches.
In Illinois, roads are already covered with snow and visibility is poor.
The National Weather Service in Chicago asked drivers to consider postponing their travel Friday morning.
A ground stop was issued at Chicago O’Hare International Airport Friday morning due to snow and ice.
Chicago O’Hare has canceled more than 650 flights so far.
In the South, the same storm system is producing severe weather such as damaging winds, tornadoes and large hail from Texas to the Carolinas.
On Friday, severe weather is forecast from Mississippi to North Carolina with the bull’s-eye for damaging winds in northern Mississippi, from Jackson to Tupelo.
Tornadoes are possible in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The storm will move into the Northeast on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. Flood watches have been issued from North Carolina to Massachusetts, where local rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches is possible within a short period of time.
Rivers remain swollen in the Northeast from recent rainfall, so the incoming downpour will only prolong flooding issues. New Jersey’s Passaic River reached its crest on Thursday night in the major flood stage. Due to the additional rainfall, the river is forecast to stay in the major flood stage over the weekend and possibly into early next week.
A potentially record-breaking cold blast is moving in behind this storm. Up to 100 record-low temperatures are forecast from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast this weekend and into next week. The National Weather Service has already issued wind chill alerts for 17 states from Washington to Texas.
In Montana, wind chills — what temperature it feels like — could reach 50s and 60s below zero, during which frostbite could occur in less than five minutes.
Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago could see temperatures below zero on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The coldest air will reach the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana by Sunday into Monday and will last into Tuesday.
Another storm system is expected to sweep across the country this weekend into early next week with snow and ice possible for the South, from Texas to Tennessee.
This storm is forecast to move into the West on Saturday, bringing heavy snow to the Cascades and northern Sierra mountain ranges, before reaching the Rockies on Sunday, where snowfall amounts could get up to 2 feet.
By Sunday night into Monday, the storm will move into the Deep South with freezing rain and a wintry mix possible for parts of Texas, from Dallas to San Antonio and just north of Houston.
The storm will move into the rest of the South on Monday afternoon and evening with snow and ice possible in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
In this Aug. 24, 2023, file photo, law enforcement officials patrol the edge of Eagle Pass’ Shelby Park, in Eagle Pass, Texas. — Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
(EAGLE PASS, Texas) — The state of Texas has seized control of a nearly 50-acre park on the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, against the city’s desires, Mayor Rolando Salinas said.
In a video posted on Facebook by the mayor on Wednesday night, Salinas said officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety informed him that the state is taking “full control” of Shelby Park to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico.
“That is not a decision that we agreed to. This is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city, I want to make that clear,” Mayor Salinas said in the video.
Images shot by the mayor showed the entrance to the park blocked off by fencing and military vehicles.
Shelby Park has been at the epicenter of Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to deter unlawful crossings. It’s a known staging area for the Texas National Guard and Texas DPS deployed to the border as part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
Salinas said he was informed the state is taking control of the park “indefinitely” under the governor’s border disaster declaration that he renewed in December.
During a conference on Thursday, Salinas said he believed U.S. Border Patrol Agents were being kept from entering the area.
“I’m sure that’s going to be an issue that will be litigated between the federal government and the state governments,” he said.
ABC News has not confirmed those claims.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Gov. Abbott’s office did not respond when asked by ABC News if CBP agents would be blocked from entering the park.
Texas DPS referred ABC News’ questions to the Texas Military Department, which did not respond to requests.
The move follows a visit to the city by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday, where he met with CBP agents.
Abbott’s office released a statement, pushing blame on President Joe Biden, “Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies. Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden Administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country,” spokesperson Renae Eze said.
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis.”
Salinas says city officials are determining if they have legal options to regain control of the park.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Residents of Jackson and Flowood, Mississippi, have been advised to boil their water after routine water samples tested positive for E. coli, the state’s health department said Thursday.
“Health officials strongly recommend that all water be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed,” the Mississippi State Department of Health said in boil water alerts issued for both cities. “This precaution will last at least two full days and water system officials will be immediately notified when the boil water alert is lifted.”
The alerts impact nearly 190,000 customers in Jackson, the state capital, and nearly 28,000 customers in the nearby city of Flowood, the state health department said.
The presence of the bacteria could indicate the water may be contaminated with “human or animal wastes,” which “generally results from a problem with the treatment process or pipes which distribute the water,” the health department said.
The state health department said its Public Health Laboratory reviewed lab protocols and the results were not false positives.
The lab is expediting the tests of new samples from both cities. After two consecutive days of clear testing, the boil water alerts will be lifted, health officials said.
“The safety and protection of the public is the top priority of the Mississippi State Department of Health,” the state health department said in a news release. “The MSDH looks forward to its continued partnership with both the City of Jackson and City of Flowood to keep the water systems safe for all their citizens.”
State health officials advise residents of both cities to not drink tap water or drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the affected systems while the boil water advisories are in place. They should not use ice unless it’s been made with boiled water.
