cnbc--2020-07-09--Trump rages at Supreme Court over tax records case, claims 'political prosecution'

President Donald Trump listens to a question during a joint news conference with Finland 's President Sauli Niinisto in East Room of the White House in Washington , October 2 , 2019 .
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was furious over the Supreme Court 's rulings Thursday morning , after justices handed down a split decision over whether he can shield his tax records from investigators .
Trump also complained that he was the victim of `` political prosecution , '' although he is not , in fact , being prosecuted in either case .
The decisions handed a win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parallel efforts by Democrats in the House of Representatives .
Following the rulings , Trump attorney Jay Sekulow sought to reframe both cases as victories .
`` We are pleased that in the decisions issued today , the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked both Congress and New York prosecutors from obtaining the President 's financial records , '' Sekulow said in a statement to reporters .
`` We will now proceed to raise additional Constitutional and legal issues in the lower courts . ''
Despite Sekulow 's guarded optimism , it was clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not see the rulings as victories .
Both cases were decided 7-2 , with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the court 's opinion and joined in the majority by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Stephen Breyer , Sonia Sotomayor , Elena Kagan , Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch .
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented in both cases .
The decisions mark the first time that the nation 's highest court has directly ruled on a matter involving Trump 's personal dealings .
Trump has been more secretive with his finances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to release his tax records to the public even as he mounts a bid for reelection .
`` We have a totally corrupt previous Administration , including a President and Vice President who spied on my campaign , AND GOT CAIGHT [ sic ] and nothing happens to them , '' Trump raged in a series of tweets .
`` This crime was taking place even before my election , everyone knows it , and yet all are frozen stiff with fear .
No Republican Senate Judiciary response , NO 'JUSTICE ' , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horror show REPORTS on Comey & McCabe , guilty as hell , nothing happens .
Catch Obama & Biden cold , nothing .
A 3 year , $ 45,000,000 Mueller HOAX , failed - investigated everything .
Won all against the Federal Government and the Democrats send everything to politically corrupt New York , which is falling apart with everyone leaving , to give it a second , third and fourth try , '' he said .
`` Now the Supreme Court gives a delay ruling that they would never have given for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MISCONDUCT .
We catch the other side SPYING on my campaign , the biggest political crime and scandal in U.S. history , and NOTHING HAPPENS .
But despite this , I have done more than any President in history in first 3 1/2 years ! ''
Trump tweeted .
The cases were decided on the final day of the Supreme Court 's term , which began last October and was extended past its typical end-of-June conclusion as a result of precautions taken against the spreading coronavirus .
`` In our judicial system , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man 's evidence . '
Since the earliest days of the Republic , 'every man ' has included the President of the United States , '' Roberts wrote in the New York case .
That case stemmed from an investigation being pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. Vance issued a subpoena to Trump 's longtime accounting firm , Mazars USA , for a wide variety of Trump 's personal and business records , including tax returns , dating back to 2011 .
The congressional cases involved subpoenas issued by Democratic-led committees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought financial records from Mazars as well as his banks , Capital One and Deutsche Bank .
The House Oversight Committee sought the information in connection with investigations into claims made by the president 's former lawyer Michael Cohen that Trump inflated and deflated his assets to suit his needs .
The financial services and intelligence committees issued two separate subpoenas to Deutsche Bank seeking information on the president and members of his family , including his children Donald Trump Jr. , Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump .
A third subpoena , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One for a wide variety of information on 15 Trump businesses .
The financial services committee is investigating potential foreign money laundering .
Rep. Adam Schiff , the chairman of the intelligence committee , has said his committee 's investigation entails uncovering whether `` any foreign actor has sought to compromise or holds leverage , financial or otherwise , over Donald Trump , his family , his business , or his associates . ''

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was furious over the Supreme Court's rulings Thursday morning, after justices handed down a split decision over whether he can shield his tax records from investigators.
TRUMP TWEET
Trump also complained that he was the victim of "political prosecution," although he is not, in fact, being prosecuted in either case.
TRUMP TWEET
The decisions handed a win to the Manhattan district attorney but rejected parallel efforts by Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Following the rulings, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow sought to reframe both cases as victories. "We are pleased that in the decisions issued today, the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked both Congress and New York prosecutors from obtaining the President's financial records," Sekulow said in a statement to reporters. "We will now proceed to raise additional Constitutional and legal issues in the lower courts."
Despite Sekulow's guarded optimism, it was clear from Trump's response that the president did not see the rulings as victories.
Both cases were decided 7-2, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the court's opinion and joined in the majority by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented in both cases.
The decisions mark the first time that the nation's highest court has directly ruled on a matter involving Trump's personal dealings. Trump has been more secretive with his finances than any president in decades, refusing to release his tax records to the public even as he mounts a bid for reelection.
The president unleashed a four-tweet thread ripping the court's decisions.
"We have a totally corrupt previous Administration, including a President and Vice President who spied on my campaign, AND GOT CAIGHT [sic] and nothing happens to them," Trump raged in a series of tweets.
"This crime was taking place even before my election, everyone knows it, and yet all are frozen stiff with fear. No Republican Senate Judiciary response, NO 'JUSTICE', NO FBI, NO NOTHING. Major horror show REPORTS on Comey & McCabe, guilty as hell, nothing happens. Catch Obama & Biden cold, nothing. A 3 year, $45,000,000 Mueller HOAX, failed - investigated everything. Won all against the Federal Government and the Democrats send everything to politically corrupt New York, which is falling apart with everyone leaving, to give it a second, third and fourth try," he said.
"Now the Supreme Court gives a delay ruling that they would never have given for another President. This is about PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT. We catch the other side SPYING on my campaign, the biggest political crime and scandal in U.S. history, and NOTHING HAPPENS. But despite this, I have done more than any President in history in first 3 1/2 years!" Trump tweeted.
The cases were decided on the final day of the Supreme Court's term, which began last October and was extended past its typical end-of-June conclusion as a result of precautions taken against the spreading coronavirus.
"In our judicial system, 'the public has a right to every man's evidence.' Since the earliest days of the Republic, 'every man' has included the President of the United States," Roberts wrote in the New York case.
That case stemmed from an investigation being pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. Vance issued a subpoena to Trump's longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, for a wide variety of Trump's personal and business records, including tax returns, dating back to 2011.
The congressional cases involved subpoenas issued by Democratic-led committees of the House of Representatives, which sought financial records from Mazars as well as his banks, Capital One and Deutsche Bank.
The House Oversight Committee sought the information in connection with investigations into claims made by the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen that Trump inflated and deflated his assets to suit his needs.
The financial services and intelligence committees issued two separate subpoenas to Deutsche Bank seeking information on the president and members of his family, including his children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump. A third subpoena, from the financial services committee, asked Capital One for a wide variety of information on 15 Trump businesses.
The financial services committee is investigating potential foreign money laundering. Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the intelligence committee, has said his committee's investigation entails uncovering whether "any foreign actor has sought to compromise or holds leverage, financial or otherwise, over Donald Trump, his family, his business, or his associates."


cnbc--2020-07-09--Economy shouldn't have to rely on charity from billionaires, says Biden backer Pete Buttigieg

The United States should not have to rely as much on charitable contributions from billionaires to help solve the nation 's economic challenges , Biden campaign surrogate Pete Buttigieg told CNBC on Thursday .
`` It 's wonderful when there are these major commitments , generous commitments by individuals , but we 've also got to ask how things got so unequal in the first place , '' the former Democratic presidential candidate said on `` Squawk Box . ''
Buttigieg 's remarks came in response to a question about whether to tax charitable contributions such as the one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Oracle of Omaha '' on Wednesday said he would donate nearly $ 3 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock .
As of Wednesday 's market close , Buffett ranked No .
4 on Forbes ' list of the richest people in the world with an estimated net-worth of $ 67.6 billion .
Buffett has said he will give away nearly all of his fortune , with most of it going to a handful of philanthropic organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and charities run by his three children .
Since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 37 billion , including the latest contribution .
Instead of taxing philanthropy , Buttigieg said it would make more sense for the U.S. to have a more equitable tax structure on the `` front end . ''
That way , he said , the tax revenue would support programs and other efforts that reduce inequality that have more input from voters .
`` If a little bit more of that was making its way into a democratically guided process , in other words the kind of research and development that invent trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space travel , we know our country is better off , '' said Buttigieg , the former two-term mayor of South Bend , Indiana .
`` We 've got to ask where the balance is . ''
For example , Buttigieg referenced a report last year that found a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 per hour is unable to pay for an affordable two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the U.S .
However , some states and localities have higher minimum wages than the federal rate , which has remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I would argue that if that were n't the case , if we had higher wages and more public investment , we would n't need to lean on philanthropy quite as much as we do , '' Buttigieg said .
Buttigieg , who won the most delegates in February 's Iowa caucus and finished second in the New Hampshire primary , ended his unlikely presidential bid on March 1 , one day after Joe Biden 's crucial victory in South Carolina .
Buttigieg endorsed the former vice president shortly after leaving the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an economic plan that proposes investments in American manufacturing .
It calls for a $ 400 billion , four-year increase in government purchasing of U.S.-based goods and services , along with another $ 300 billion on research and development in technology .
The Biden plan also touts the candidate 's long-standing promises to strengthen workers ' collective bargaining rights and to roll back part of the tax cuts passed by President Donald Trump .
Buttigieg said the U.S. economy needs that kind of spending to help it recover from the impact of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of American residents out of work .
While saying he 's attentive to concerns about government deficits , Buttigieg said investment plans like Biden 's have shown to have a `` much higher rate of return than tax cuts . ''
`` If you look at the overall picture of where our economy is headed , we do n't have a choice and we can handle these kinds of investments if we make them before it 's too late , '' Buttigieg said .

