⚡ Trump's big fear

Plus: Hunter's "illusion of access" | Monday, July 31, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By American Clean Power Association (ACP)   Axios Sneak Peek By Zachary Basu · Jul 31, 2023 ☀️ Welcome back to Sneak — and to the first full week of August recess. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,047 words ... 4 minutes. 🚀 Situational awareness: President Biden has decided to keep the headquarters of U.S. Space Command in Colorado, overturning former President Trump's decision to move it to Alabama.     1 big thing: Trump's big fear Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images   Trump's new legal defense fund for aides and employees may double as both an act of benevolence and a potential insurance policy against a practice he has long loathed: flipping. Why it matters: New federal charges against Trump — who once said cooperating with prosecutors in exchange for leniency "ought to be illegal" — rely in large part on the testimony of a Mar-a-Lago employee who allegedly was asked to delete surveillance footage subpoenaed by investigators. Driving the news: The superseding indictment unveiled Thursday in Trump's classified documents case ensnared a new defendant — Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — in addition to longtime Trump valet Walt Nauta. The indictment alleges that in June 2022, De Oliveira pulled aside another Mar-a-Lago employee — identified in media reports as IT staffer Yuscil Taveras — and asked for their conversation to remain private. In a scene the indictment describes in remarkable detail, De Oliveira allegedly told Taveras that "the boss" wanted the server housing surveillance footage to be deleted — a request Taveras allegedly said he could not help with. The intrigue: Taveras received a target letter after Trump and Nauta were indicted last month — prompting him to meet with investigators and provide new information about De Oliveira and the alleged cover-up, CNN reports. Between the lines: Taveras may have cooperated, but there's no indication that Trump's co-defendants — whose legal expenses have so far been covered by Trump's Save America PAC — intend to flip. Two weeks after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago last August, the indictment alleges Nauta called another unidentified Trump employee and said words to the effect of "someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good." The Trump employee allegedly told Nauta that De Oliveira was loyal and would not do anything to affect his relationship with the former president. That same day, Trump allegedly called De Oliveira and said he would get him an attorney. De Oliveira (center) leaves the federal courthouse in Miami today. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images The big picture: The threat of cooperating witnesses isn't just confined to Trump's classified documents case. Trump's longtime fixer-turned-antagonist Michael Cohen is expected to be the key witness in the former president's hush-money trial in Manhattan, scheduled to begin March 25. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows' cryptic silence after his testimony to the grand jury investigating Jan. 6 has stirred fears within Trumpworld that he's a "rat," Rolling Stone reports. The bottom line: It's not unusual for campaigns to pay for their staff's legal costs, but prosecutors appear to see potential conflicts of interest in Trump's dealings with witnesses. "I know all about flipping — 30, 40 years I have been watching flippers," Trump said in 2018, when Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations. "If you can say something bad about Donald Trump ... most people are going to do that." Share this story.     2. 💰 Hunter's "illusion of access" Archer arrives on Capitol Hill for his testimony. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images   A former Hunter Biden associate told Congress that Hunter sold "the illusion of access" by putting his father on speakerphone with business partners, but that then-Vice President Joe Biden never talked shop, Axios' Stef Kight and Alex Thompson report. Why it matters: Top Republicans called for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden ahead of Devon Archer's closed-door testimony today, but Democrats have expressed confidence that there's no smoking gun tying Biden to his son's business entanglements. Zoom in: Archer, who was convicted of fraud on unrelated charges in 2018, testified that Hunter put his father on the phone with friends and business associates roughly 20 times over a 10-year period. But Archer "repeated over and over and over again that President Biden never discussed any business dealings or interests with Hunter or anyone else," Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) told reporters after the hours-long transcribed interview. Republicans cast doubt on the claim that Biden simply exchanged "niceties" during the phone calls. They also focused on Archer's testimony that embattled Ukrainian gas company Burisma wanted Hunter on its board for his family's "brand." Keep reading.     3. ⚖️ Georgia's indictment window opens Trump at a rally in Columbus, Ga., last month with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Photo: Cheney Orr for The Washington Post via Getty Images   A Georgia judge today rejected Trump's request to block a special grand jury report and disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the investigation into efforts to interfere in the 2020 election. Why it matters: Willis has previously said that indictments against Trump, his allies and other potential targets of the long-running investigation would come between July 31 and Aug. 18. "We've been working for 2.5 years. We're ready to go," Willis, a Democrat, told a local news station over the weekend. Security barriers were placed outside of the Fulton County courthouse in downtown Atlanta last week, and Willis has advised county leaders to "make decisions that keep your staff safe" in the coming weeks.     A message from American Clean Power Association (ACP) Possibility to reality: Green Hydrogen is key to our energy future     The green hydrogen industry could help solve the climate crisis, but only if there IS a green hydrogen industry. To realize its staggering potential, U.S. green hydrogen needs flexible regulatory requirements until the industry is established. Get more details.     4. 👀 DeSantis pile-on Trump suggests he will skip the first GOP debate on Truth Social today. When it rains, it pours: The nation's leading anti-abortion group issued a statement today slamming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for suggesting that the abortion fight be fought at the state level, rather than embracing federal restrictions. What they're saying: "There are many pressing legislative issues for which Congress does not have the votes at the moment, but that is not a reason for a strong leader to back away from the fight," SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said, calling DeSantis' position "unacceptable." In response to SBA's condemnation, DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin told Politico that the governor "does not kowtow to D.C. interest groups." "This unjustified attack on him is another example of the D.C. political games that have seen conservatives falter in Washington while Governor DeSantis has produced unmatched conservative victories in Florida," Griffin said. Why it matters: The unexpected feud might as well be a metaphor for DeSantis' struggling campaign: Despite signing a six-week abortion ban in Florida and positioning himself to the right of Trump, he's still receiving incoming fire from activists. The big picture: A New York Times/Siena poll out today found Trump is dominating DeSantis among virtually every constituency in the GOP — including Republicans who believe abortion should always be legal and those who believe it should always be illegal.     A message from American Clean Power Association (ACP) Possibility to reality: Green Hydrogen is key to our energy future     The green hydrogen industry could help solve the climate crisis, but only if there IS a green hydrogen industry. To realize its staggering potential, U.S. green hydrogen needs flexible regulatory requirements until the industry is established. Get more details.   📬 Thanks for reading tonight. This newsletter was copy edited by Kathie Bozanich. Your personal policy analyst is here Stay ahead of the trends, players and outside forces shaping policy in your industry with Axios Pro. Contact us for special corporate and government pricing.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: