Politics

(ATLANTA) — On Jan. 2, 2021, former President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win the state in the 2020 election.

The now-infamous phone call helped spark a criminal investigation launched the following month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looking into the efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Here’s a look at how the probe — one of several investigations involving the former president — has unfolded so far:

Nov. 3, 2020

Voters head to the polls in the 2020 general election.

Nov. 7, 2020

Multiple media organizations, including ABC News, call the election for Joe Biden based on the projected electoral vote count, as several states, including Georgia, have yet to be projected.

Nov. 10, 2020

The Trump campaign requests a hand recount in Georgia, where Biden leads by about 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million cast in the presidential race.

Nov. 11, 2020

Raffensperger, a Republican, announces that due to how slim the vote margin is between Biden and Trump, the state’s planned audit will trigger a “full by-hand recount in each county” of the presidential race.

Nov. 19, 2020

The results of Georgia’s statewide audit, which entailed that counties recount by hand every vote cast in the presidential race, reaffirm Biden as the winner — by a margin of 12,284 votes. It’s the first time since 1992 that a Democrat will win the state.

Nov. 20, 2020

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Raffensperger certify the results of the general election, making it official that Biden won the state’s 16 electoral votes.

Nov. 24, 2020

Georgia’s 159 counties start counting the votes cast in the presidential race for a third time, after the Trump campaign requests a machine recount.

Dec. 6, 2020

Raffensperger defends the integrity of the general election, telling ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos during an interview on “This Week” that his office has yet to find evidence supporting “systemic fraud” that would change the outcome.

Dec. 7, 2020

Raffensperger and Kemp recertify the state’s election results after a recount requested by Trump confirms once again that Biden won the state. The audit found that Biden won by a margin of 11,779 votes.

Dec. 22, 2020

Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff at the time, visits Georgia’s Cobb County to observe a signature match audit.

Dec. 23, 2020

Amid the signature match audit in Cobb County, Trump phones a chief investigator in Raffensperger’s office to discuss the audit, telling the investigator they would be praised for finding errors in the vote count, according to an individual familiar with the call.

Jan. 2, 2021

In an hourlong phone call obtained by ABC News, Trump calls Raffensperger and falsely claims that it was “not possible” for him to have lost and asks the secretary to “find 11,780 votes” — the exact number Trump needed to win Georgia.

“The people of Georgia are angry. The people of the country are angry, and there’s nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you’ve recalculated,” Trump says on the call. “All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. … Fellas, I need 11,000 votes, give me a break.”

Meadows was also heard speaking on the call.

Raffensperger challenged the president’s allegations, saying the data Trump is citing about tens of thousands of illegal votes “is wrong.”

Feb. 10, 2021

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis notifies Kemp that her office has launched an investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.

The letter asked state officials to preserve any documents potentially related to the 2020 general election, “with particular care given to set aside and preserve those that may be evidence of attempts to influence the actions of persons who were administering” it, which would include Trump’s phone call with Raffensperger.

Jan. 20, 2022

Willis requests to seat a special grand jury in her probe, according to a letter obtained by ABC News. In the letter to Fulton County Chief Judge Christopher Brasher, Willis wrote that the move is needed because “a significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony.”

May 2, 2022

Twenty-six jurors are selected for a special grand jury in Willis’ investigation.

The special grand jury does not have the ability to return an indictment and can only make recommendations concerning criminal prosecution. Should charges be recommended, it would then be up to Willis to determine whether or not to pursue them.

July 19, 2022

New court documents reveal that 16 people identified as “fake electors” have been notified that they are targets of the Fulton County district attorney’s criminal investigation, new court documents reveal.

Aug. 15, 2022

Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is informed he is considered a “target” of the Fulton County district attorney’s probe, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Nov. 1, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court rejects Sen. Lindsey Graham bid to block a subpoena for testimony before the special grand jury. Graham, in the aftermath of the 2020 election, called Georgia election officials to discuss the election.

Nov. 8, 2022

Voters head to the polls in Georgia for a primary election where Raffensperger is up for reelection for his secretary of state seat. Trump supports Rep. Jody Hice in the primary.

Nov. 18, 2022

A hand count of random batches of votes confirms Raffensperger has won reelection, state election officials announce.