The United States should not have to rely as much on charitable contributions from billionaires to help solve the nation's economic challenges, Biden campaign surrogate Pete Buttigieg told CNBC on Thursday.
"It's wonderful when there are these major commitments, generous commitments by individuals, but we've also got to ask how things got so unequal in the first place," the former Democratic presidential candidate said on "Squawk Box."
Buttigieg's remarks came in response to a question about whether to tax charitable contributions such as the one that multibillionaire Warren Buffett just announced. The "Oracle of Omaha" on Wednesday said he would donate nearly $3 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock. As of Wednesday's market close, Buffett ranked No. 4 on Forbes' list of the richest people in the world with an estimated net-worth of $67.6 billion.
Buffett has said he will give away nearly all of his fortune, with most of it going to a handful of philanthropic organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and charities run by his three children. Since 2006, he has donated more than $37 billion, including the latest contribution.
Instead of taxing philanthropy, Buttigieg said it would make more sense for the U.S. to have a more equitable tax structure on the "front end." That way, he said, the tax revenue would support programs and other efforts that reduce inequality that have more input from voters.
"If a little bit more of that was making its way into a democratically guided process, in other words the kind of research and development that invent trillion dollar ideas like the internet itself and space travel, we know our country is better off," said Buttigieg, the former two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana. "We've got to ask where the balance is."
For example, Buttigieg referenced a report last year that found a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is unable to pay for an affordable two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the U.S. However, some states and localities have higher minimum wages than the federal rate, which has remained the same for about a decade.
"I would argue that if that weren't the case, if we had higher wages and more public investment, we wouldn't need to lean on philanthropy quite as much as we do," Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg, who won the most delegates in February's Iowa caucus and finished second in the New Hampshire primary, ended his unlikely presidential bid on March 1, one day after Joe Biden's crucial victory in South Carolina.
Buttigieg endorsed the former vice president shortly after leaving the race.
On Thursday, Biden released an economic plan that proposes investments in American manufacturing. It calls for a $400 billion, four-year increase in government purchasing of U.S.-based goods and services, along with another $300 billion on research and development in technology. The Biden plan also touts the candidate's long-standing promises to strengthen workers' collective bargaining rights and to roll back part of the tax cuts passed by President Donald Trump.
Buttigieg said the U.S. economy needs that kind of spending to help it recover from the impact of the coronavirus crisis, which has put millions of American residents out of work. While saying he's attentive to concerns about government deficits, Buttigieg said investment plans like Biden's have shown to have a "much higher rate of return than tax cuts."
"If you look at the overall picture of where our economy is headed, we don't have a choice and we can handle these kinds of investments if we make them before it's too late," Buttigieg said.


cnbc--2020-07-10--Biden uses progressive message to roll out his moderate economic plan

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about the U.S. economy during a campaign event at McGregor Industries , a metal works plant that manufactures stairs and stair railings , in Dunmore , Pennsylvania , July 9 , 2020 .
Joe Biden took to the podium Thursday in Dunmore , Pennsylvania , to unveil his economic platform as a candidate running for president of a country facing simultaneous economic , health and racial crises .
The presumptive Democratic nominee 's message was different than the one he laid out previously in the swing state in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 % and he had to remind the country there was a `` forgotten America '' struggling even as the U.S. economy soared .
With unemployment at 11 % and unemployment claims surpassing 1 million weekly , he sought not to remind Americans there was pain , but to promise he could ease it .
`` This is our moment to imagine and to build a new American economy for our families and for our communities , an economy for every American , '' Biden said .
`` Every American has a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work they put in , an equal chance to get ahead . ''
The message Biden laid out in opening remarks echoes ideas from progressive Democrats , who have pushed behind the scenes for Biden to use this historic moment to rewrite the rules with drastically wider social safety nets and higher taxes on the wealthy .
The policies themselves were not starkly different from those that Biden had previously outlined , though .
He echoed his call for Amazon to pay income taxes .
He said he would raise the U.S. corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current 21 % , just as he did previously .
He also again pushed for a $ 15 an hour federal minimum wage .
But his rhetoric reflected America in 2020 , which is rife with anger from many on Main Street who believe that Wall Street is getting bailed out ahead of them .
`` [ In this ] crisis , Donald Trump has been almost singularly focused on the stock market , the Dow and Nasdaq .
Not you , not your families , '' he said .
`` If I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I 'll be laser-focused on working families , the middle-class families ... we must reward work as much as we rewarded wealth . ''
He spoke to racial inequality that the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare , having promised earlier in the day he would invest $ 70 billion in minority-led colleges and universities .
He chastised the principle of `` shareholder capitalism '' and told the audience that `` Wall Street bankers and CEOs did n't build America . ''
It was built , instead , by labor and unions who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Pennsylvania , home to thousands of manufacturing jobs and working-class voters , he had an audience keen to hear of the importance of labor and unions .
The state voted for Trump in 2016 , on hopes he would restore the U.S. manufacturing industry that he said had been outsourced away to China .
The U.S. manufacturing industry subtracted 0.53 percentage point from real GDP in the first quarter , helping the economy shrink by 5 % at the annual rate .
Biden , who often speaks of his youth in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gaining momentum in the state .
A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows Biden ahead of Trump in the state .
Biden earlier in the day rolled out a $ 700 billion manufacturing and innovation plan that reflects a coronavirus America .
The large price tag shows how big of a gap he believes there is to fill .
Its focus on U.S.-made products reflects a country even more unnerved by the country 's dependency on China , as its supply chains have been threatened by the global health crisis .
That dependency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
`` Let 's use this opportunity to make bold investments in American industry and innovation so the future is Made In America — and in all of America , '' Biden said .
His plan includes $ 400 billion to invest in products and materials the U.S. needs .
It will offer a tax credit to companies that renovate or revive their facilities .
Biden is also pledging a $ 300 billion investment in research and development in technologies spanning electric cars to 5G .
`` The Chinese are spending billions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the future while we sit with our thumb in our ear , '' he said .
Biden did not outline Thursday how he would pay for the plan .
For smaller companies , now facing even more pressure during the pandemic , Biden earlier in the day said he would create a credit facility for financing .
He said he would increase funding for manufacturing extension partnerships , meaning private-public partnerships designed to help smaller companies .
He said his manufacturing plan would add 5 million jobs .
As Biden completed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industries particularly hit by the pandemic , calling out working parents , teachers and first responders '' It 's time not only to clap for them , it 's time to pay them , '' he said , before touting his health-care plan , which does not embrace the progressive-backed `` Medicare for All '' idea .
Rather , Biden proposed a public health insurance option , as he had before .
`` And let 's finish the job of Obamacare by ensuring everyone has access to quality affordable health care . ''

