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GOP Praise Trump: ‘Most Accessible President’

President Donald Trump’s sudden focus on healthcare has Republicans concerned, but GOP legislators still praise Trump for being “the most accessible president” they’ve ever seen.

"There is a lot of angst about this whole healthcare bills -- we are dealing with," said a Republican legislator who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity. "But you aren't going to hear members say 'WTF Mr. President, what the hell did you do that for?'"

Multiple Republicans in Congress told CNN that Trump is more accessible than past presidents, frequently making calls and talking with rank-and-file members of the GOP.

"President Trump is the most accessible president that I have ever seen," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who said that a few months ago he wanted to talk to Trump on a Sunday, only to hear from the president 30 minutes later.

"The first thing he said before I said anything was 'let's talk about you serving another 20 years,'" he said. "I said Mr. President, I am sorry, I called to tell you I'm not going to run for re-election."

"Even people who don't like him, when they are with him, are impressed with how easily he works a room,” Alexander continued. “I think he likes people. He lives in the moment. He's not thinking of the next day or even the next hour or the next person ... he's that kind of personality."

"He calls members frequently and he is completely available to us when we call him," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., referring to Trump. "I am very fortunate to have that relationship with the President."

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Bernie Sanders Strategy: Reaching Out to Trump Voters

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is developing a risky strategy of reaching out to President Donald Trump voters, stumping last week in Wisconsin and Michigan — and appearing on a Fox News-sponsored town hall Monday,  The Washington Post reported.

The approach will be tested not only in Wisconsin and Michigan, but Pennsylvania, too — all part of his current campaign swing, where many white, working-class voters were drawn to Trump’s populist message in 2016. 

Yet many of the Democratic gains in the 2018 election were made by candidates who were in a more traditional Democrat mold — including in Wisconsin and Michigan, where Democrats nominated more traditional candidates for governor and captured both seats from Republicans.

According to the Post, Sanders’ approach also will be tested with the the expected candidacy of former vice president Joe Biden. Biden’s bipartisan approach would sharpen the contrast between the field’s “unifiers” — Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke — and partisans like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Sanders’s supporters say voters are deeply frustrated and looking for a leader who will shake things up, noting 11 percent of voters who picked Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary went on to vote for Trump in the general election, the Post reported, citing an American National Election Studies survey. Another 8 percent voted for minor-party candidates, and Sanders loyalists think he’s got a shot at them as well.

“Unfortunately, a lot of times people are really angry, and sometimes they displace that anger,” Sanders supporter Christina Fong, of Grand Rapids, Mich., told the Post. “So they remain angry, which he taps into.”

Others think Sanders’ message is too extreme.

“I think when people find out that certain candidates want to take away people’s employer-sponsored health care, that’s going to be very worrisome for some Democrats, especially in some of these affluent suburbs,” Ian Russell, former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told the Post.

Republicans, meanwhile, are ready for a run against Sanders.

“Speaking for North Carolina, if America had a choice between a self-avowed socialist democrat and a free market capitalist, he loses,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told the Post. “Period, end of story.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Mexico invites international experts on case of 43 students

The Mexican government will once again invite a team of international experts to investigate the case of 43 students missing since 2014.

Human rights official Alejandro Encinas said Wednesday the case would once again be placed under the supervision of the Organization of American States' Inter-American Human Rights Commission.

The commission organized a previous group of international experts, who disagreed with the government's main hypothesis in the case.

Mexican prosecutors say the students from a teachers college in the southern state of Guerrero were detained by corrupt police.

Prosecutors say the police turned them over to a drug gang who killed and incinerated them in a massive fire. But experts say there isn't evidence of a fire of that size.

Source: Fox News World

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Wife of detained Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher says Trump is ‘being lied to’ about her husband’s treatment

The wife of the decorated Navy SEAL accused of committing war crimes told Fox News on Friday that she wants to “let the president know he is being lied to” about the way her husband is being treated ahead of his trial.

Andrea Gallagher’s plea to the White House comes as the legal team representing her husband Edward filed a court motion this week seeking to remove the “unnecessary and punitive restrictions” they say have been placed upon him by his commander at the San Diego facility where he currently is being held. Trump, in late March, tweeted that Gallagher would be relocated to “less restrictive confinement” ahead of his May 28 court date – but the SEAL’s attorneys have disputed the Navy’s handling of that move.

“It’s an absolute nightmare. And I just want to let the president know he’s being lied to,” Andrea Gallagher said on ‘America’s Newsroom’. “There is corruption from the top down involved in this and we’re looking to expose it.

“In the meantime, I’m suffering,” she added. “This case – legal fees alone – will be close to half a million dollars. What military family can afford that?”

Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has gotten the chance to see his family following his relocation from a Navy brig in California, but a court fight is now unfolding over the living conditions he currently faces.

Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has gotten the chance to see his family following his relocation from a Navy brig in California, but a court fight is now unfolding over the living conditions he currently faces. (Courtesy Gallagher Family)

GALLAGHER’S COMMANDER DEFYING TRUMP’S ORDERS, TRYING TO SEND HIM ‘BACK TO THE BRIG’, LAWYERS ALLEGE

Special Operations Chief Gallagher, 39, is facing premeditated murder and aggravated assault charges stemming from the alleged killing of a wounded ISIS prisoner and alleged instances of him intentionally firing sniper rounds at civilians in Iraq.

Gallagher was moved out of the brig at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif., following Trump’s announcement on Twitter. Now Gallagher’s lawyers, in documents obtained and reported on by Fox News earlier this week, allege that his commander has placed a myriad of restrictions on the warfighter, ranging from the clothes he is allowed to wear to the times he can call his wife and children in Florida. They suspect the terms have been put in to place in hopes to entrap Gallagher and get him “remanded back to the brig.”

TRUMP SAYS NAVY SEAL ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES WILL BE MOVED TO 'LESS RESTRICTIVE CONFINEMENT'

“We have been tortured endlessly, shamed, embarrassed. Slandered. Enough is enough,” Andrea Gallagher told ‘America’s Newsroom’. “The president said to unleash my husband. They have actually put him on a restriction that is tantamount to confinement. We need the president to take a good, hard look.”

A spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare Command told Fox News on Wednesday that the "President directed the Navy to move Chief Petty Officer Gallagher to a less restrictive confinement" and that the "Navy followed that direction.

"Chief Gallagher is now in a barracks environment, similar to a hotel room. In accordance with the Rules for Court Martial, Capt Rosenbloom is within his authority to place Chief Gallagher in a restricted status," Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence said in an e-mail. "Stipulations outlined for restricted Sailors are determined on a case by case basis.

"The allegations brought forth are serious and the military judicial process must be allowed to play out," she added.

Throughout his 19 years of service, Gallagher earned the Bronze Star with V for Valor twice, a Meritorious Unit commendation, and a trio of Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals, among other recognitions and decorations.

Throughout his 19 years of service, Gallagher earned the Bronze Star with V for Valor twice, a Meritorious Unit commendation, and a trio of Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals, among other recognitions and decorations. (Courtesy Sean Gallagher)

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Tyler Merritt, a retired Army captain and CEO of Nine Line Apparel, told Fox News on Friday that his clothing company has raised $80,000 over the past two weeks for the defense of Eddie Gallagher through sales of T-shirts advocating for his release.

“What it boils down to is the presumption of guilt before innocence. As a commander you have the right to pre-trial confinement,” he told ‘America’s Newsroom’. “But if I get an order from the president of the United States to release this man from prison and I decide to take it upon myself to create these pre-trial confinement conditions that are commensurate with being in prison, that is a big slap in the face to the president of the United States and I know he is being fed false information.”

Source: Fox News National

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Mahindra signs deal with Ford Motor to make midsize SUVs in India

FILE PHOTO: The logo is seen on the bonnet of a new Ford Aspire car during its launch in New Delhi
FILE PHOTO: The logo is seen on the bonnet of a new Ford Aspire car during its launch in New Delhi, India, October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

April 18, 2019

(Reuters) – Automaker Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd signed a deal with Ford Motor Co’s Indian unit to jointly develop midsize sports utility vehicles in India, the company said on Thursday.

Ford and affiliate companies will invest 6.80 billion rupees ($97.97 million) for the development of the vehicles over a period of 10 years, Mahindra said in a statement.

