Politics

Former Michigan marijuana board head gets almost 5 years in federal prison

Published

2 months ago

September 28, 2023

Former Michigan marijuana board head gets almost 5 years in federal prison

A man formerly known as a powerful Michigan lawmaker was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in federal prison for accepting bribes as head of a marijuana licensing board.

Rick Johnson admitted accepting at least $110,000 when he led the board from 2017 to 2019.

“I am a corrupt politician,” Johnson told the judge, according to The Detroit News.

FORMER HEAD OF MICHIGAN MARIJUANA LICENSING BOARD PLEADS GUILTY TO BRIBERY

Johnson was a powerful Republican lawmaker years ago, serving as House speaker from 2001 through 2004. He then became a lobbyist, and ultimately chair of a board that reviewed and approved applications to grow and sell marijuana for medical purposes.

U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering sentenced Johnson to about 4.5 years in prison.

Rick Johnson chairs the committee as it meets before a capacity crowd in Lansing, Michigan, June 26, 2017. (Dale G Young/Detroit News via AP, File)

“You exploited your power, and you planned it out even before you got the appointment,” Beckering said.

Two lobbyists who referred to Johnson as “Batman” in text messages have also pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges. A Detroit-area businessman who paid bribes, John Dalaly, was recently sentenced to more than two years in prison.

FEDS LAND FIRST GUILTY PLEA IN MICHIGAN MARIJUANA BOARD CORRUPTION PROBE

Prosecutors had recommended a nearly six-year prison term for Johnson. In a court filing, they said one of the lobbyists paid for him to have sex with a woman.

“Rick Johnson’s brazen corruption tainted an emerging industry, squandered the public’s trust and scorned a democracy that depends on the rule of law,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said after the hearing.

Michigan voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2008. A decade later, voters approved the recreational use of marijuana.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abolished the medical marijuana board a few months after taking office in 2019 and put oversight of the industry inside a state agency.

Politics

Video: Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech

Published

33 mins ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

Video: Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech

new video loaded: Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech

transcript

Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech

Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader and highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, warned young people against “unknowingly aiding and abetting” antisemitism in the name of justice.

: I feel compelled to speak because I’m the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America. In fact, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official ever in American history. And I have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it. Antisemites are taking advantage of the pro-Palestinian movement to espouse hatred and bigotry towards Jewish people. But rather than call out this dangerous behavior for what it is, we see so many of our friends and fellow citizens, particularly young people who yearn for justice, unknowingly aiding and abetting their cause. Not long ago, many of us marched together for Black and brown lives. We stood against anti-Asian hatred. We protested bigotry against the L.G.B.T.Q. community. We fought for reproductive justice out of the recognition that injustice against one oppressed group is injustice against all. But apparently, Mr. President, in the eyes of some, this principle does not extend to the Jewish people.
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Ramaswamy’s New Hampshire-based political director joins Trump campaign

Published

1 hour ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

Ramaswamy’s New Hampshire-based political director joins Trump campaign

A campaign official for Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has joined Team Trump, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

Brian Swensen, Ramaswamy’s New Hampshire-based political director, has taken a new job with the Trump campaign and is a close ally to Trump senior adviser Susie Wiles.

Ramaswamy spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Swensen’s responsibilities, which have been “pretty much exclusive” to the campaign’s New Hampshire operation, have been absorbed in recent months by senior adviser Mike Biundo, a longtime GOP strategist and veteran of the Trump 2016 campaign who joined the Ramaswamy campaign earlier this year.

RAMASWAMY SWIPES ‘GOP ESTABLISHMENT’ IN IOWA FOR SUPPORING CO2 PIPELINES AS PART OF CLIMATE ‘HOAX’

A spokesperson for Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign confirmed to Fox New Digital that its New Hampshire-based political director is joining Team Trump. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

McLaughlin told Fox News Digital “We love Brian” and “wish him the best.” She also rejected the notion that Swensen’s exit indicates a “death knell” for the Ramaswamy campaign.

“This is a positive move for all parties,” McLaughlin said.

RAMASWAMY LAUNCHES $1 MILLION AD BUY IN EARLY PRIMARY STATES BLASTING POLITICIANS ‘LEADING US INTO WORLD WAR III’

Former President Trump maintains a commanding lead in both national and state polls against the rest of the GOP field. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

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Former President Trump maintains a commanding lead in the GOP primary in both national and state polls. The latest Fox News national poll released earlier this month showed him with a whopping 62% while Ramaswamy came in at 7% — behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 14% and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s 11%.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

Politics

Newsom versus DeSantis: How, when and where to watch the governors debate

Published

1 hour ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

Newsom versus DeSantis: How, when and where to watch the governors debate

Govs. Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis will take the stage in Georgia on Thursday evening for a one-of-a-kind debate pitting California against Florida.

The televised event will highlight the different styles of governance of the two coastal states, which are politically distinctive. Democrats’ leadership of California will be contrasted with increasingly conservative Florida, where Republicans control state government.

Fox News Channel is hosting the event, which it’s dubbed “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.” The program is set to begin at 6 p.m. Pacific. The debate will also be broadcast on Fox News Radio and livestreamed on FoxNews.com, but a cable subscription is required.

Sean Hannity will moderate the debate at a studio in Alpharetta, Ga., without a live audience. He is expected to prompt the governors on issues including the economy, the border, immigration, crime and inflation for a 90-minute discussion. After the debate, Hannity will host a 30-minute reactions roundtable with panelists.

The long-awaited debate comes more than a year after Newsom challenged the Florida governor in a tweet, saying, “Hey [DeSantis], clearly you’re struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people’s lives. Since you have only one overriding need — attention — let’s take this up & debate. I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray. Name the time before Election Day.”

It is extraordinarily unusual for governors from different states to debate each other. But both DeSantis and Newsom are ambitious politicians who hunger for publicity.

DeSantis is trailing former President Trump in polling for the Republican presidential primary, and desperately needs a boost to his campaign. Newsom is not running for president next year but will be termed out of the governor’s office in 2027 and could toss his hat in the 2028 presidential race.

Both governors have gained national attention for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of race and their infamous lobbing of insults against each other. Newsom ran election ads last year in Florida, urging Floridians to “join us in California, where we still believe in freedom.” On a California campaign stop a couple months ago, DeSantis didn’t miss the opportunity to tie Newsom to the Biden administration: “What California is doing now is likely what a second Biden term would do, or God forbid Kamala Harris, or God forbid Newsom himself, who knows, right?”

Newsom has been a loyal surrogate for the Biden campaign, touting the president’s accomplishments in appearances around the country and helping Biden raise money from wealthy California donors.