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Former President Donald J. Trumps political operation is trying to use the news of his expected indictment by a Manhattan grand jury to turn the strident base of the Republican Party against his expected rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Immediately after the former president predicted on Saturday that his arrest was imminent, Mr. Trumps operatives and friendly media outlets began publicly pressuring Mr. DeSantis to condemn the law enforcement officials in New York, portraying his silence on the matter as bordering on treason.

Jason Miller, the former presidents senior adviser, said on Twitter that the Trump team was taking note of Mr. DeSantiss radio silence about the likely indictment.

And the Trump campaigns War Room account posted on Sunday: It has been over 24 hours and some people are still quiet. History will judge their silence.

Mr. Trumps most influential online allies disseminated the message fast and deep into right-wing online networks. Jack Posobiec, a far-right political activist with a large social-media following, was especially vocal in the pressure campaign.

The race begins. Four years after a historically large number of candidates ran for president, the field for the 2024 campaignis starting out small and is likely to be headlined by the same two men who ran last time: President Biden and Donald Trump. Heres who has entered the race so far, and who else might run:

Donald Trump. The former president is running to retake the office he lost in 2020. Though somewhat diminished in influencewithin the Republican Party and facing several legal investigations he retains a large and committed base of supporters, and he could be aided in the primary by multiple challengers splitting a limited anti-Trump vote.

President Biden. While Biden has not formally declared his candidacy for a second term, and there has been much hand-wringing among Democratsover whether he should seek re-election givenhis age, he is widely expected to run. If he does, Bidens strategyis to frame the race as a contest between a seasoned leader and a conspiracy-minded opposition.

Marianne Williamson. The self-help author and former spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey is the first Democrat to formally enter the race. Kicking off her second presidential campaign, Williamson called Biden a weak choice and said the party shouldnt fear a primary. Few in Democratic politics are taking her entry into the race seriously.

Im taking receipts on everyone, Mr. Posobiec said in a brief interview. For DeSantis to make that post yesterday, talking about the Hurricane Ian response and nothing from the personal account whatsoever about the arrest it was a message that was received.

An aide to Mr. DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.

The effort previews how an indictment would jolt the still-nascent race for the Republican presidential nomination and perhaps already has. Mr. Trump has used the possibility of charges, which would stem from an investigation into hush money Mr. Trumps lawyer paid to a porn actress before he was elected in 2016, to cast himself as a victim of political persecution.

Although his rivals largely want to keep a distance, Mr. Trumps team is bent on pushing them to choose sides, risking the wrath of Republicans loyal to the former president.

The former presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., amplified Mr. Posobiecs message, writing: Pay attention to which Republicans spoke out against this corrupt BS immediately and who sat on their hands and waited to see which way the wind was blowing.

And the Gateway Pundit, a conspiratorial website with a large far-right following that often pushes narratives helpful to Mr. Trump, declared The Silence is Deafening in its headline about Mr. DeSantiss avoidance of the matter.

How Times reporters cover politics.We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause.

But even as many leading Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have rallied to Mr. Trumps aid, the comments from the field of declared and potential G.O.P. presidential candidates has been muted.

Some including Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Vice President Mike Pence have decried the prospect of an indictment that relies on what would be a novel legal theory.

I called on my fellow GOP candidates @RonDeSantisFL and @NikkiHaley to join me in condemning the potential Trump indictment because those of us *running against Trump* can most credibly call on the Manhattan DA to abandon this disastrously politicized prosecution, Mr. Ramaswamy wrote in a message on Twitter.

Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor who entered the presidential race last month, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina have not said a word.

But Mr. DeSantiss silence is more freighted.

He is the governor of the state where Mr. Trump resides, which, should Mr. Trump be charged and refuse to surrender, could lead Mr. DeSantis to play a role in efforts by New York to extradite the former president.

As a purely political matter, Mr. DeSantis is Mr. Trumps closest rival in every public opinion poll of Republicans about the 2024 presidential primary. He is expected to announce his intentions in May or June. But his hopes depend on appealing to a coalition of voters that includes both supporters and critics of Mr. Trump.

And Mr. Trumps allies believe that a refusal by Mr. DeSantis to condemn an expected indictment one that even some of Mr. Trumps fiercest critics have questioned could make Mr. DeSantiss efforts to peel away Trump supporters more difficult.

Republicans who have seized on news of the anticipated indictment to demonstrate their allegiance to Mr. Trump include House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Few seized the opportunity faster than Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking House Republican, who is widely seen as angling to be chosen as Mr. Trumps running mate.

By midday on Saturday, Ms. Stefanik had issued a statement calling the expected indictment unAmerican and an example of the Radical Left reaching a dangerous new low of Third World countries.

Originally posted here:
Trump Allies Pressure DeSantis to Weigh In on Expected Indictment - The New York Times

Ita been one of the big questions hanging over New Jerseys newest Republican congressman as he settles into Washington: What kind of lawmaker will freshman Rep. Tom Kean Jr. be?

One whos fiercely loyal to GOP leaders, no matter the issue, after the party retook control of the U.S. House with a narrow majority? Or one who sometimes bucks the party and crosses the aisle to forge compromise while representing his purple district?

He just signaled his answer.

Kean, R-7th Dist., announced this past week he has joined the Houses Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that aims to broker deals on major legislation in Congress. The coalition was founded by another Jersey lawmaker, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist.

The best solutions are ones where Republicans and Democrats can find common ground and be sustainable, Kean told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview Friday. There are major issues of energy independence, not defaulting on the national debt, creating new innovation, and infrastructure that this Congress needs to address. And Republicans and Democrats should have a seat at the table, assuring all ideas are heard.

Political observers see it as a sign Kean, a former state Senate minority leader and the son of former Gov. Tom Kean, is trying to define himself as a moderate and distance himself from more polarizing members of his party two months after arriving in Congress to represent New Jerseys divided 7th Congressional District.

This follows a bruising campaign that focused partly on whether he embraces President Donald Trump and as he faces a likely tough re-election bid just around the corner that could become even tougher if he veers too right while his party grapples with its identity.

Critics, meanwhile, are leery of his bipartisan pledge. They say it comes after Kean ran a vague, under-the-radar campaign in which he gave relatively few interviews, made few public appearances aside from a debate, and often avoided discussing his views and a voting record that clashes with a wide swath of his district.

Kean won his seat in the House in Novembers midterm elections by defeating Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski on his second try in a district that President Joe Biden won three years ago but redistricting made more red.

His victory helped Republicans gain control of the House, and GOP lawmakers will now likely feel pressure to vote with the party line because their majority is slim. The could include legislation that will chafe some of Keans constituents back home.

In a time of not only partisan bickering but in-party fighting, theres a rift between the right and moderate branches of the GOP, with Trump still holding influence and right-wing lawmakers such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene playing an outsized role.

Carl Golden, the former press secretary for Keans father, said joining the Problem Solvers Caucus is a chance for Kean to establish himself as the centrist he has been all his public life.

Malinowski and the Democrats campaign spent months trying to put a MAGA hat on him, Golden said. This is his way of saying the hat doesnt fit.

Where Kean stands on Trump became an issue in the district, which still leans Democratic yet now includes far more Trump supporters after redistricting. Keans campaign released a mailer quoting an editorial that said: No matter what Trump does, Kean has his back. He was also endorsed by several prominent Trump supporters, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who stood by Kean as he entered the race and helped him raise money.

Observers say the way Kean depicts himself now is especially important because he is up for re-election in 2024, when Trump could also be on the ballot. National Democrats are already targeting the district, sensing Kean may be more vulnerable in a blue state during presidential election years.

Kean wants to insulate himself a bit and not get dragged into a debate over whether or not he shares Trumps views, Golden said.

Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University, said it appears Kean is aiming to be an inoffensive Republican and contrast himself to the Houses Freedom Caucus, the right-leaning group that Greene and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz belong to.

Clearly, joining the Problem Solvers Caucus is a little bit of political cover for him, Baker said. The Republican Party is a bad brand right now, particularly in Keans part of New Jersey.

The crazier the Freedom Caucus gets, the more fearful he becomes and he becomes more contaminated by their rants and extreme statements, Baker added. You dont even want to be in the same room as Majorie Taylor Green if youre Tom Kean Jr.