(Reporting by Krishna V Kurup in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Source: OANN

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Ex South Sudan rebel leader says believes unity government won’t be ready by May 12

South Sudan's ex-vice president and former rebel leader Riek Machar is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Rome
South Sudan's ex-vice president and former rebel leader Riek Machar is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy, April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi.

April 12, 2019

ROME (Reuters) – Former South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar said on Friday he does not believe it will be possible for the country’s divided leaders to meet a May 12 deadline to form a national unity government.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Machar, who is slated to be first vice-president in the unity government, also said he is confident that the new military leadership in Khartoum will continue to guarantee the fragile South Sudan peace deal.

He said a six-month extension of the deadline was needed in order to unify defense forces and deploy them, demilitarize the capital Juba and other population centers, agree on the devolution of power and the release of political prisoners.

Machar said he discussed the extension with President Salva Kiir during a retreat at the Vatican that ended on Thursday with an appeal by Pope Francis to the leaders to respect an armistice and resolve their differences.

Sudan, which is predominantly Muslim, and the mainly Christian south fought for decades before South Sudan became independent in 2011. South Sudan plunged into civil war two years later after Kiir, a Dinka, fired Machar, from the Nuer ethnic group, from the vice presidency.

About 400,000 people died and more than a third of the country’s 12 million people were uprooted, sparking Africa’s worst refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by Gavin Jones)

Source: OANN

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Nigeria's president is re-elected after delayed, bumpy vote

Nigeria's president was declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa's largest democracy early Wednesday, after a campaign in which he urged voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari , a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the official results and as many Nigerians awakened to the morning prayer, Buhari told colleagues that he was "deeply humbled" by the win. He also said he regretted the loss of dozens of lives in election-related violence.

Supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly 4 million votes over top opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to "make Nigeria work again."

Buhari received 15.1 million votes, or 55 percent, the electoral commission said in making its official declaration. Abubakar received 11.2 million, or 41 percent. The average national turnout was 35.6 percent, continuing a downward trend.

In a failed last-ditch effort to stop the official declaration, Abubakar's party claimed that election data had been manipulated and demanded fresh elections in four of Nigeria's 36 states.

Buhari's party rejected the accusations. It also called on Abubakar, who hasn't made a public appearance since Saturday's election, to accept his loss gracefully and concede. "Let this nation move forward," campaign spokesman Babatunde Fashola said.

"There's no opposition that will roll over and play dead. Anybody that lost an election will always complain," Hameed Ali, the ruling party agent attending the vote declaration, told reporters.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

It remained to be seen whether Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or challenge the results. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, said the troubled election had given the candidates grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Buhari before official results were announced. It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country's history.

"Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled," Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, a U.S. government-backed institution promoting conflict resolution worldwide, told The Associated Press. "Accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship. This is a critical vehicle for democratic consolidation."

Nigerians were praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote.

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Anna reported from Kano, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's full coverage of the Nigeria elections here: https://www.apnews.com/Nigeria

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa

Source: Fox News World

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U.S. President Trump departs for travel to Indianapolis from the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.

Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.

Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk
Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk, Belarus April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

MOSCOW/MINSK (Reuters) – Russia is confident it can soon resolve a problem of polluted Russian oil contaminating a major pipeline serving Europe and affecting supplies as far west as Germany, a senior official said on Friday at talks with importers about the issue.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin did not give a precise timeframe but Moscow has previously said it would pump clean oil to the border with Belarus from April 29, seeking to end a crisis hitting the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

Sorokin was speaking at talks with officials from Belarus, Poland and Ukraine in Minsk on the issue. Belarus said the issue had cost it $100 million, while analysts say alternative supply routes for refiners cannot fully fill the gap.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia have suspended imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies has knock-on effects further along the network.

The problem arose last week when an unidentified Russian producer contaminated oil with high levels of organic chloride used to boost oil output but which must be separated before shipment as it can destroy refining equipment.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said pipeline monopoly Transneft and other Russian companies had a plan to mitigate the effects of the contaminated oil. It did not give details.

Russian officials have said contaminated oil has already been pumped into storage in Russia and Friday’s talks would focus on how to partially withdraw the tainted crude from the Druzhba pipeline running via other countries.

The suspension cuts off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

Some refiners have outlined plans for alternative supplies, but analysts say other routes cannot meet the shortfall.