Jan. 9, 2023

A new filing indicates that the special grand jury has finished its work and submitted its final report following months of closed-door testimony.

The jurors heard testimony from some of Trump’s closest allies and supporters, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, and Sen. Graham.

Jan. 24, 2023

Willis says during a hearing that charging decisions in the case are “imminent.”

Feb. 13, 2023

Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney rules that portions of the special grand jury’s report can be released in the coming days, though the majority of the report will remain sealed. Willis had argued for the report to remain sealed, saying that it was important to “be mindful of protecting future defendants’ rights.”

Feb. 16, 2023

Excerpts from the special grand jury’s report are released, revealing that the jury has recommended to prosecutors that they seek indictments against witnesses who they believe may have lied during their testimony.

“A majority of the grand jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it,” the grand jury wrote in the report. “The Grand Jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”

The excerpts from the report do not list any names of those who grand jury members believe may have committed perjury nor offer any rationale for its allegations of perjury.

There are also no details revealed regarding whether or not the grand jury recommended changes for anyone related to efforts to overturn the election. The excerpts do not identify any of the 75 witnesses interviewed and do not mention Trump by name.

Following their release, a spokesperson for Trump said the excerpts “have nothing to do with the President because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do — in fact, as President, it was President Trump’s Constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity,” the spokesperson said.

Feb. 21, 2023

In a series of print and television interviews, Emily Kohrs, the foreperson of the special grand jury, reveals that jurors recommended charges for several individuals, without naming any of them — and intimated that the former president is among them.

“You’re not going to be shocked,” Kohrs told The New York Times about whether her panel recommended charges against Trump. “It’s not rocket science.”

March 20, 2023

Trump’s attorneys file a motion seeking to throw out the special grand jury report and remove the district attorney’s office leading the investigation.

March 27, 2023

McBurney gives Willis’ office until May 1 to respond to Trump’s motion to quash the special grand jury report.

April 24, 2023

Willis indicates her office will announce any charging decisions sometime between July 11 and Sept. 1, 2023, in a letter to law enforcement.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he will seek a second term in office, confirming a reelection bid he has long previewed — as he faces a possible rematch with Donald Trump next November.

Biden announced his 2024 campaign in a pre-recorded video.

“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” he says in the video, entitled “Freedom” which was posted to his social media account early Tuesday morning.

“This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for re-election,” he says.

The video announcement focuses on Biden’s closing argument to the country, making his case for four more years in office to “finish this job,” — a line he previewed during his State of the Union address this year.

“Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they’ve had to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. And this is our moment,” Biden says in the video.

“Let’s finish this job, I know we can,” he adds.

As part of that closing argument, the president also calls out “MAGA extremists” for attacking “bedrock freedoms” in the video.

While Biden does not directly name any of his GOP rivals, images from the Jan. 6 attack on the capitol, and members of the Republican party including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flash on the screen.

Vice President Harris, again joining Biden on the ticket, is also featured prominently throughout the video.

Biden’s 2024 campaign will be managed by Julie Chávez Rodríguez, a senior advisor to the president at the White House, and the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar Chávez.

Quentin Fulks, who previously served as the campaign manager of Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock’s 2022 reelection campaign, will serve as Principal Deputy Campaign Manager.

The campaign is also announcing a slate of national co-chairs, including Rep. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Veronica Escobar, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Tuesday also marks four years to the day since Biden announced his 2020 presidential campaign.

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(WASHINGTON) — A super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump has already spent more than $6 million on television ads attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, even before DeSantis has declared his presidential candidacy.

Since April, the super PAC — Make America Great Again, Inc. — has been launching a $1.5 million ad campaign every week.

The expenditures are described in the PAC’s disclosure filings to the Federal Election Commission as media placements opposing “presidential candidate” DeSantis.

The latest ad from last week zeroed in on the Florida governor’s past record of supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare during his time in Congress. Other ads have focused on DeSantis’ alleged eating habits and have claimed that DeSantis is “just not ready to be president.”

Trump leads DeSantis in recent presidential polls and has continued to collect endorsements.

The Florida governor has himself has been fundraising across the country and traveling overseas to meet with foreign dignitaries, even while he has yet to declare his candidacy.