Impacted residents should wash their dishes, fruits and vegetables with boiled water and brush their teeth with boiled or bottled water.
“Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will inactivate all major types of harmful bacteria,” the health department said.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea and vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening, according to the CDC.
(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump walked into the courtroom of his $370 million civil fraud trial Thursday and did exactly what he hoped to do: break all the rules established by the judge in order to deliver a brief closing statement.
Then he walked out scot-free.
The former president’s surprise statement provided a dramatic end to the months-long trial, which threatens to take away the namesake buildings, businesses, and reputation that launched Trump into professional and political stardom. Over an 11-week trial, the New York attorney general alleged that Trump made hundreds of millions of dollars by overstating his assets on his statements of financial condition to get more favorable loan terms.
Judge Arthur Engoron initially issued a non-negotiable directive should Trump elect to speak during closing statements: He could not make political statements, and he could not impugn those involved in the trial, according to emails posted to the court docket Wednesday.
When Trump’s attorneys pushed back against those requirements Wednesday afternoon and refused to agree with the rules, Engoron forbade Trump from speaking.
And yet, when Trump attorney Christopher Kise asked the judge midway through closings Thursday if he would reconsider his decision — and the judge asked Trump if he would stay within the bounds of his requirements — Trump launched right into this statement.
“Well I think, your honor, this case goes outside the facts,” Trump said, ignoring the judge’s edict as he barreled ahead. “This is a political witch hunt that should be set aside.”
“I’m an innocent man. I’ve been persecuted by someone running for office,” Trump said calmly while sitting with his arms clasped at his counsel table. “This statute is vicious. It doesn’t give me a jury. It takes away my rights.”
Trump’s five-minute statement put an exclamation point on a seesaw day of pronouncements and retorts. Here are three main takeaways from the two sides’ closing arguments.
Trump admitted a mistake
In a rare move, amid a torrent of accusations and personal attacks, Trump admitted that his company did make a mistake in his personal statement of financial condition.
“They made a mistake. It was an honest mistake,” Trump said about the decision to value his Trump Tower penthouse as being three times larger than it actually is. The mistake eventually resulted in the property being overvalued by $114 million to $207 million.
Trump’s acknowledgement is likely to play into the judge’s decision later this month, when Engoron will have to determine whether or not the overvaluation was intentional. In a ruling last month, the judge characterized the sizing error and other similar issues as “misstatements at best and fraud at worst.”
Trump’s sons might win
While Trump has stepped away from the real estate business to pursue politics, his eldest sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. both continue to hold important stakes in the family business. When he issues his ruling, Engoron has the power to limit the ability of Trump and his two sons to conduct business in New York moving forward.
However, during an exchange with a state attorney on Thursday, Engoron signaled that he was not convinced that Trump’s sons had any knowledge of the company’s fraud.
“What evidence do you have — I just haven’t seen it — that they knew that there was fraud?” Engoron asked state attorney Andrew Amer.
“They can’t say they didn’t bother paying attention to it. That is just not a defense,” Amer responded.
Engoron expressed skepticism at Amer’s response and appeared to feel that Donald Trump Jr. particular was unaware of the issues alleged by the attorney general.
The state has a new theory
Faced with the need to prove that the alleged fraud was intentional, state attorney Kevin Wallace’s closing statement unveiled a theory to explain the motive behind it.
Wallace alleged that roughly $775 million in expenses to renovate properties, coupled with the expense of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, created a “cash crunch” for the Trump Organization during the period in question. Displaying a chart that he said tracked Trump’s cash flow, Wallace alleged that — had the company not resorted to fraud to get favorable terms on its loans — it would have had a negative cash flow by 2017.
By opting to commit fraud, “They didn’t have to choose between their priorities,” Wallace alleged regarding the company’s business expenses and Trump’s presidential campaign.
Engoron, however, appeared to feel the argument was only conjecture. The alleged fraud also predated the timetable in Wallace’s argument.
The judge said he hoped to issue a final ruling in the case by Jan. 31.
(NEW YORK) — A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging book bans in Escambia County, Florida, can move forward on the same day the county released an updated list of more than 2,800 individual books that have been pulled from shelves for review.
U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II ruled on Wednesday that book publisher Penguin Random House, free expression PEN America, authors, and families of Escambia County had standing to pursue their claims under the First Amendment because those protections are implicated when officials remove books based on ideology or viewpoint. However, they were denied to pursue the claims under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
“We are gratified that the Judge recognized that books cannot be removed from school library shelves simply because of the views they espouse, and are looking forward to moving forward with this case to protect the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs,” Lynn Oberlander of Ballard Spahr, who is representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
Escambia County has released a list of 2,812 books — totaling more than 1,500 titles — that have been pulled from shelves for “further review” of their compliance under House Bill 1069 which limits discussion of gender and sexual orientation in grade school as of Jan. 10. These books include “The World Book encyclopedia,” “100 Women Who Made History: Remarkable Women Who Shaped Our World,” “Africa (Cultural Atlas for Young People)” and more.