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about the U.S. economy during a campaign event at McGregor Industries, a metal works plant that manufactures stairs and stair railings, in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, July 9, 2020.
Joe Biden took to the podium Thursday in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, to unveil his economic platform as a candidate running for president of a country facing simultaneous economic, health and racial crises.
The presumptive Democratic nominee's message was different than the one he laid out previously in the swing state in 2019, when the unemployment rate was around 3% and he had to remind the country there was a "forgotten America" struggling even as the U.S. economy soared.
With unemployment at 11% and unemployment claims surpassing 1 million weekly, he sought not to remind Americans there was pain, but to promise he could ease it.
"This is our moment to imagine and to build a new American economy for our families and for our communities, an economy for every American," Biden said. "Every American has a chance to get a fair return for the work they put in, an equal chance to get ahead."
The message Biden laid out in opening remarks echoes ideas from progressive Democrats, who have pushed behind the scenes for Biden to use this historic moment to rewrite the rules with drastically wider social safety nets and higher taxes on the wealthy.
The policies themselves were not starkly different from those that Biden had previously outlined, though. He echoed his call for Amazon to pay income taxes. He said he would raise the U.S. corporate tax rate to 28% from the current 21%, just as he did previously. He also again pushed for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage.
But his rhetoric reflected America in 2020, which is rife with anger from many on Main Street who believe that Wall Street is getting bailed out ahead of them.
"[In this] crisis, Donald Trump has been almost singularly focused on the stock market, the Dow and Nasdaq. Not you, not your families," he said. "If I'm fortunate enough to be elected president, I'll be laser-focused on working families, the middle-class families ... we must reward work as much as we rewarded wealth."
He spoke to racial inequality that the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare, having promised earlier in the day he would invest $70 billion in minority-led colleges and universities.
He chastised the principle of "shareholder capitalism" and told the audience that "Wall Street bankers and CEOs didn't build America." It was built, instead, by labor and unions who made the middle class, he said.
In Pennsylvania, home to thousands of manufacturing jobs and working-class voters, he had an audience keen to hear of the importance of labor and unions. The state voted for Trump in 2016, on hopes he would restore the U.S. manufacturing industry that he said had been outsourced away to China. The U.S. manufacturing industry subtracted 0.53 percentage point from real GDP in the first quarter, helping the economy shrink by 5% at the annual rate.
Biden, who often speaks of his youth in nearby Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been gaining momentum in the state. A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows Biden ahead of Trump in the state.
Biden earlier in the day rolled out a $700 billion manufacturing and innovation plan that reflects a coronavirus America. The large price tag shows how big of a gap he believes there is to fill. Its focus on U.S.-made products reflects a country even more unnerved by the country's dependency on China, as its supply chains have been threatened by the global health crisis.
That dependency has also been a battle cry for Trump.
"Let's use this opportunity to make bold investments in American industry and innovation so the future is Made In America — and in all of America," Biden said.
His plan includes $400 billion to invest in products and materials the U.S. needs. It will offer a tax credit to companies that renovate or revive their facilities.
Biden is also pledging a $300 billion investment in research and development in technologies spanning electric cars to 5G.
"The Chinese are spending billions of dollars trying to own the technology of the future while we sit with our thumb in our ear," he said.
Biden did not outline Thursday how he would pay for the plan.
For smaller companies, now facing even more pressure during the pandemic, Biden earlier in the day said he would create a credit facility for financing. He said he would increase funding for manufacturing extension partnerships, meaning private-public partnerships designed to help smaller companies.
He said his manufacturing plan would add 5 million jobs.
As Biden completed his speech, he addressed those workers and industries particularly hit by the pandemic, calling out working parents, teachers and first responders
"It's time not only to clap for them, it's time to pay them," he said, before touting his health-care plan, which does not embrace the progressive-backed "Medicare for All" idea. Rather, Biden proposed a public health insurance option, as he had before.
"And let's finish the job of Obamacare by ensuring everyone has access to quality affordable health care."
-- CNBC's Christina Wilkie contributed to this report.


cnbc--2020-07-11--President Donald Trump commutes ally Roger Stone's prison sentence

Roger Stone , departs following a status hearing in the criminal case against him brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller at U.S. District Court in Washington , U.S. , March 14 , 2019 .
President Donald Trump on Friday fully commuted the criminal sentence of his longtime ally Roger Stone , just four days before the Republican operative was due to begin a 40-month prison term .
The White House , in announcing the executive clemency grant to Stone , called the 67-year-old Republican operative `` a victim of the Russia hoax , '' and someone who `` would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus if he was imprisoned .
`` In light of the egregious facts and circumstances surrounding his unfair prosecution , arrest , and trial , the President has determined to commute his sentence , '' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement .
`` Roger Stone has already suffered greatly .
He was treated very unfairly , as were many others in this case .
Roger Stone is now a free man ! ''
she said .
Trump phoned Stone to deliver the news , NBC News reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve any time in prison , he has said that he will continue to seek to overturn his conviction for lying to Congress , obstruction and witness tampering .
Trump 's long-suspected intervention in the case of his former campaign official came after more than a year of the president railing against Stone 's prosecution as a miscarriage of justice and a `` witch hunt . ''
On Friday morning , Trump said he was `` looking at '' a pardon for Stone , who was `` very unfairly treated . ''
House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , quickly condemned the commutation , saying Trump has made it `` clear that there are two systems of justice in America : one for his criminal friends , and one for everyone else . ''
About an hour before Trump 's commutation of his sentence was announced , a panel of federal appeals judges denied a request from Stone to delay his prison surrender date until early September .
The attorneys had argued Stone would be at risk of contracting the coronavirus if he reported to a federal prison camp in Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Mr. Stone is incredibly honored that President Trump used his awesome and unique power under the Constitution of the United States for this act of mercy , '' Grant Smith , an attorney for Stone , told CNBC in a statement .
`` Mr. and Mrs. Stone appreciate all the consideration the President gave to this matter . ''
Robert Buschel , another of Stone 's lawyers , told NBC News : `` We are grateful and relieved .
And glad this nightmare is over . ''
On Friday , Stone spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him that he did not want a pardon , as that would imply guilt , but instead a commutation of his sentence , which he believed Trump would grant .
Stone said of Trump , `` He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him .
It would have eased my situation considerably .
But I did n't , '' according to a tweet by Fineman .
The charges in the case related to Stone 's efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to get information from document disclosure group WikiLeaks about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Podesta , head of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton 's campaign , as well as from the Democratic National Committee .
He also was convicted of pressuring his former friend , comedian Randy Credico , to back up his lies .
The case against Stone was originally lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller , the former FBI director who was cast with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election , as well as possible coordination with Russian agents by the Trump campaign .
At Stone 's trial , Rick Gates , a former top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been with Trump in July 2016 while the then-presidential candidate had a phone call with Stone .
Gates testified that after the call ended , Trump indicated that `` more information would be coming '' from Wikileaks .
Trump told Mueller in written answers in 2018 that he had no recollection of speaking to Stone about WikiLeaks .
But Trump also told Mueller that `` I was aware that WikiLeaks was the subject of media reporting and campaign-related discussion at the time . ''
The White House statement issued Friday evening took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has long criticized as a hoax .
`` Mr. Stone was charged by the same prosecutors from the Mueller Investigation tasked with finding evidence of collusion with Russia , '' the statement said .
`` Because no such evidence exists , however , they could not charge him for any collusion-related crime .
Instead , they charged him for his conduct during their investigation .
The simple fact is that if the Special Counsel had not been pursuing an absolutely baseless investigation , Mr. Stone would not be facing time in prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's prior comments on Stone 's case fueled speculation that he was considering pardoning Stone or commuting his sentence .
The president left open the possibility of a pardon when asked about it in February , ahead of Stone 's sentencing .
That same month , Trump commented on a tweet from a supporter who had written , `` Raise your hand if you believe it 's time for a FULL PARDON for Roger Stone and Michael Flynn . ''
The president responded in a tweet of his own , saying : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June , Trump tweeted that Stone `` was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt , one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history .
He can sleep well at night ! ''
Stone 's legal battle had been marked by the ostentatious operative 's head-turning theatrics from nearly the moment of his arrest in January 2019 , when he was cuffed in a dramatic predawn raid at his Florida home .
A CNN film crew on the scene captured footage of the arrest – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partisan rancor the case would inspire .
After an initial appearance before a judge , Stone declared his innocence to the sea of reporters gathered outside the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse and vowed not to `` bear false witness '' against Trump .
The president had previously applauded his ally 's `` guts '' in taking a hard-line stance against then-special counsel Robert Mueller , whose grand jury would indict Stone on seven criminal counts .
Stone 's social media behavior became a regular source of controversy during his prosecution .
Amy Berman Jackson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , district court who would later sentence Stone to more than three years locked up , hauled him into court to explain himself after he posted a photo on Instagram showing the judge next to a rifle scope 's crosshairs .
The self-described `` dirty trickster '' Stone said he was sorry for his `` stupidity , '' but Jackson suggested the apology rang hollow and imposed a full gag order on him .
She later banned him from posting on social media entirely after ruling that he violated that gag order .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison after a jury convicted him last fall of all seven counts .
He sought to have his conviction set aside by claiming that the jury forewoman lied on a questionnaire she had filled out during jury selection .
Jackson denied that request for a retrial in April .