Asked Monday during his visit to Japan about trailing Trump in the polls, DeSantis said, “I’m not a candidate, so we’ll see if and when that changes.”

Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor and fundraiser who has previously supported and donated to Trump, told ABC News that the pro-Trump super PAC’s anti-DeSantis ads are a “backhanded compliment that shows who he’s afraid of” — and that DeSantis needs to “punch back.”

“I’m not so much anxious for him to declare — I’m anxious for him to fight back,” Eberhart, who is supporting DeSantis, said of the Florida governor.

“I think he runs the risk of how Obama defined Romney in the summer of 2012 because Romney didn’t answer,” Eberhard said, referencing the 2012 presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. “I think DeSantis is being defined by Trump and he has not answered, and you’re seeing that hurting his poll numbers.”

Over the past year, a number of major Republican donors have distanced themselves from Trump, saying they want a different face to lead the party. A number of them have thrown their support behind DeSantis, while others are waiting to see how the primary pool shapes up.

Despite that, the Make America Great Again super PAC boasts a massive war chest, having received more than $60 million through Trump’s Save America PAC — plus millions more from top Trump donors — since the 2020 election.

DeSantis’ top super PAC, Never Back Down, has raised $30 million — but it’s only spent a modest $36,000 on ad expenditures so far, according to its FEC disclosures.

As independent expenditure groups, Make America Great Again Inc. and Never Back Down are not allowed to make coordinated expenditures with the campaigns they support.

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(WASHINGTON) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to launch a 2024 presidential campaign in the coming months, will travel overseas this week on an international trade mission.

DeSantis will lead a Florida delegation to Israel, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. to meet with government and business leaders.

The trip is seen by some allies as an effort to expand his foreign policy chops ahead of a likely presidential campaign launch by this summer.

The governor’s office said in a news release on Thursday that the trip would focus on building upon Florida’s current economic relationships with each country.

In Japan, DeSantis will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. In South Korea, the governor will meet with the Gyeonggi Province governor, Kim Dong-yeon, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

While in Israel, DeSantis will deliver the keynote address at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, on Thursday. He’ll also meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Netanyahu said on CBS’ Face the Nation.

And in the U.K., DeSantis will meet with Foreign Minister James Cleverly.

He will be joined on the trip by his wife, Casey, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Florida Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella.

John Thomas, a GOP political strategist and the founder of the pro-DeSantis super PAC Ron to the Rescue, told ABC News that he believes the travel will burnish DeSantis’ foreign policy bona fides.

“[DeSantis] does have a biographical background in foreign policy as a naval officer, but there is no replacement for shaking hands, having the photo-op, being on the ground and being able to name drop that you have relationships with certain world leaders,” Thomas said.

“Any major candidate for the Oval Office needs to check that [foreign policy] box and improve their credentials so that they have credibility when they’re delivering their eventual foreign policy message on the campaign trail and on the debate stage, and this is the first step for Gov. DeSantis to do just that,” Thomas said.

DeSantis, a popular if controversial leader in the GOP, has drawn scrutiny for some of his recent remarks about international issues.

His travel abroad will come just over a month after he initially called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “territorial dispute” and said the war was not of national interest for the United States.

Those comments received backlash from other leading members of the GOP.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted a veiled rebuke: “To those who believe that Russia’s unprovoked and barbaric invasion of Ukraine is not a priority for the United States – you are missing a lot.”

And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also criticized the governor of his state, saying in a radio interview, “Obviously, he doesn’t deal with foreign policy every day as governor.”

DeSantis later said that his words were “mischaracterized” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “war criminal.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The “Tennessee three” are going to the White House on Monday to meet with President Joe Biden weeks after facing historic expulsion efforts that sparked national outrage.

Biden personally extended the invitation to Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson, thanking them for their leadership in leading a gun reform protest that resulted in the expulsion of Jones and Pearson and near-ouster of Johnson, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“What you’ll see is the president sitting down with these three legislators, having a conversation on how to move forward with commonsense gun reform; how to move forward on protecting our communities, our kids, our churches,” she told reporters on Friday.

Other administration officials have previously demonstrated support for the trio. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Nashville to meet the three lawmakers earlier this month, echoing their calls for reform.