OIL PRICES

Ukraine’s Ukrtransnafta suspended the transit of oil through the pipeline on Thursday, closing supplies via Druzhba’s southern route to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The pipeline issue, which has supported global oil prices, lifted Russian Urals crude differentials to an all-time high on Thursday.

With pipeline supplies to Europe shut, Russia faces a challenge of how to divert about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) that was meant to be shipped through the network to other destinations at the time when export capacity is at its limits.

State-run Russian Railways held talks with energy firms on using up to 5,000 rail tankers to transport crude, RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Concerns about the quality of Urals crude also caused delays in loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, when buyers refused to lift cargoes, resulting in a brief shutdown of the port on Wednesday and Thursday. An Ust-Luga official and traders said on Friday loadings had resumed.

Russian loading plans indicate it aims to boost Urals exports in May before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Reuters calculations and Energy Ministry data show.

The provisional loading plan for Russia’s Baltic Sea ports and Novorossiisk in May show exports rising to 10.7 million tonnes, the highest level in half a decade.

Minsk estimated its loss from lower oil product exports due to contaminated Russian oil at around $100 million, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Belarusian state oil company Belneftekhim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, in charge of government energy policy, said this week that those found responsible for contaminating the oil could be fined. He did not provide names.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Sandor Peto in BUDAPEST, Jason Hovet in PRAGUE, Matthias Williams and Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Olga Yagova and Maxim Rodionov in MOSCOW, Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO - A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat
FILE PHOTO: A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – India has once again delayed the implementation of higher tariffs on some goods imported from the United States to May 15, a government official said on Friday.

The new tariff structure was to come into force from May 2, the spokeswoman said without citing reasons for the delay.

Angered by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs, New Delhi decided in June last year to raise the import tax from Aug. 4 on some U.S. products including almonds, walnuts and apples.

But since then, New Delhi has repeatedly delayed the implementation of the new tariff.

Trade friction between India and the U.S. has escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans earlier this year to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

In a further blow, U.S. on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers including India to continue importing limited volumes.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Source: OANN

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One of Joe Biden’s newly-hired senior advisers has seemingly had a very recent change of heart.

Symone Sanders, a prominent Democratic strategist and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staffer in 2016, was announced as one of the big-name members of Team Biden on Thursday.

But Sanders, who has also served as a CNN contributor, is seen in resurfaced footage from November 2016 expressing her opposition to a white person leading her party after Donald Trump’s election.

“In my opinion, we don’t need white people leading the Democratic party right now,” Sanders told host Brianna Keilar during a discussion on Howard Dean potentially becoming DNC chairman.

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

“The Democratic party is diverse, and it should be reflected as so in leadership and throughout the staff, at the highest levels. From the vice chairs to the secretaries all the way down to the people working in the offices at the DNC,” she said.

Sanders wrapped up her remarks by saying: “I want to hear more from everybody. I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks.”

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

After news of her hiring broke on Thursday, Sanders backed her new boss on Twitter.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG

“@JoeBiden & @DrBiden are a class act. Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American ppl. He won’t always be perfect, but I believe he will get it right,” she wrote.

The hiring of Sanders has been viewed as another indication of the expected tough fight that Biden and Sanders are in for as the two frontrunners battle a deep Democratic field.

While Sanders himself didn’t torch Biden as he jumped into the race, it’s clear that many of his progressive supporters view the former vice president as a threat.

Biden’s entry into the race – at least in the early going – sets up a battle between himself and Sanders, who thanks to his fierce fight with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, enjoys name ID on the level of the former vice president.

BIDEN VOWS THAT ‘AMERICA IS COMING BACK,’ SPARKING ‘MAGA’ COMPARISONS

Justice Democrats — who also called Biden “out-of-touch” – is an increasingly influential group among the left of the party. They’ve championed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as Sanders. The group was founded by members of Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden has pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. Earlier this month he described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

And Biden said he’d stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile – a Fox News contributor – highlighted that “Joe Biden can occupy his own lane in large part because he’s earned it. He’s earned the right to call himself whatever.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But she emphasized that “elections are not about the past, they’re about the future…I do believe he has the right ingredients. The question is can he find enough people to help him stir the pot.”

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who is facing increased calls for her immediate resignation, remains in poor health and is not “lucid” enough to decide whether to step down, her attorney told reporters late Thursday.