President Donald J. Trump stops to talk to reporters as he walks to board Marine One and depart from the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, July 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Friday fully commuted the criminal sentence of his longtime ally Roger Stone, just four days before the Republican operative was due to begin a 40-month prison term. The White House, in announcing the executive clemency grant to Stone, called the 67-year-old Republican operative "a victim of the Russia hoax," and someone who "would be put at serious medical risk" from the coronavirus if he was imprisoned. "In light of the egregious facts and circumstances surrounding his unfair prosecution, arrest, and trial, the President has determined to commute his sentence," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. "Roger Stone has already suffered greatly. He was treated very unfairly, as were many others in this case. Roger Stone is now a free man!" she said. Trump phoned Stone to deliver the news, NBC News reported.
Roger Stone, a longtime friend and adviser of U.S. President Donald Trump, reacts after Trump commuted his federal prison sentence, outside his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. July 10, 2020. Joe Skipper | Reuters
Stone said he was elated but not surprised. "The president has saved my life," Stone said, according to NBC News. "And he's given me the opportunity to fight for vindication." "Well I was, I was elated," he said Friday night outside his Florida home, according to NBC. "Obviously I was somewhat relieved, but I was not surprised." Although Stone is no longer required to serve any time in prison, he has said that he will continue to seek to overturn his conviction for lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering. Trump's long-suspected intervention in the case of his former campaign official came after more than a year of the president railing against Stone's prosecution as a miscarriage of justice and a "witch hunt." On Friday morning, Trump said he was "looking at" a pardon for Stone, who was "very unfairly treated."
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks at a press conference on Capitol Hill on June 30, 2020 in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis | Getty Image
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., quickly condemned the commutation, saying Trump has made it "clear that there are two systems of justice in America: one for his criminal friends, and one for everyone else." About an hour before Trump's commutation of his sentence was announced, a panel of federal appeals judges denied a request from Stone to delay his prison surrender date until early September. The attorneys had argued Stone would be at risk of contracting the coronavirus if he reported to a federal prison camp in Georgia on Tuesday, as was scheduled. "Mr. Stone is incredibly honored that President Trump used his awesome and unique power under the Constitution of the United States for this act of mercy," Grant Smith, an attorney for Stone, told CNBC in a statement. "Mr. and Mrs. Stone appreciate all the consideration the President gave to this matter." Robert Buschel, another of Stone's lawyers, told NBC News: "We are grateful and relieved. And glad this nightmare is over." On Friday, Stone spoke with NBC analyst Howard Fineman and told him that he did not want a pardon, as that would imply guilt, but instead a commutation of his sentence, which he believed Trump would grant. Stone said of Trump, "He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn't," according to a tweet by Fineman. Tweet The charges in the case related to Stone's efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to get information from document disclosure group WikiLeaks about emails stolen by Russian agents from John Podesta, head of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign, as well as from the Democratic National Committee. He also was convicted of pressuring his former friend, comedian Randy Credico, to back up his lies. The case against Stone was originally lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who was cast with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as possible coordination with Russian agents by the Trump campaign.
Rick Gates, former campaign aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, departs federal court after being sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation, in Washington, DC, December 17, 2019. Al Drago | Reuters
At Stone's trial, Rick Gates, a former top Trump campaign official, testified that he had been with Trump in July 2016 while the then-presidential candidate had a phone call with Stone. Gates testified that after the call ended, Trump indicated that "more information would be coming" from Wikileaks. Trump told Mueller in written answers in 2018 that he had no recollection of speaking to Stone about WikiLeaks. But Trump also told Mueller that "I was aware that WikiLeaks was the subject of media reporting and campaign-related discussion at the time." The White House statement issued Friday evening took aim at Mueller's investigation, which Trump has long criticized as a hoax. "Mr. Stone was charged by the same prosecutors from the Mueller Investigation tasked with finding evidence of collusion with Russia," the statement said. "Because no such evidence exists, however, they could not charge him for any collusion-related crime. Instead, they charged him for his conduct during their investigation. The simple fact is that if the Special Counsel had not been pursuing an absolutely baseless investigation, Mr. Stone would not be facing time in prison," the statement said. Trump's prior comments on Stone's case fueled speculation that he was considering pardoning Stone or commuting his sentence. The president left open the possibility of a pardon when asked about it in February, ahead of Stone's sentencing. That same month, Trump commented on a tweet from a supporter who had written, "Raise your hand if you believe it's time for a FULL PARDON for Roger Stone and Michael Flynn." The president responded in a tweet of his own, saying: "Prosecutorial Misconduct?" More recently, in June, Trump tweeted that Stone "was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history. He can sleep well at night!" Trump TWEET Stone's legal battle had been marked by the ostentatious operative's head-turning theatrics from nearly the moment of his arrest in January 2019, when he was cuffed in a dramatic predawn raid at his Florida home. A CNN film crew on the scene captured footage of the arrest – and sparked the first of many moments of partisan rancor the case would inspire. Trump TWEET Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there? After an initial appearance before a judge, Stone declared his innocence to the sea of reporters gathered outside the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse and vowed not to "bear false witness" against Trump. The president had previously applauded his ally's "guts" in taking a hard-line stance against then-special counsel Robert Mueller, whose grand jury would indict Stone on seven criminal counts. Stone's social media behavior became a regular source of controversy during his prosecution. Amy Berman Jackson, the judge in Washington, D.C., district court who would later sentence Stone to more than three years locked up, hauled him into court to explain himself after he posted a photo on Instagram showing the judge next to a rifle scope's crosshairs. The self-described "dirty trickster" Stone said he was sorry for his "stupidity," but Jackson suggested the apology rang hollow and imposed a full gag order on him. She later banned him from posting on social media entirely after ruling that he violated that gag order. Stone had fought to stay out of prison after a jury convicted him last fall of all seven counts. He sought to have his conviction set aside by claiming that the jury forewoman lied on a questionnaire she had filled out during jury selection. Jackson denied that request for a retrial in April.
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Later that same month, Stone appealed his conviction to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. As his prison surrender date approached, Stone asked the same appeals court to grant an emergency motion to delay his incarceration until Sept. 3. His defense lawyers, in making that request, cited "the COVID-19 pandemic and the medically documented life-threatening health risks that Stone would face if incarcerated at this time." Stone had openly and repeatedly beseeched Trump for clemency. "I want the president to know that I have exhausted all my legal remedies and that only an act of clemency will provide justice in my case and save my life!" Stone reportedly said in a text message to Bloomberg days ago.
Read the full statement from the White House below:
Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grant of Clemency for Roger Stone, Jr. Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Grant of Clemency commuting the unjust sentence of Roger Stone, Jr. Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency. There was never any collusion between the Trump Campaign, or the Trump Administration, with Russia. Such collusion was never anything other than a fantasy of partisans unable to accept the result of the 2016 election. The collusion delusion spawned endless and farcical investigations, conducted at great taxpayer expense, looking for evidence that did not exist. As it became clear that these witch hunts would never bear fruit, the Special Counsel's Office resorted to process-based charges leveled at high-profile people in an attempt to manufacture the false impression of criminality lurking below the surface. These charges were the product of recklessness borne of frustration and malice. This is why the out-of-control Mueller prosecutors, desperate for splashy headlines to compensate for a failed investigation, set their sights on Mr. Stone. Roger Stone is well known for his nearly 50 years of work as a consultant for high-profile Republican politicians, including President Ronald Reagan, Senator Bob Dole, and many others. He is also well known for his outspoken support for President Donald J. Trump and opposition to Hillary Clinton. Mr. Stone was charged by the same prosecutors from the Mueller Investigation tasked with finding evidence of collusion with Russia. Because no such evidence exists, however, they could not charge him for any collusion-related crime. Instead, they charged him for his conduct during their investigation. The simple fact is that if the Special Counsel had not been pursuing an absolutely baseless investigation, Mr. Stone would not be facing time in prison. In addition to charging Mr. Stone with alleged crimes arising solely from their own improper investigation, the Mueller prosecutors also took pains to make a public and shameful spectacle of his arrest. Mr. Stone is a 67-year-old man, with numerous medical conditions, who had never been convicted of another crime. But rather than allow him to surrender himself, they used dozens of FBI agents with automatic weapons and tactical equipment, armored vehicles, and an amphibious unit to execute a pre-dawn raid of his home, where he was with his wife of many years. Notably, CNN cameras were present to broadcast these events live to the world, even though they swore they were not notified—it was just a coincidence that they were there together with the FBI early in the morning. Not only was Mr. Stone charged by overzealous prosecutors pursing a case that never should have existed, and arrested in an operation that never should have been approved, but there were also serious questions about the jury in the case. The forewoman of his jury, for example, concealed the fact that she is a member of the so-called liberal "resistance" to the Trump Presidency. In now-deleted tweets, this activist-juror vividly and openly attacked President Trump and his supporters. Mr. Stone would be put at serious medical risk in prison. He has appealed his conviction and is seeking a new trial. He maintains his innocence and has stated that he expects to be fully exonerated by the justice system. Mr. Stone, like every American, deserves a fair trial and every opportunity to vindicate himself before the courts. The President does not wish to interfere with his efforts to do so. At this time, however, and particularly in light of the egregious facts and circumstances surrounding his unfair prosecution, arrest, and trial, the President has determined to commute his sentence. Roger Stone has already suffered greatly. He was treated very unfairly, as were many others in this case. Roger Stone is now a free man! --CNBC's Brian Schwartz contributed to this report.