“They understood the importance, these three, of standing to say that people will not be silenced; to say that a democracy hears the cries, hears the pleas, who hears the demands of its people who say that children should be able to live and be safe and go to school and not be in fear,” Harris said.

Thousands of people demonstrated at the Tennessee Capitol in the wake of a school shooting in Nashville on March 27 that left three children and three staff members dead. Jones, Pearson and Johnson faced expulsion votes after they led a gun reform protest in the state Capitol that most lawmakers found breached the chamber’s rules of decorum.

Johnson, who is white, was the only one to survive her expulsion vote. Jones and Pearson, both Black, were ousted and later reinstated by local councils. All were accused of “bringing disorder and dishonor” to the state legislature for their protest.

Jones, Justin and Johnson told GMA 3 similarly said they were simply listening to the people when they joined calls to address gun violence.

“This was a tragedy that happened at the Covenant School in Nashville, but instead of addressing the tragedy the Republican supermajority in Tennessee decided that our using our First Amendment right to listen to the thousands of protesters deserved expulsion,” Pearson said.

Tennessee’s state legislature adjourned Friday without any action on gun reform, but Republican Gov. Bill Lee announced he will call a special session so lawmakers can return to the capitol and discuss the issue. Lee has proposed an “order of protection” law aimed at taking firearms away from those deemed a risk to those around them.

“There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons,” Lee said in a statement. “We also share a strong commitment to preserving Second Amendment rights, ensuring due process and addressing the heart of the problem with strengthened mental health resources.”

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(WASHINGTON) — An eager bench of Democrats will spend heavily to stake out positions as early supporters of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign ahead of his expected announcement, which could come as soon as this week.

On Monday, a national Democratic committee tasked with electing lieutenant governors nationwide announced plans to spend nearly $1 million to mobilize the country’s 25 Democratic occupants of that office, shoring up votes in key states for the Biden-Harris ticket.

The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association’s “2024 Mobilization Project” — shared exclusively with ABC News — will deploy these lieutenant governors across the country and specifically maximize voter turnout for the incumbent administration, something the DGLA says it’s uniquely positioned to do as an organization cultivating some of the party’s up-and-coming talent.

“The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association is ready to mobilize across the country ahead of a monumental presidential election — As Democratic LGs, we stand strong in our commitment to partnering with the Biden administration to deliver on our shared agenda for the American people,” said Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, chair of the DLGA.

The DLGA’s efforts are one of the first early organizational moves in support of Biden’s bid.

“The DLGA is committed to serving as the liaison and facilitator for Democratic Lieutenant Governors to aid the DNC and the Biden-Harris campaign in 2024, ensuring Democratic victory up and down the ballot,” a statement from the organization said.

The organization touted its experience energizing the base in blue states and in key getting voters to turn out in battleground ones — steps it said are “crucial” to getting Biden reelected in 2024.

“As the Lieutenant Governor of one of the most critical swing states in the country, I am proud to stand with President Biden and am eager to share all that he has accomplished — and all that we will continue to accomplish together — throughout Wisconsin and beyond,” said Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, adding that Biden is “the leader our country needs.”

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said that he has “no doubt” that a Biden victory might come down to the Commonwealth again in 2024 after the Keystone State’s critical role in securing the presidency for Biden in 2020.

“Pennsylvanians also know that the choice between President Biden and an extreme Republican could not be clearer, and Democratic Lieutenant Governors are eager to deliver that message,” said Davis.

The DLGA has been pushing for more visibility in the election process. In March, the organization announced plans to raise $15 million by 2026 and commit $2 million to every high-stakes lieutenant governor race in 2024 and 2025 — a notable use of its substantial war chest.

Democratic lieutenant governors have been stressing to donors the importance of their roles as the future of the party, highlighting the selection of high-profile lieutenant governors such as Mandela Barnes and now-Sen. John Fetterman to run in competitive races throughout the country.

Tuesday is seen as a likely target for Biden to announce his 2024 reelection campaign. The president, who has faced little pressure to announce his bid and faces only unlikely primary challenges from Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has long said he was planning to run, telling ABC News’ David Muir in February it’s his “intention” to run for a second term.