Kean is the third consecutive lawmaker from the district to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, after Malinowski and Republican Leonard Lance. Two other Jersey legislators are also part of the group: Reps. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., and Chris Smith, R-4th Dist.

Gottheimer, the groups co-chair, said the caucus helped enact common-sense legislation to help move America forward during the last session of Congress, including on infrastructure, gun safety, and voting.

I look forward to working across the aisle with all Jersey Problem Solvers Reps. Norcross, Kean, and Smith to stand up to China, restore SALT and lower taxes, and help make life more affordable for our families, he said.

Kean said Friday he often took bipartisan stances in the state Legislature and always found a way to be part of the governing coalition.

He noted he recently voted in Congress against including Republican amendments to an anti-inflation bill that would have removed exclusions for disasters and emergencies.

My focus when I was in the Legislature and now when Im in Congress is to always fight for whats in the best interest of the constituents I have been sent down to represent, Kean said. My responsibility is to make sure I fight for affordability, energy independence, to lower the tax burden, create more innovation, make sure the infrastructure works.

Among the bills Kean voted against in his time in the state Senate were ones to legalize medical marijuana, legalize same-sex marriage, ban plastic bags, allow Medicare coverage for family-planning services, and several gun-safety measures. He also voted to require police body cameras and diversity training for police officers, authorize gender changes on birth certificates, and prohibit transgender discrimination in schools.

State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, who served alongside him in the same district for years in the Legislature, said Kean is practical.

I never saw him to be an extremist, Bramnick added.

But Margaret Illis, co-founder of the advocacy group NJ7 Forward, said she is frustrated by Keans announcement, arguing he never denounced the events of Jan. 6, for example.

During the election, Kean did not respond to a request for comment about the national Republican Party calling the insurrection legitimate political discourse.

Now all of a sudden, hell be bipartisan? asked Illis, a Berkeley Heights resident. That doesnt change the fact he has been silent.

Former state Sen. Ray Lesniak, a Democrat, said hes surprised Kean joined the group because he hasnt taken a stand on many issues. He said he is considering running for Keans seat in next years election because of basically the lackadaisical campaign Kean ran last time.

I want to see how he will be a leader on important issues for New Jersey, Lesniak said. What he does with that will be significant.

John Macchione, a Tewksbury resident and a volunteer for Malinowskis campaign, said he was upset one of Keans first acts in D.C. was to support a Republican-sponsored effort to defund the Internal Revenue Service in response to President Joe Biden wanting to hire new IRS employees. Kean said unleashing new tax collectors on families is just a sneaky form of a tax hike.

Macchione argued the move doesnt align with Kean joining the Problem Solvers Caucus.

Here was a problem somebody put a solution to, Macchione said.

Marci Bandelli, co-founder of the advocacy group Westfield 2020, said she appreciates that Kean followed his predecessors into the Problem Solvers yet she is also skeptical.

Im a social worker, said Bandelli, who lives in Keans hometown of Westfield. I solve problems every day. I like that. But will he? Im not too sure. We dont know what were getting.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

The rest is here:
N.J.s new congressman just signaled what kind of Republican he wants to be - NJ.com

What Is ESG InvestingAnd Why These Republican-Led States Are Trying To Ban It From Retirement Funds  Forbes

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What Is ESG InvestingAnd Why These Republican-Led States Are Trying To Ban It From Retirement Funds - Forbes

1. Nikki Haley calls for new generation of Republican leaders, vows to end the Washington status quo  Fox News
2. Here are the Republicans considering 2024 presidential runs  CNN
3. Contest for president in 2024 begins for Republicans with a foray into the culture wars  The Boston Globe

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Nikki Haley calls for new generation of Republican leaders, vows to end the Washington status quo - Fox News

1. Republicans' extreme reaction to Biden's big speech helps make his point  CNN
2. Scoop: Inside Biden's big deficit-cutting plan  Axios
3. Joe Biden attacks Republican dream to slash Medicare and Social Security  The Guardian US

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Republicans' extreme reaction to Biden's big speech helps make his point - CNN