cnbc--2020-07-10--The Supreme Court just wrapped up a term that surprised everyone and satisfied no one

On the last day of the first full Supreme Court term with his two hand-picked appointees on the bench , President Donald Trump spent the morning cursing the court .
`` This is all a political prosecution .
I won the Mueller Witch Hunt , and others , and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York , '' Trump screamed on Twitter .
`` Not fair to this Presidency or Administration ! ''
The tweets came in response to two opinions handed down on Thursday that delivered setbacks to the president and made it clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent from the executive .
The court , in a pair of 7-2 rulings , paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to access Trump 's tax records and suggested that it was possible for Congress to do so as well , though it established a relatively high bar for Congress .
All nine justices , even the dissenters , dispatched with Trump 's claim that he has absolute immunity from state criminal investigations .
Though the rulings fell short of what the president wanted , they did effectively ensure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returns before Election Day .
If it were possible to transport the Supreme Court 's tax rulings back to the most fiery days of the confirmation battle over Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 , it 's likely that Trump would not be the only person surprised .
While Trump framed securing five conservatives on the court as an antidote to his own and his administration 's legal problems , many liberals worried that he could be right .
But the tax rulings are reflective of a somewhat more complicated trend that has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The court continues to issue rulings that fully satisfy nobody .
Or , to be more precise : The court has refused to give either Democrats or Republicans complete victories .
( Native Americans do have reason to be satisfied with the court , and particularly with Justice Neil Gorsuch , who authored an opinion declaring that half of Oklahoma remains their land in an opinion that came down shortly before the tax rulings . )
Instead , the top court has defied expectations .
It has moved incrementally , giving partial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most important questions to be decided after November 's presidential contest between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
This approach , shepherded by the institutionalist conservative chief justice , has been disguised somewhat by the convoluted nature of Supreme Court opinions , and the order in which they were handed down .
In June , for instance , it might have seemed like the court had turned outright liberal .
In the space of just 14 days , the court ruled that workers ca n't be fired for being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to shut down the Obama-era immigration program shielding hundreds of thousands of young migrants known as Dreamers , and struck down an abortion law in Louisiana that was nearly identical to one that Chief Justice John Roberts had voted to uphold just a few years back .
But looking under the hood on the opinions , it 's evident that the wins for liberals were more muted than they might seem and are more than likely to be temporary .
Leah Litman , a law professor at the University of Michigan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Strict Scrutiny , said that each of those June decisions either contains `` explicit indications '' that the issue will come back to the court in a way that benefits conservatives or at least allows the precise legal question to come back in a future term .
The court 's decision on DACA , or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals , is the clearest case .
The court was explicit about not ruling on the program 's legality , which remains the subject of litigation in the lower courts .
The justices left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down the program in a future case .
And they did not close the door on Trump simply ending the program again with a more thought-out process .
The limitations of the court 's abortion and LGBT rights opinions are slightly more technical , but not complicated .
Gorsuch , who authored the opinion protecting gay and transgender workers , did so in a workmanlike opinion that reasoned it was impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity without , by definition , discriminating on the basis of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlawed by Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act , so Gorsuch 's opinion applied the law to gay and transgender workers .
But the opinion left a cavernous question open , which was only deepened by some of the court 's decisions later in the term .
What if an employer has a religious objection to a gay or transgender worker ?
Gorsuch did n't answer that directly , but three high-profile opinions handed down in subsequent weeks seemed to suggest the court as a whole is moving further in the direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , the court shielded religious schools from employment discrimination lawsuits , rejected a challenge to Trump administration rules allowing employers with religious or moral objections to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees , and said that if a state runs a scholarship program that funds secular schools , it ca n't exclude religious schools .
Katherine Franke , the faculty director of the Law , Rights , and Religion Project at Columbia University , pointed to the case over religious objections to contraceptive coverage , which was decided on Wednesday , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be narrowed in the future .
She said it showed how the court uses religious liberty to carve out `` huge exceptions to general rules around workplace equality . ''
`` They give with the one hand and they take with the other , '' Franke said .
The top court 's decision on abortion likewise seemed to deliver only a short-term win for liberals .
In that case , the court 's four liberal justices voted to strike down a Louisiana law that threatened to limit the state to one abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't have any medical benefits and posed a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions .
Roberts joined the liberals , but made it clear that he was only doing so because the court had struck down a nearly identical law in 2016 .
In future cases , Roberts suggested , he will apply a more narrow formula to assessing the legality of abortion laws , a move that could allow measures as restrictive as Louisiana 's to be upheld as long as they are not identical to it .
Just how fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illustrated a few days after the court ruled in the abortion case , known as June Medical Services v. Russo .
On July 2 , the court ordered the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider two Indiana abortion laws the appeals court had struck down , regarding parental notification and mandatory ultrasounds , in light of its decision in June Medical Services .
`` That is a pretty strong indication that at least five of the justices think they 're too restrictive , '' said Carolyn Shapiro , co-director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institute .
Shapiro added that the fact that the court 's most high-profile cases seemed to be wins for liberals gave cover to some of the more consequential but under-the-radar wins for conservatives .
A decision that weakened the independence of the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , Shapiro noted , seemed to lay the groundwork for undermining other independent agencies that tend to be opposed by conservatives .
While the court 's mixed bag of opinions has so far failed to satisfy liberals or conservatives , just about everyone acknowledges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly given the likelihood of another vacancy in the next presidential term .
Four of the nine justices are in their 70s or 80s .
The eldest , Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , is 87 and has fought a number of health problems .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , has made it clear that he would work to fill any vacancy on the court quickly .
`` Any one of those cases could have changed with one appointment , '' said the University of Michigan 's Litman .

Members of the news media gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices made it clear that a sitting president cannot evade criminal investigations, ruling that a prosecutor in New York City can obtain President Donald Trump's financial records including tax returns, in Washington, July 9, 2020. Leah Millis | Reuters
On the last day of the first full Supreme Court term with his two hand-picked appointees on the bench, President Donald Trump spent the morning cursing the court. "This is all a political prosecution. I won the Mueller Witch Hunt, and others, and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York," Trump screamed on Twitter. "Not fair to this Presidency or Administration!" The tweets came in response to two opinions handed down on Thursday that delivered setbacks to the president and made it clear that the court still views itself as independent from the executive. The court, in a pair of 7-2 rulings, paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to access Trump's tax records and suggested that it was possible for Congress to do so as well, though it established a relatively high bar for Congress. All nine justices, even the dissenters, dispatched with Trump's claim that he has absolute immunity from state criminal investigations. Though the rulings fell short of what the president wanted, they did effectively ensure the public will not see Trump's tax returns before Election Day. If it were possible to transport the Supreme Court's tax rulings back to the most fiery days of the confirmation battle over Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, it's likely that Trump would not be the only person surprised. While Trump framed securing five conservatives on the court as an antidote to his own and his administration's legal problems, many liberals worried that he could be right. But the tax rulings are reflective of a somewhat more complicated trend that has been illustrated in the most recent blockbuster term. The court continues to issue rulings that fully satisfy nobody.
watch now
Or, to be more precise: The court has refused to give either Democrats or Republicans complete victories. (Native Americans do have reason to be satisfied with the court, and particularly with Justice Neil Gorsuch, who authored an opinion declaring that half of Oklahoma remains their land in an opinion that came down shortly before the tax rulings.) Instead, the top court has defied expectations. It has moved incrementally, giving partial wins to both sides and leaving some of the most important questions to be decided after November's presidential contest between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Not so simple
This approach, shepherded by the institutionalist conservative chief justice, has been disguised somewhat by the convoluted nature of Supreme Court opinions, and the order in which they were handed down. In June, for instance, it might have seemed like the court had turned outright liberal. In the space of just 14 days, the court ruled that workers can't be fired for being gay or transgender, rejected Trump's effort to shut down the Obama-era immigration program shielding hundreds of thousands of young migrants known as Dreamers, and struck down an abortion law in Louisiana that was nearly identical to one that Chief Justice John Roberts had voted to uphold just a few years back. But looking under the hood on the opinions, it's evident that the wins for liberals were more muted than they might seem and are more than likely to be temporary. Leah Litman, a law professor at the University of Michigan and a co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, said that each of those June decisions either contains "explicit indications" that the issue will come back to the court in a way that benefits conservatives or at least allows the precise legal question to come back in a future term. The court's decision on DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is the clearest case. The court was explicit about not ruling on the program's legality, which remains the subject of litigation in the lower courts. The justices left open the possibility that they could strike down the program in a future case. And they did not close the door on Trump simply ending the program again with a more thought-out process. The limitations of the court's abortion and LGBT rights opinions are slightly more technical, but not complicated. Gorsuch, who authored the opinion protecting gay and transgender workers, did so in a workmanlike opinion that reasoned it was impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity without, by definition, discriminating on the basis of "sex." Sex discrimination was already outlawed by Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act, so Gorsuch's opinion applied the law to gay and transgender workers.
Big question remains on LGBT rights
But the opinion left a cavernous question open, which was only deepened by some of the court's decisions later in the term. What if an employer has a religious objection to a gay or transgender worker? Gorsuch didn't answer that directly, but three high-profile opinions handed down in subsequent weeks seemed to suggest the court as a whole is moving further in the direction of religious deference. In those three cases, the court shielded religious schools from employment discrimination lawsuits, rejected a challenge to Trump administration rules allowing employers with religious or moral objections to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees, and said that if a state runs a scholarship program that funds secular schools, it can't exclude religious schools. Katherine Franke, the faculty director of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia University, pointed to the case over religious objections to contraceptive coverage, which was decided on Wednesday, as an illustration of how LGBT worker rights could be narrowed in the future. She said it showed how the court uses religious liberty to carve out "huge exceptions to general rules around workplace equality." "They give with the one hand and they take with the other," Franke said.
A mixed bag