Biden has already seen support from all flanks of the party, from Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats and who challenged him for the party’s 2020 nomination, to establishment figures like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

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(CLIVE, Iowa) — Multiple 2024 Republican presidential candidates and those continuing to mull a bid for the White House pitched their platforms on Saturday to hundreds of Christian conservatives at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual spring kickoff in Clive.

The back-to-back candidate forum allowed speakers to court a vital voting bloc in Iowa, which will host the first nominating contest for Republican hopefuls next February.

The topic of abortion took center stage as GOP politicians continue to stake out their own stances on the issue.

Saturday’s event was held one day after the Supreme Court paused a lower court’s ruling to restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone while legal battles over the FDA’s approval of the drug play out in court.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and other Republicans emphasized their backing for limits on abortion access, opposition to transgender rights and the importance of school choice.

Also speaking on Saturday were lesser-known presidential candidates Larry Elder, Perry Johnson and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Former President Donald Trump addressed the crowd virtually. Below are highlights from the forum.

Donald Trump

Facing criticism from some abortion opponents over his position that abortion access should be decided at the state level, Trump defended his stance on restrictions by focusing on his judicial appointments while in office — including successfully naming three Supreme Court justices, all of whom helped reverse the Roe v. Wade decision last year.

“Nobody thought it was gonna happen, they thought it would be another 50 years. Because Republicans had been trying to do it for that period of time,” Trump said in his pre-taped remarks.

“I appointed over 300 judges to fill the federal bench with constitutional warriors who interpret the laws as written. I faced down vile attacks to confirm our three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett,” Trump said.

He said he would continue to “stand in defense of life” and, if elected to a second term, he promised to work to curb transgender rights — which conservatives claim harm society, drawing fierce outcry from LGBTQ advocates — while attacking the U.S. Department of Education.

“We will reassert the Judeo-Christian values of our nation’s founding. We will protect our heritage and traditions,” he said.

Mike Pence

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision on mifepristone on Friday, Pence said he wanted to see the justices ban chemical abortions, labeling the FDA-approved drug as “a dangerous medication,” though doctors and the U.S. government say it is safe.

“I think that chemical abortions, mail-order abortions that the Biden administration has now allowed should be banned,” Pence told ABC News after his speech.

He broke with the former president, his former boss, saying he disagreed with Trump’s view that abortion is a state-level matter even though “I do think it’s more likely that this issue is resolved at the state level.”

“We’ve been given a new beginning for life in this country,” Pence said. I think we have an opportunity to advance the sanctity of life.”

Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson, Arkansas’ most recent former governor, centered his speech around faith, arguing that “our leadership in the public arena should reflect our as well.” Like others, he stressed his opposition to abortion while addressing Iowans.

“As governor I was proud of the fact that we were the most pro-life state. I signed 30 pro-life bills over my eight years as governor,” he said.

Asked about his presidential priorities, Hutchinson discussed eliminating “wokeness” in schools, which Republicans describe as a left-wing movement wrongly emphasizing identity politics, and advocating for parental rights.

“The most important way to push back is by parents being engaged in our schools,” he said.

Tim Scott

Scott discussed the topic of life — not solely by focusing on abortion but through his view of American exceptionalism as it relates to race.

“We have the ultimate responsibility to protect the future of this nation not for ourselves but for Americans unborn. I would simply say, the lies of the left have been disproven by my life,” he said, reiterating what has been a key part of his persona on the political stage.

Scott said that while “the radical left are selling a drug of victimhood,” he advocated that people could achieve whatever they work toward despite their racial identity or upbringing.

“We have to tell them the whole story, the story of truth and redemption, that America is the freest, fairest land in the history of the world,” Scott said. “I will say this: With a praying mama, all things are possible.”

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, also focused on race during his remarks, stating he would end affirmative action and shut down the U.S. Department of Education if he were elected. “Do you know what it means to be an American? It means you believe in the ideals that set this country into motion,” he said.

Ramaswamy told ABC News before he spoke that he was “unapologetically pro-life” in response to being asked about the legal battles surrounding access to mifepristone.

“The scope of the administrative state has reached far too broad we need to constrain it,” he said.