The previously released round-up of books to be reviewed included Merriam-Webster’s dictionary and Webster’s dictionary and thesaurus.
The lawsuit was brought forward in May 2023 by Penguin Random House, PEN America, authors and families of Escambia County who argue that the school board’s removal and restriction of books violates the First Amendment.
The lawsuit claims the county violated the First Amendment rights of the students, authors, and publishers by “removing books ‘based on ideological objections to their contents or disagreement with their messages or themes.'”
Several authors whose books have been impacted by book bans across the country, including David Levithan, George M. Johnson and Ashley Hope Pérez, are backing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges, that in every decision to remove a book, “the removals have disproportionately targeted books by or about people of color and/or LGBTQ people, and have prescribed an orthodoxy of opinion that violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”
The Board argued in its motion to dismiss the case that it has not banned any books, rather it “‘removed from its own school libraries [books] that the Board had purchased for those libraries with Board funds. It [has] not prohibit[ed] anyone else from owning, possessing, or reading the book[s].'”
The school board claims it “has the ultimate authority to decide what books will be purchased and kept on the shelves of the schools in the district,” according to the motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
House Bill 1069 expanded the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by critics from prekindergarten through grade 8. It was passed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023.
From grades 9 through 12, such content must be “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Recent legislation in Florida, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, have led to restrictions and removals of books across the state.
The Stop WOKE Act restricts lessons and training on race and diversity in schools and in the workplace, particularly anything that discusses privilege or oppression based on race. WOKE in the bill stands for “Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees.”
Between January 1 and August 31, 2023, the American Library Association recorded 695 attempts to ban library materials and services, affecting 1,915 different book titles. The organization said this marked a 20% increase from the same reporting period in 2022, which saw the highest number of book challenges since ALA began compiling the data more than 20 years ago.
Most of the book challenges in 2023 were against books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQ community, according to the ALA.
To comply with HB 1069, Escambia County has subject books in school and classroom libraries to be reviewed by district book review committees and the school board.
In several cases, the books approved for use by the district book review committees have been rejected and removed or restricted by the school board. This includes the titles of “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson, “Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Lucky” by Alice Sebold, “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, “Push” by Sapphire, and others.
Dozens of books that were challenged by community members were requested by one person, an English teacher at a high school in Escambia County. She cites “indoctrination,” “sexual content,” “violent language,” and “LGBTQ content” among her objections in the more than 100 complaints.
“Ensuring that students have access to books on a wide range of topics and that express a diversity of viewpoints is a core function of public education — preparing students to be thoughtful and engaged citizens,” said PEN America in a statement on the lawsuit.
Escambia County officials did not immediately respond to ABC News requests for comment.
Hunter Biden attends the House Oversight and Accountability Committee markup titled “Resolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find Robert Hunter Biden In Contempt Of Congress,” in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea to 9 felony and misdemeanor tax charges at his initial appearance in a California courtroom on Thursday.
The plea was entered by Hunter Biden himself during an arraignment in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.
His plea came a day after he made a surprise appearance at a Capitol Hill hearing on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress.
The younger Biden is appearing before Judge Mark Scarsi at the Edward R. Roybal courthouse to be arraigned on 9 tax-related charges accusing him of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019.
The indictment from December alleges that the president’s son earned millions of dollars from foreign entities in Ukraine, Romania and China, and “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle at the same time he chose not to pay his taxes.”
The back taxes were eventually paid in 2020 by a third party, identified by ABC News as Hunter Biden’s attorney and confidant Kevin Morris.
The charges came after an initial plea deal fell apart in dramatic fashion in a Delaware federal courtroom last July, after the judge expressed concerns over the terms of the agreement.
Hunter Biden subsequently pleaded not guilty in October to three felony gun charges as part of a separate indictment in Delaware that came after a diversion agreement on one of the gun charges fell apart alongside the initial plea deal. He has since moved to have those charges dismissed.
The indictment was brought by special counsel David Weiss, a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware who had been investigating Hunter Biden and was named special counsel over the summer.
In response to the tax charges, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, claimed the December indictment included “no new evidence” and said, “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought.”
Hunter Biden’s court appearance in California on Thursday comes a day after he surprised lawmakers in Washington by showing up in person to a House Oversight committee hearing on whether to hold him in contempt after he refused a subpoena to testify in a closed-door session as part of a GOP-led probe into his family’s business affairs.
The younger Biden, whose appearance caught Republicans on the committee completely by surprise, said that he would be willing to testify in a public forum.
Lowell, speaking to reporters after leaving the hearing room Wednesday, accused Republicans of caring “little about the truth” and trying to “hold someone in contempt, who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions.”
“Hunter Biden was and is a private citizen,” Lowell said. “Despite this, Republicans have sought to use him as a surrogate to attack his father.”
A White House spokesperson has said that President Biden “was never in business with his son.” In 2019, as a presidential candidate, Biden said, “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.”
