WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Former President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president for the third time, while President Joe Biden faced growing discontent within his party about his viability in the November election.
In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., after he was convicted of taking bribes from business executives including gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz. Special counsel Jack Smith formally filed notice on July 17 that he would appeal the dismissal by a Florida federal judge of charges in a case alleging Trump mishandled classified government documents after leaving the White House.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox delivered remarks to the nation’s governors on how to build up institutions and communities in the wake of heightened polarization.
Trump accepts GOP nomination as questions remain about Biden’s viability
In comments accepting the Republican nomination for president on July 18 in Milwaukee, Trump made his first public speech since the shooting at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is currently under investigation by law enforcement officials as an attempted assassination.
“The assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life,” Trump said, adding it was “painful” to recall.
During his speech on the final day of the Republican National Convention, Trump pledged to reduce inflation and reinstate and increase his hard-line immigration policies if he wins another term in the White House. Trump praised the platform recently adopted by the party, one that he oversaw, that removed a long-standing call for federal abortion restrictions after 20 weeks, added a call for mass deportations, access “to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments),” and cut references to guns and the Second Amendment.
Meanwhile, Biden continued to face questions about his performance at a June 27 debate that raised concerns about his physical and mental ability heading into the general election campaign. Biden tested positive for COVID during the RNC, with the White House saying he would isolate while working from his home in Delaware.
Biden’s campaign has indicated he will remain in the race for president and accept the Democratic nomination as planned in August, but a growing number of Democratic lawmakers have called on him to step aside in favor of another nominee, citing their concerns about polling. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place on Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Menendez convicted on bribery charges
Menendez was convicted on 16 felony counts on charges including bribery, extortion, conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt. The foreign agent charges concern a four-year period from 2018 to 2022, when Menendez was alternately chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee or its top Democrat as the party was alternately in the majority and minority.
Schumer said in a statement the same day, “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.”
Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J. previously called on Menendez to resign, but after the conviction, issued a statement reiterating that call.
“Today’s verdict finding Senator Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts demonstrates that the Senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office,” Murphy said. “It also shows that in America, everyone — no matter how powerful — is accountable to our laws.”
If Menendez does not resign of his own volition, Murphy continued, “I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him. In the event of a vacancy, I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”
In June, amid Menendez’s corruption trial, Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., defeated him in the state’s Democratic primary for the Senate seat.
Jack Smith to appeal dismissal of Trump charges in classified documents case
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was previously indicted in the case concerning his alleged mishandling of classified documents, in which he was accused of unlawfully retaining classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving the White House, and not cooperating with officials’ attempts to retrieve those documents. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional.
“The Court is convinced that Special Counsel’s Smith’s prosecution of this action breaches two structural cornerstones of our constitutional scheme — the role of Congress in the appointment of constitutional officers, and the role of Congress in authorizing expenditures by law,” Cannon wrote.
Smith formally filed notice on July 17 that he would appeal. He was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who argued the appointment was necessary to show the public there was not undue influence from the Biden administration, as Biden is Trump’s political rival.
Gov. Spencer Cox urges Americans to be ‘builders’ amid polarization
In the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump, Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, shared remarks he delivered shortly before the incident urging Americans to be “builders” amid polarization.
“In light of the assassination attempt on Pres. Trump, I think it’s more important today than it was two days ago,” Cox said, sharing a video on X July 14 of remarks he delivered on July 12 at the National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City.
In his remarks, Cox shared an anecdote about working for his uncle’s construction company as a young man and was “so excited” about a demolition job.
“Tearing things down is really easy, the dopamine hits, it’s so much fun,” he said, adding, “In our country today, we’ve gotten really really good at tearing things down, people down, institutions down and parties down.”
But, he said, “Building is hard.”
“Building institutions is hard work; tearing them down is easy,” he said. “Building up our neighbors in our communities is hard work. But we need some architects. We need more builders.”
Cox said despite “conflict entrepreneurs,” the nation needs “more architects.”
Cox just concluded his term as chairman of the NGA, and Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo, is the next chair.