Elder, a popular commentator, and businessman Johnson, who recently announced their own long shot presidential bids, also took the stage Saturday.

“The reason I ran for office is because I felt like I had an obligation, a moral obligation and a religious obligation. Our family, our country, is moving away from the Judeo-Christian values that founded this country,” said Elder, who unsuccessfully challenged California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall race in 2021.

Johnson opened his remarks by saying he was probably “too conservative” for the Iowa group before criticizing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to repeal the state’s abortion ban.

“I say, let’s stop all of this and go on the offensive on the subject,” he said.

One notable politician missing in Iowa was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was at the Utah GOP’s state convention on Saturday.

Some locals remain undecided on 2024 pick

Several Iowans attending Saturday’s event told ABC News they were largely undecided about their candidate choice, emphasizing the importance of forums ahead of the 2024 nominating process.

“We take our job seriously and I love it. And we’ve been living in Iowa a long time. And we get out and see the candidates,” said George Wood, a retired businessman.

“You listen and ask questions. This is the only place in the country you can do that,” he said.

Becky McKibben, a retired school nurse, said she was “not yet 100%” on her choice.

“I think it’s good to hear what other people have to say and hear lots of different ideas and what their thoughts are on what they see as the vision for our country,” she said.

Others said they already know who they want and are using every opportunity to see their candidate speak.

“I would like Trump to be the president again,” Juanita Blonigan, an IT worker said. “That’s what I want. But I don’t know if the country is going to allow that.”

Blonigan said Trump’s recent indictment in New York related to hush money payments made her feel “frustrated and annoyed” but her support of the former president has only strengthened since his recent court appearance, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

“You know, I’m hoping that whatever it takes, people will swing his way and make America great again,” she said.

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(WASHINGTON) — Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner on Sunday said the online leaks of classified U.S. military and intelligence documents — allegedly by an airman working in IT at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts — weren’t completely unexpected but underscored how the process for secret-keeping needs to be reformed.

“This is a problem that we shouldn’t be totally surprised at,” Warner, D-Va., told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

“We’ve known this has been a problem. We actually have to have, I believe, Congress intervene,” Warner went on to say. “And we have to do a better job.”

He said there were multiple larger issues, including the over-classification of documents; the lack of a single authority overseeing the system who could enforce uniform regulations such as restrictions on how many copies someone can make; and the ability of too many people with clearances to access documents unnecessarily.

“We way over-classify documents. … Once we get to that highest level of classification, we maybe have too many folks taking a look at them. Over 4 million people with clearances. So, let’s classify less,” Warner said, while still calling for less access to the “most-classified documents.”

Another solution he suggested was oversight: “I believe we need somebody fully in charge of the classification process.”

The Air National Guardsman who is suspected in the leaks, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was arrested on April 13 and has been charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and willful retention of classified documents.

Teixeira has not yet entered a plea. Reports have indicated he was driven by a desire to impress friends online.

“This individual was literally just an IT tech. There’s no reason that that person should be able to see the full document,” Warner said on Sunday. “You may have to see the header, but the actual contents — there’s ways to make this safer.”

If Teixeira is “proven to be … the leader, he needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Warner said.

He urged “continuous vetting” of those with clearances, which he indicated could include review of ongoing social media activity. The more troubling complication in these leaks, he said, was the apparent use of the digital platform Discord, which is used for popular but private chat rooms.

“That raises a whole series of other questions I don’t think we’ve sorted through enough,” he said.

Raddatz also pressed Warner about the prolonged absence on Capitol Hill of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is currently recovering at home after she was diagnosed with shingles in February and briefly hospitalized.

Feinstein, the oldest member in Congress, serves with Warner on the Senate Intelligence Committee and is a key vote for Democrats on the Judiciary Committee as well. Some lawmakers have called on her to step down in recent weeks, given that her absence has stalled the process to confirm President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees.

“Should she resign?” Raddatz asked Warner.

“I’m hopeful that Dianne will return as soon as possible,” he responded. “She’s been a great senator, but my hope is she’ll get back to work as soon as possible.”

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace on Sunday warned her conservative colleagues that they would “lose huge” with voters if they continue pursuing strict abortion bans at the state level rather than finding what she called a “middle ground” on the issue.

