Who Wins from Biden’s Saudi Visit? MBS, Trump—But, Quietly, De Santis

I’ve spent the last few days canvassing sources who are deeply enmeshed in Middle East politics about the significance of Joe Biden’s recent visit to the region. (Some of these sources are people who informed my reporting for Kushner, Inc. about all the risky foreign policy-making they saw going on in plain sight during the Trump administration in the region—policy that now appears to have borne fruit with Jared Kushner obtaining a $2 billion investment from the Saudi Public Investment fund and with LIV, the new Saudi-backed golf tour, being played at Trump’s Bedminster golf course. Kushner has said there was no quid pro quo for his foreign policy-making.)

The universal consensus among my sources was that whatever was said or not said about Jamal Khashoggi, the visit was an unmitigated triumph for MBS, who hosted the meeting, and that it was not clear if the U.S. got anything at all out of it.

Read the rest at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

Is the House Oversight Committee Going Soft on Jared Kushner Because of the Jan. 6 Hearings?

Six weeks ago, Carolyn Maloney sent a letter to Jared Kushner requesting he hand over all his communications with Saudi Crown Prince MBS. Here we are in mid-July, and the public has heard nothing. So, what’s going on?

Exclusive: Investigators Believe Alex Murdaugh Acted Alone

According to my source, in a meeting this morning with the Murdaugh family at the house of Alex Murdaugh’s younger brother John Marvin, SLED investigators said they believe Alex Murdaugh acted alone when he allegedly killed his wife and son. What they did not reveal to the family was a motive. And they also did not say if they had found the two murder weapons. (One was a semi-automatic rifle and the other was a shotgun.)

Why the reticence about that?

Read the full piece at “Vicky Ward Investigates.” 

“If American People Really Understood How Power Works Inside the Beltway, They’d Faint.”

In the wake of the courage and candor of 26-year-old former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson at the January 6th hearings, Pat Cipollone, the former White House counsel, is now slated to appear before the committee by this Friday. One imagines from what we’ve already heard from others—namely Hutchinson quoting Cipollone as saying about Trump’s desire to head to the Capitol, “We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen”—that Cipollone is likely to drop some neutron bombs in his observations. My phone has been ringing off the hook with speculation about how surely it’s inconceivable that in the wake of this, Merrick Garland will not act.

Read the rest of the piece at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

Trump on Meadows: “I have my own James Baker”

I spoke to Sam Nunberg, Republican consultant and former Trump campaign staffer, about Trump and Mark Meadows, whose aide Cassidy Hutchinson delivered the most damning testimony yet in the January 6th hearings.

Listen to what he had to say at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

Where Are The Men Who Should Be Held to Account?

Ghislaine Maxwell is set to learn her fate this morning. If everything goes according to plan (see my coverage from yesterday about why it might not), she will be sentenced on three of the counts on which she was found guilty: sex trafficking, conspiracy, and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. The government has asked for a sentence of no less than 30 years. If Judge Nathan chooses to grant that, it will mean Maxwell will likely spend the rest of her natural life in jail.

Once sentenced, Maxwell will be the only person formally held to account for the crimes perpetuated—yes by her, but also by Jeffrey Epstein.

But I ask: Where are the men who should be held to account?

Read the whole piece at Vicky Ward Investigates.

How the Overturning of Roe v. Wade Might Impact Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sentence

In a case that’s already been a rollercoaster, we encounter yet another: Today should be the eve of Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing, but we’re now not certain it will go forward. After Maxwell was placed on suicide watch in prison over the weekend, her lawyers have asked to delay the sentencing.

While we’re waiting to hear, I checked in with David Weinstein, former AUSA for the Southern District of Florida-turned-litigator, about what happens next, including how Friday’s overturning of Roe v. Wade might have an impact on the Maxwell sentence.

Listen to our conversation at “Vicky Ward Investigates.” 

The Consistent Inconsistency of Ivanka

In her taped interview with the House committee, Ivanka Trump was asked about her reaction to Bill Barr’s comments on December 1, 2020 about there being no widespread election fraud.

“It affected my perspective,” Ivanka testified. “I respect Attorney General Barr so I accepted what he said.”

However, what has since surfaced is a video shot nine days after Bill Barr’s statement in which Ivanka tells a very different story.

Read about why that matters at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

Life Behind the Curtain

I’ve spoken periodically to Russian model Kira Dikhtyar over the last few months to get her take on what life is like in Moscow at the moment. Hers is a perspective that is all too often missing from U.S. media coverage—that of Russian citizens.

The moment I even began to frame my first question—about what it has been like in Moscow during the war—Dikhtyar immediately stopped me. “I am right now under Russian law,” she reminded me. “We’re not allowed to call it ‘war.’ So let’s call it ‘special military operation.’”

Listen to our conversation at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”

The Relevance of Mike Pence

 

I went back to former Trump campaign manager Sam Nunberg for thoughts from Republican World regarding what today’s Jan. 6th hearings do for the political ambitions of former Vice President Mike Pence, whose natural constituents are on the evangelical right.

Listen to our full conversation at “Vicky Ward Investigates.”