cnbc--2020-07-10--U.S. foreign aid agency hit with low morale as White House works to appoint Trump loyalists

U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks prior to signing an Executive Order on the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington , July 9 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump 's former body man entered the White House after he was chosen to lead the Presidential Personnel Office earlier this year with a message to a team of liaisons : sweep out anyone disloyal to the commander in chief .
John McEntee , Trump 's new personnel head , reportedly called on the group in that meeting in February to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political appointees and bring their names back to him .
McEntee later pushed out many of those liaisons he called upon to help with his purge .
They were then replaced by a group of younger , more loyal representatives in positions that historically act as a go-between the White House and various agencies , according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named .
Liaisons historically have often assisted both their assigned department and the White House with hiring political appointees .
As a result of several controversial hires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government 's agency for foreign aid , according to these people .
The people who spoke to CNBC for this story declined to be named as these details had yet to be made public .
One of the loyal Trump White House liaisons backed by McEntee , these people said , is William Maloney , who now works with the U.S. Agency for International Development , or USAID .
The department that focuses on providing foreign aid to countries around the world and boasts a budget of nearly $ 40 billion .
Maloney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies for years .
Beyond his recent stint as a paralegal at the Department of Housing and Urban Development , he was an assistant for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies and was an assistant at the Department of Justice .
He was an intern on Trump 's 2016 campaign .
USAID acting spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala did not deny Maloney 's involvement with the controversial appointments and referred questions about their hiring practices to the White House , which did not respond for comment .
`` On your questions regarding specific personnel decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the White House .
USAID is honored to continue to work with the White House in carrying out the administration 's important work , '' Jhunjhunwala told CNBC on Friday .
`` William Maloney is the White House Liaison for the agency , and his role is just that – working as a liaison between the White House and USAID on political appointments .
This is always the role of that position for any administration , regardless of party , '' he said .
Maloney declined to comment for this story when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Maloney has supported and has been involved with pushing through multiple controversial political hires that work at or with the agency , including some who have a history of anti-Islamic and LGBT remarks , these people said .
That has led to an extreme drop in morale and a rush of requests both within and outside the agency to acting USAID administrator John Barsa to either investigate or address a wide range of social issues linked to the new recruits .
Merritt Corrigan , the new USAID deputy White House liaison , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one on Twitter , that said `` our homo-empire could n't tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda , '' according to ProPublica .
The Washington Post reported that Mark Kevin Lloyd , the agency 's new religious freedom advisor , and another USAID hire backed by Maloney , the sources said , has a track record of promoting anti-Islamic comments .
`` Political appointees are appointed at the discretion of the White House to carry out the President 's foreign policy agenda at USAID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in early June .
`` I have full confidence that each political appointee at USAID has and will continue to implement the President 's policies and agenda to the best of his or her ability , '' he added .
Jhunjhunwala noted that USAID officials were not aware of any allegations of discrimination filed against anyone at the agency .
`` While at USAID , we are not aware of any allegations of discrimination or other actions by the appointees in question that are less than professional or not up to the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USAID has always held , '' the spokesperson told CNBC .
`` USAID leadership remains committed to creating a diverse , inclusive environment , free from discrimination and intolerance .
We have long ensured that USAID employees , regardless of hiring category , are held to the highest legal , moral and ethical standards and will continue to do so . ''
Maloney helped Joseph Guy land a spot at USAID , as well , according to one of the people .
According to his LinkedIn profile , he started working in May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrator at the agency .
He was previously a Trump White House intern .
Rick Guy , who is Joseph Guy 's father , became a senior advisor at the USAID Office of General Counsel a month after his son joined the agency , his LinkedIn profile says .
Prior to his role at USAID , Rick Guy was a personal injury lawyer and ran in 2018 for a New York State Senate seat .
During the Republican primary for that seat , he faced hurdles from the state Board of Elections after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get his father 's name on a Republican ballot , only for it to be later discovered that the younger Guy was not a member of the Republican Party .
Joseph Guy had previously signed a waiver saying he was , in fact , a member of the party , according to a report by The Citizen newspaper .
The Board of Elections later removed Rick Guy from the ballot and he did not appeal , the paper later reported .
People familiar with the matter say that Maloney has signaled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political hires that would be Trump loyalists .
Employees at the agency have started pushing Garsa to take a stand against the hires .
CNBC reviewed an email that was sent to Barsa in late June , which appeared to be in reaction to the recent string of hires .
Co-signed by close to a dozen USAID employee resource groups , including Gender and Sexual Minorities at USAID and the Young Professionals at USAID , the email directly calls out Barsa for his earlier statement that month that backed Corrigan and Lloyd .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement did not demonstrate concern for the well-being of USAID employees who have been targeted by the language in question , nor address accountability measures to prevent language like this from occurring within the Agency , '' the email said .
`` We request a meeting with you to discuss how we can collaborate on ensuring that USAID 's workforce is valued in its full diversity and can experience a supportive and inclusive working environment . ''
The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network , a bipartisan coalition that `` promotes more effective and accountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' wrote a letter to Barsa dated June 26 voicing their concerns about the group of hires .
`` We write to you today to express our concerns that , at this critical time , the philosophical beliefs of some employees may be hindering effective delivery of U.S. foreign assistance , '' the group said .
`` As leader of the world 's premier bilateral aid agency , we urge you to ensure that USAID 's career and political staff are empowered to continue their focus on delivering U.S. foreign aid based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' It was signed by co-chairs of the coalition .
Some of whom had previously worked for USAID .
Then there 's a group of seven Democratic lawmakers who wrote to Barsa on June 17 .
They specifically targeted the hiring of Lloyd and Corrigan , while demanding an investigation of their past statements .
`` The appointment of Lloyd and Corrigan risks alienating the hardworking staff at USAID – not only women , Muslims and members of the LGBT community – but any employee that is justifiably dismayed that people who hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world 's premier international development agency , '' the letter said .

