Politics

Frequent GOP L.A. congressional candidate charged with misusing campaign funds

Published

2 months ago

September 27, 2023

Frequent GOP L.A. congressional candidate charged with misusing campaign funds

WASHINGTON —

Omar Navarro, a favorite of former President Trump’s MAGA movement for repeatedly challenging Democrat Maxine Waters for her congressional seat, was indicted Wednesday on 43 counts of misusing campaign funds, including funneling tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations back to himself through friends and family.

FBI agents also arrested Navarro’s mother, Dora Asghari, 59, of Torrance and a friend, Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 34, of Long Beach. Both are accused of conspiring with Navarro to convert campaign donations to personal use. Navarro, 34, is in state custody on unrelated charges, according to the office of the district attorney for the Central District of California, but he is expected to be turned over soon to federal authorities.

Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California unsealed a 45-page indictment charging Navarro with 13 counts of wire fraud, 26 counts of falsification of records and three counts of prohibited use of campaign funds. Asghari is charged with six counts of wire fraud. Diamantides-Abel is charged with two counts of wire fraud. All three defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy.

Navarro, a Republican, ran against Waters for her 43rd Congressional District seat in south L.A. County in the last four elections. He consistently garnered less than 25% of the vote, but his use of digital media and campaign stunts attracted high-profile friends within Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, including former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former Trump political advisor Roger Stone.

The attention also led to an outpouring of donations to his campaigns. Navarro raised just $2,846 in 2016, but brought in $1.17 million in 2018 and $731,118 in 2020, when he failed to advance to the general election. He collected $85,997 in 2022. Navarro acted as his own campaign treasurer in all four campaigns, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

During his quixotic campaigns against the popular 16-term congresswoman, he frequently faced questions about how he was funding his lifestyle, including high-profile stops at far-right events, while he was largely unemployed. Navarro came to the FBI’s attention in 2018 after posting a doctored image of Waters’ official House letterhead on social media.

Attorneys for Navarro did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

The indictment made public Wednesday alleges that Navarro made payments from his campaign to various individuals — including Asghari and Diamantides-Abel — who then transferred the money back to him.

The Republican is also accused of using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including trips to Las Vegas and wine country, as well as two criminal defense attorneys who helped him when he pleaded guilty to felony stalking in 2020. According to the indictment, Navarro later falsely reported these expenditures as campaign expenses to the FEC.

Asghari and Diamantides-Abel are accused of concealing the scheme by cashing the checks rather than depositing them into their personal bank accounts.

Between December 2017 and June 2020, Diamantides-Abel and Asghari received $49,260 and $58,625, respectively, from Navarro’s campaign, according to the indictment. Asghari is also accused of creating a shell company to facilitate receiving the campaign payments and transferring the money back to Navarro and his own shell company.

According to the indictment, from January 2018 through July 1, 2020, Navarro deposited more than $100,000 in cash into his personal accounts, even though he had no other source of income and he frequently made deposits after Diamantides-Abel or Asghari cashed campaign checks. Navarro also formed a sham charity called the United Latino Foundation as another way to embezzle funds from his campaign for his personal use, according to the indictment.

The indictment includes 13 unindicted co-conspirators.

Politics

Video: Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech

Published

55 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.

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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.

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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

2 hours 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.