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” two days after the Supreme Court paused a federal judge’s ruling to restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone, Mace told co-anchor Martha Raddatz she agreed with that move and urged others in the GOP to avoid extremes.

Mace referenced a bill signed into law in Florida earlier this month banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and another bill introduced in her home state that could impose the death penalty on women who have abortions.

Mace, a “constitutional conservative who’s pro-life,” called those efforts “the wrong message heading into ’24.”

“We’re going to lose huge if we continue down this path of extremities and finding that middle ground — the vast majority of people want some sort of gestational limits, not at nine months but somewhere in the middle,” Mace said. “They want exceptions for rape and incest, they want women to have access to birth control.”

“These are all very commonsense positions that we can take and still be pro-life,” she said.

Mace’s comments highlighted the ongoing Republican Party divisions over abortion bans, which have long been a central issue for the GOP.

However, since the Supreme Court reversed its landmark Roe v. Wade decision last year, voters across the country have largely rejected efforts to restrict abortion and said in polling that ensuring abortion access has motivated them to turn out in elections.

“I saw what happened after Roe v. Wade because I represent a very purple district, as purple as this dress, and I saw the sentiment change dramatically,” Mace said. “And as Republicans, we need to read the room on this issue.”

Despite Mace’s position, Raddatz noted GOP leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence feel differently, with Pence saying Saturday in Iowa, “I think we have an opportunity to advance the sanctity of life, move it ever closer to the center of American law.”

“There’s not a lot of discussion about finding a middle ground in the Republican Party. In fact, there’s not a lot of discussion about abortion in general,” Raddatz said on “This Week.”

That is a mistake, Mace argued.

“We’ve buried our head in the sand. We’re afraid to talk about it. Because we’re afraid, we want to go to the extreme corners of this issue. But that’s not where the vast majority of Americans are right now. And we’ve got to show compassion, especially to victims who’ve been raped,” Mace, who has been candid about her own experience being sexually assaulted, told Raddatz.

Raddatz also pressed Mace on her support last week for legislation barring transgender girls from competing in female sports, a vote Mace cast as a necessary defense in the “left’s new war on women.”

“These are biological men. They’re much stronger. They shouldn’t be in a locker rooms. And you hear these stories, and they’re real. It’s not a fantasy. It’s not a conspiracy theory,” she contended.

Some athletes disagree, Raddatz said, citing 40 of them who signed a letter criticizing the Republican ban.

But Mace suggested allowing transgender women in women’s sports was an attack on women’s safety and achievements.

She also rejected concerns that such legislation alienates transgender people, who as a community can suffer higher rates of suicide, after Raddatz quoted Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s decision last year to unsuccessfully veto a ban in his state on transgender girls competing in the sport that matches their gender.

Cox, a Republican, said then that there were only four transgender athletes competing in high schools in Utah, only one of whom was a transgender girl.

“Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few,” he said.

“I’m a pro-LGBTQ Republican. That’s not what this is about,” Mace said in response. “We don’t want anyone committing suicide because we’ve taken this position. To conflate the two is a radical and extreme position to take. What we do want to do is protect women and girls.”

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(NEW YORK) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday night to dismiss his appeal of a ruling that allowed a subpoena for testimony about the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump by the Republican-led committee chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan.

The two sides came to an agreement allowing former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to be deposed next month with a representative from the district attorney’s office to be present.

“Our successful stay of this subpoena blocked the immediate deposition and afforded us the time necessary to coordinate with the House Judiciary Committee on an agreement that protects the District Attorney’s privileges and interests. We are pleased with this resolution, which ensures any questioning of our former employee will take place in the presence of our General Counsel on a reasonable, agreed upon timeframe,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney said.

A spokesperson for Jordan also confirmed the resolution.

“This evening, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office withdrew its appeal in Bragg v. Jordan. Mr. Pomerantz’s deposition will go forward on May 12, and we look forward to his appearance,” Russell Dye, a spokesperson for Jordan, said in a statement.

A federal appeals court on Thursday issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking the deposition of Pomerantz by the House Judiciary Committee less than two hours before it was set to begin.

Bragg had sought to block the congressional subpoena, but on Wednesday a federal judge denied his request — marking a win for Jordan.

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