U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks prior to signing an Executive Order on the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, July 9, 2020.
President Donald Trump's former body man entered the White House after he was chosen to lead the Presidential Personnel Office earlier this year with a message to a team of liaisons: sweep out anyone disloyal to the commander in chief.
John McEntee, Trump's new personnel head, reportedly called on the group in that meeting in February to find any so-called "Never Trump" political appointees and bring their names back to him.
McEntee later pushed out many of those liaisons he called upon to help with his purge. They were then replaced by a group of younger, more loyal representatives in positions that historically act as a go-between the White House and various agencies, according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named. Liaisons have often assisted both their assigned department and the White House with hiring political appointees.
As a result of several controversial hires, morale has plummeted at the federal government's agency for foreign aid, according to these people.
The people who spoke to CNBC for this story declined to be named as these details had yet to be made public.
One of the loyal Trump White House liaisons backed by McEntee, these people said, is William Maloney, who now works with the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. The department that focuses on providing foreign aid to countries around the world and boasts a budget of nearly $40 billion.
Maloney has been close to Trump and his allies for years. Beyond his recent stint as a paralegal at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, he was an assistant for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies and was an assistant at the Department of Justice. He was an intern on Trump's 2016 campaign.
USAID acting spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala did not deny Maloney's involvement with the controversial appointments and referred questions about their hiring practices to the White House, which did not respond for comment.
"On your questions regarding specific personnel decisions, we will have to refer you to the White House. USAID is honored to continue to work with the White House in carrying out the administration's important work," Jhunjhunwala told CNBC on Friday. "William Maloney is the White House Liaison for the agency, and his role is just that – working as a liaison between the White House and USAID on political appointments. This is always the role of that position for any administration, regardless of party," he said.
Maloney declined to comment for this story when reached.
Since becoming the USAID liaison, Maloney has supported and has been involved with pushing through multiple controversial political hires that work at or with the agency, including some who have a history of anti-Islamic and LGBT remarks, these people said. That has led to an extreme drop in morale and a rush of requests both within and outside the agency to acting USAID administrator John Barsa to either investigate or address a wide range of social issues linked to the new recruits.
Merritt Corrigan, the new USAID deputy White House liaison, has previously published online posts, such as one on Twitter, that said "our homo-empire couldn't tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda," according to ProPublica.
The Washington Post reported that Mark Kevin Lloyd, the agency's new religious freedom advisor, and another USAID hire backed by Maloney, the sources said, has a track record of promoting anti-Islamic comments.
Barsa has publicly defended these hires.
"Political appointees are appointed at the discretion of the White House to carry out the President's foreign policy agenda at USAID," Barsa said in a statement in early June. "I have full confidence that each political appointee at USAID has and will continue to implement the President's policies and agenda to the best of his or her ability," he added.
Jhunjhunwala noted that USAID officials were not aware of any allegations of discrimination filed against anyone at the agency.
"While at USAID, we are not aware of any allegations of discrimination or other actions by the appointees in question that are less than professional or not up to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards that USAID has always held," the spokesperson told CNBC. "USAID leadership remains committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment, free from discrimination and intolerance. We have long ensured that USAID employees, regardless of hiring category, are held to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards and will continue to do so."
Maloney helped Joseph Guy land a spot at USAID, as well, according to one of the people. According to his LinkedIn profile, he started working in May as the special assistant to the assistant administrator at the agency. He was previously a Trump White House intern. Rick Guy, who is Joseph Guy's father, became a senior advisor at the USAID Office of General Counsel a month after his son joined the agency, his LinkedIn profile says.
Prior to his role at USAID, Rick Guy was a personal injury lawyer and ran in 2018 for a New York State Senate seat. During the Republican primary for that seat, he faced hurdles from the state Board of Elections after his son Joseph picked up signatures needed to get his father's name on a Republican ballot, only for it to be later discovered that the younger Guy was not a member of the Republican Party. Joseph Guy had previously signed a waiver saying he was, in fact, a member of the party, according to a report by The Citizen newspaper. The Board of Elections later removed Rick Guy from the ballot and he did not appeal, the paper later reported.
People familiar with the matter say that Maloney has signaled to allies that he plans to recommend more political hires that would be Trump loyalists.
Employees at the agency have started pushing Barsa to take a stand against the hires.
CNBC reviewed an email that was sent to Barsa in late June, which appeared to be in reaction to the recent string of hires.
Co-signed by close to a dozen USAID employee resource groups, including Gender and Sexual Minorities at USAID and the Young Professionals at USAID, the email directly calls out Barsa for his earlier statement that month that backed Corrigan and Lloyd.
"We are concerned that your press statement did not demonstrate concern for the well-being of USAID employees who have been targeted by the language in question, nor address accountability measures to prevent language like this from occurring within the Agency," the email said. "We request a meeting with you to discuss how we can collaborate on ensuring that USAID's workforce is valued in its full diversity and can experience a supportive and inclusive working environment."
The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, a bipartisan coalition that "promotes more effective and accountable U.S. foreign assistance that advances American interests," wrote a letter to Barsa dated June 26 voicing their concerns about the group of hires.
"We write to you today to express our concerns that, at this critical time, the philosophical beliefs of some employees may be hindering effective delivery of U.S. foreign assistance," the group said. "As leader of the world's premier bilateral aid agency, we urge you to ensure that USAID's career and political staff are empowered to continue their focus on delivering U.S. foreign aid based on development outcomes and data-driven programming."
It was signed by co-chairs of the coalition. Some of whom had previously worked for USAID.
Then there's a group of seven Democratic lawmakers who wrote to Barsa on June 17. They specifically targeted the hiring of Lloyd and Corrigan, while demanding an investigation of their past statements.
"The appointment of Lloyd and Corrigan risks alienating the hardworking staff at USAID – not only women, Muslims and members of the LGBT community – but any employee that is justifiably dismayed that people who hold these views were appointed to represent the world's premier international development agency," the letter said.


cnbc--2020-07-10--Judge orders Manhattan DA, Trump lawyers to detail next steps in tax records case after big Supreme

Judge orders Manhattan DA, Trump lawyers to detail next steps in tax records case after big Supreme Court ruling

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance arrives at federal court for a hearing related to President Donald Trump 's financial records on October 23 , 2019 in New York City .
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Manhattan District Attorney 's Office and President Donald Trump 's lawyers to inform him whether further court proceedings are needed after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump can not summarily block prosecutors from getting his tax records and other financial documents from his accountant .
The judge , Victor Marrero , also told the parties to lay out `` potential areas for further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the documents if they are unable to put the matter to rest .
Trump had fought a grand jury subpoena for the records , which was issued at District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. 's request .
The president 's lawyer indicated Thursday that he will continue an effort in federal court to prevent Vance from getting them .
Trump 's lawyer had argued to the Supreme Court that a president is immune not only from prosecution , but even from a criminal investigation while serving in the White House .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has no such immunity from grand jury subpoenas , paving the way for the accounting Mazars USA to ultimately turn over the documents .
`` No citizen , not even the president , is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding , '' Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority in the 7-2 ruling .
The decision left the door open for Trump to continue to fight the subpoena in lower courts by challenging it as being unduly burdensome or extensive .
Trump also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt to influence the performance of his official duties , in violation of the Supremacy Clause '' of the Constitution , the Supreme Court ruling noted .
`` And he can argue that compliance with a particular subpoena would impede his constitutional duties . ''
But the president may have difficulty in getting lower courts to restrict the scope of the subpoena , given the adverse court rulings on the issue that he has seen to date .
On the same day as the ruling on the Vance subpoena , the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by House Democrats for financial documents related to Trump .
The Supreme Court ordered lower courts to more carefully consider concerns about the separation of powers in deciding whether several House committees can get the requested documents .
Marrero , who sits in Manhattan federal court , on his own accord Friday issued an order to Vance 's office and Trump 's lawyers saying `` the parties are hereby ordered to jointly inform the Court by the morning of July 15 , 2020 whether further proceedings will be necessary in light of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marrero said the `` joint submission should outline potential areas for further argument . ''
He also scheduled a telephone conference , if necessary , to discuss the parties ' position on whether future proceedings are needed , and a proposed schedule for those hearings .
Trump 's lawyer , Jay Sekulow , said in an email , `` We will respond as appropriate '' to Marrero 's order .
Sekulow on Thursday had said after the Supreme Court ruling , `` We will now proceed to raise additional Constitutional and legal issues @ @ @ @ @ @

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance arrives at federal court for a hearing related to President Donald Trump's financial records on October 23, 2019 in New York City.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and President Donald Trump's lawyers to inform him whether further court proceedings are needed after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump cannot summarily block prosecutors from getting his tax records and other financial documents from his accountant.
The judge, Victor Marrero, also told the parties to lay out "potential areas for further argument" over a grand jury subpoena for the documents if they are unable to put the matter to rest.
Trump had fought a grand jury subpoena for the records, which was issued at District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s request. The president's lawyer indicated Thursday that he will continue an effort in federal court to prevent Vance from getting them.
Trump's lawyer had argued to the Supreme Court that a president is immune not only from prosecution, but even from a criminal investigation while serving in the White House.
But the Supreme Court on Thursday said that Trump has no such immunity from grand jury subpoenas, paving the way for the accounting Mazars USA to ultimately turn over the documents.
"No citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority in the 7-2 ruling.
The decision left the door open for Trump to continue to fight the subpoena in lower courts by challenging it as being unduly burdensome or extensive.
Trump also "can challenge the subpoena as an attempt to influence the performance of his official duties, in violation of the Supremacy Clause" of the Constitution, the Supreme Court ruling noted.
"And he can argue that compliance with a particular subpoena would impede his constitutional duties."
But the president may have difficulty in getting lower courts to restrict the scope of the subpoena, given the adverse court rulings on the issue that he has seen to date.
On the same day as the ruling on the Vance subpoena, the Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings that supported demands by House Democrats for financial documents related to Trump. The Supreme Court ordered lower courts to more carefully consider concerns about the separation of powers in deciding whether several House committees can get the requested documents.
Marrero, who sits in Manhattan federal court, on his own accord Friday issued an order to Vance's office and Trump's lawyers saying "the parties are hereby ordered to jointly inform the Court by the morning of July 15, 2020 whether further proceedings will be necessary in light of the dispositions by the Courts above."
Marrero said the "joint submission should outline potential areas for further argument."
He also scheduled a telephone conference, if necessary, to discuss the parties' position on whether future proceedings are needed, and a proposed schedule for those hearings.
Trump's lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in an email, "We will respond as appropriate" to Marrero's order.
Sekulow on Thursday had said after the Supreme Court ruling, "We will now proceed to raise additional Constitutional and legal issues in the lower courts."
Vance's spokesman, Danny Frost, declined to comment on Marrero's order.