Steve Silverman, speaking outside one of Pugh’s residences which was raided by the FBI and IRS earlier in the day, said the embattled city leader could make a decision as early as next week.

“She is leaning toward making the best decision in the best interest in the citizens of Baltimore City,” he said, adding that Pugh has “several options” to consider.

“She just needs to be physically and mentally sound and lucid enough to make appropriate decisions.”

BALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH, ON LEAVE AMID BOOK PROBE, HAS HOMES AND CITY HALL OFFICE RAIDED BY FEDS

Silverman said Pugh met with a doctor at home Thursday and plans to do so again Friday, the Baltimore Sun reported.

In the latest image-tarnishing scandal for struggling Baltimore, the first-term Democratic mayor faces accusations that she used children’s book deals to cover up kickbacks for favorable treatment as a state lawmaker and city leader that earned her roughly $800,000 over several years.

BALTIMORE’S ACTING MAYOR SAYS HE ‘WOULD HATE TO SEE’ EMBATTLED MAYOR RETURN AFTER BOOK SCANDALS

As a state senator, 69-year-old Pugh sold $500,000 worth of her self-published “Healthy Holly” illustrated paperbacks to the University of Maryland Medical System, a major state employer whose board she sat on for nearly 20 years.

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

UMMS reportedly paid Pugh for 100,000 copies of her books between 2011 and 2018 with the stated intention of distributing the books to schools and day care centers. But some 50,000 copies remain unaccounted for and officials are probing if they were even printed.

Pugh also made $300,000 in bulk sales to other customers including health carriers that did business with the city of Baltimore.

BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL CALLS ON EMBATTLED MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY

The politically isolated Pugh slipped out of sight on April 1 after a hastily organized press conference where she called her no-contract book deals a “regrettable mistake.” That same day, Maryland’s governor called on the state prosecutor to investigate allegations of “self-dealing.”

Pugh took an indefinite leave of absence, citing her health deteriorating intensely after a bout with pneumonia.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide. (Loyd Fox/Baltimore Sun via AP)

On Thursday morning, agents with the FBI and IRS searched her two Baltimore homes, her City Hall offices, and a nonprofit organization she once led. The home of at least one of Pugh’s aides was also scoured.

Silverman said federal agents also served a subpoena at his law firm, retrieving Pugh’s original financial records. They did not seek any attorney-client privileged communications, he said.

Pugh’s attorney said she was “emotionally extremely distraught” following the searches by FBI and IRS agents.

“There was nothing incriminating that came out of her home,” Silverman said.

UMMS spokesman Michael Schwartzberg told reporters that the medical system received a grand jury witness subpoena seeking documents and information related to Pugh.

Other probes against Pugh include a review by the city ethics board and the Maryland Insurance Administration.

BALTIMORE MAYOR’S $500G DEAL FOR ‘HEALTHY HOLLY’ CHILDREN’S BOOKS DRAWS SCRUTINY

In recent weeks, the calls for Pugh’s resignation have intensified with the strongest voice coming from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who did not mince words after Thursday’s early morning raids.

“Now more than ever, Baltimore City needs strong and responsible leadership. Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust,” he said. “She is clearly not fit to lead. For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun via AP)

Many of her fellow Democrats, including those on Baltimore’s demoralized City Council and state lawmakers, are also insisting that Pugh put the citizens’ interests above any attempt to preserve her political career.

City Council member Brandon Scott called the Thursday raids “an embarrassment to the city.”

However, only a conviction can trigger a mayor’s removal from office, according to the city solicitor. Baltimore’s mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive.

Six of Pugh’s staffers joined her on paid leave earlier this month; three of them were fired this week by the acting mayor.

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Pugh came to office in late 2016 after edging out ex-Mayor Sheila Dixon, who had spent much of her tenure fighting corruption charges before being forced to depart office in 2010 as part of a plea deal connected to the misappropriation of about $500 in gift cards meant for needy families.

She would certainly face a bruising 2020 Democratic primary if she were to return and run for reelection. Veteran City Council leader Bernard “Jack” Young, who is serving as acting mayor, said as she went on leave that he would merely be a placeholder. But this week, before the raids, he said “it could be devastating for her” if she tried to return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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