cnbc--2020-07-10--Trump says U.S.-China relationship is 'severely damaged,' phase 2 trade deal not a priority

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is n't thinking about a possible next stage of the U.S. trade deal with China , adding that the relationship between the two nations has been `` severely damaged '' by the coronavirus pandemic .
`` They could have stopped the plague .
They could have stopped it .
They did n't stop it , '' Trump said on Air Force One en route to Florida , according to reporters present on the plane .
Asked if that friction meant `` phase two '' of the U.S.-China trade deal would no longer happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking about it and that he had many other things on his mind .
The status of the trade agreement between the two economic superpowers , the first phase of which was signed and went into effect earlier this year , has come under question amid the Covid-19 crisis .
The virus , which was first observed in the Chinese city of Wuhan , has spread around the world and taken a devastating toll on America 's health and economy .
More than 3 million cases and at least 133,291 deaths from Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
Trump said in May that he was `` very torn '' about whether to scrap the first phase of the pact with Beijing , while officials in his administration have assured that both countries are still expected to honor the deal .
Phase one of the deal followed a protracted trade war with China that hung over much of Trump 's first term in office .
The agreement took initial steps toward addressing issues including intellectual property protections and forced technology transfers , while also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 200 billion worth of U.S. goods over two years .

President Donald Trump said Friday that he isn't thinking about a possible next stage of the U.S. trade deal with China, adding that the relationship between the two nations has been "severely damaged" by the coronavirus pandemic.
"They could have stopped the plague. They could have stopped it. They didn't stop it," Trump said on Air Force One en route to Florida, according to reporters present on the plane.
Asked if that friction meant "phase two" of the U.S.-China trade deal would no longer happen, Trump said he wasn't even thinking about it and that he had many other things on his mind.
The status of the trade agreement between the two economic superpowers, the first phase of which was signed and went into effect earlier this year, has come under question amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The virus, which was first observed in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread around the world and taken a devastating toll on America's health and economy. More than 3 million cases and at least 133,291 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Trump said in May that he was "very torn" about whether to scrap the first phase of the pact with Beijing, while officials in his administration have assured that both countries are still expected to honor the deal.
Phase one of the deal followed a protracted trade war with China that hung over much of Trump's first term in office. The agreement took initial steps toward addressing issues including intellectual property protections and forced technology transfers, while also saying that China will buy at least $200 billion worth of U.S. goods over two years.


cnbc--2020-07-10--Ghislaine Maxwell seeks release on $5 million bail in Jeffrey Epstein child sex case, says prosecuti

Ghislaine Maxwell seeks release on $5 million bail in Jeffrey Epstein child sex case, says prosecution barred by deal

Ghislaine Maxwell , the British socialite charged with facilitating Jeffrey Epstein 's sexual abuse of underage girls , on Friday asked for bail of $ 5 million , and argued that her criminal case is barred by a nonprosecution deal that the now-dead Epstein signed with federal authorities years ago .
Maxwell , who has been held without bail since being arrested last week in New Hampshire , also proposes in a new court filing that she be released into home confinement with electronic monitoring in New York as her criminal case proceeds .
A bail hearing for her is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manhattan .
`` Ms. Maxwell vigorously denies the charges , intends to fight them , and is entitled to the presumption of innocence , '' her lawyers , Mark Cohen and Jeffrey Pagliuca , wrote in their filing .
The attorneys urged a judge to set a personal recognizance bond for Maxwell in the amount of $ 5 million .
That bond would be secured by six co-signers , as well as by property in Britain worth $ 3.75 million .
The attorneys said that the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not only for health reasons but also to allow her to assist with her legal defense .
The lawyers noted that they have already had difficulty communicating with Maxwell , 58 , since she has been locked up in a federal jail in Brooklyn , New York .
The also argued for bail on the grounds that she `` has strong ties to the community , '' holds American citizenship , has resided in the U.S. for decades and has no criminal record Maxwell , if granted bail , would agree to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other than family , close friends and lawyers , according to her attorneys ' filing .
They also said Maxwell would have a security staff who could report to authorities , and that she would also agree to limit any travel to New York City , Long Island and several counties north of the city .
The filing said that Maxwell had not had contact with Epstein , a former boyfriend , for more than a decade before he died in August in a federal jail in Manhattan from what has been officially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously have said they want Maxwell detained without bail , calling her an extreme flight risk .
They noted she holds several passports , citizenship in three countries , including Britain and France , and is wealthy .
But her lawyers in their filing wrote that she `` has not left the country even once since Epstein 's arrest a year ago , even though she was aware of the pending , and highly publicized , criminal investigation . ''
Maxwell , who is a daughter of the dead crooked media baron Robert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property in Bradford , New Hampshire , on July 2 on a six-count indictment that was issued by a federal grand jury in Manhattan .
T The $ 1 million property was purchased months ago by a legal entity set up to disguise the actual purchaser 's real identity .
She is accused of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse children as young as 14 in the mid-1990s , and for lying under oath in civil litigation about her alleged conduct as his procurer .
Epstein , 66 , died while awaiting trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to alleged conduct from 2002 through 2005 involving dozens of underage girls .
His death came after a judge denied him bail .
A wealthy investor , Epstein was a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton , as well as of Britain 's Prince Andrew .

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite charged with facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls, on Friday asked for bail of $5 million, and argued that her criminal case is barred by a nonprosecution deal that the now-dead Epstein signed with federal authorities years ago.
Maxwell, who has been held without bail since being arrested last week in New Hampshire, also proposes in a new court filing that she be released into home confinement with electronic monitoring in New York as her criminal case proceeds.
A bail hearing for her is scheduled for Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.
"Ms. Maxwell vigorously denies the charges, intends to fight them, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence," her lawyers, Mark Cohen and Jeffrey Pagliuca, wrote in their filing.
The attorneys urged a judge to set a personal recognizance bond for Maxwell in the amount of $5 million. That bond would be secured by six co-signers, as well as by property in Britain worth $3.75 million.
The attorneys said that the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on prisoners, warrants Maxwell's release on bail, not only for health reasons but also to allow her to assist with her legal defense.
The lawyers noted that they have already had difficulty communicating with Maxwell, 58, since she has been locked up in a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York.
The also argued for bail on the grounds that she "has strong ties to the community," holds American citizenship, has resided in the U.S. for decades and has no criminal record
Maxwell, if granted bail, would agree to get visits at home from no one other than family, close friends and lawyers, according to her attorneys' filing.
They also said Maxwell would have a security staff who could report to authorities, and that she would also agree to limit any travel to New York City, Long Island and several counties north of the city.
The filing said that Maxwell had not had contact with Epstein, a former boyfriend, for more than a decade before he died in August in a federal jail in Manhattan from what has been officially ruled a suicide by hanging.
Prosecutors previously have said they want Maxwell detained without bail, calling her an extreme flight risk. They noted she holds several passports, citizenship in three countries, including Britain and France, and is wealthy.
But her lawyers in their filing wrote that she "has not left the country even once since Epstein's arrest a year ago, even though she was aware of the pending, and highly publicized, criminal investigation."
Maxwell, who is a daughter of the dead crooked media baron Robert Maxwell, was arrested at a 156-acre property in Bradford, New Hampshire, on July 2 on a six-count indictment that was issued by a federal grand jury in Manhattan. T
The $1 million property was purchased months ago by a legal entity set up to disguise the actual purchaser's real identity.
She is accused of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse children as young as 14 in the mid-1990s, and for lying under oath in civil litigation about her alleged conduct as his procurer.
Epstein, 66, died while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges that related to alleged conduct from 2002 through 2005 involving dozens of underage girls. His death came after a judge denied him bail.
A wealthy investor, Epstein was a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as of Britain's Prince Andrew.