Latest news with #AnthonySabatini
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump vs MAGA: Epstein Files spark unprecedented division between president and his base that thinks he's ‘out of touch'
A growing number of President Donald Trump 's devoted followers are calling him 'out of touch' and 'misleading' after he encouraged people to move on from the Epstein Files. For years, right-wing influencers have circulated theories online about the government's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his death in federal prison, perpetuating claims that a ring of high-profile, powerful individuals helped cover up the convicted pedophile's actions and ensure he never stood trial. But last week's Justice Department and FBI memo shut down many of those theories, including the existence of a 'client list,' and disappointed many Trump supporters who refused to believe the absence of bombshell revelations. Tension between the president and parts of his base was palpable this weekend after Trump told people to 'not waste Time and Energy of Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about' in a Truth Social post. 'Trump is very out of touch right now… Really sad to see,' Anthony Sabatini, a Florida state politician and Trump supporter, wrote on X. 'RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!' Liz Wheeler, a conservative political commentator, said: 'Trump is massively misreading his base on this one. It could cost him the midterms.' 'No one is believing the Epstein coverup, @realDonaldTrump. This will be part of your legacy. There's still time to change it!' Mike Cernovich, a right-wing influencer known as 'Cernovich' on X, told Trump. Wheeler, Cernovich, and other conservative influencers were invited to the White House earlier this year and granted exclusive access to the first document drop in the Epstein Files. However, it was quickly revealed that much of the information contained in the binders was already in the public domain. But the group, and others in the rightwing media sphere, remained hopeful as one of Trump's campaign promises had been to release all information related to the Epstein investigation. When he took office, Trump tapped Kash Patel to serve as FBI director and Dan Bongino to serve as deputy FBI director. Patel and Bongino, former conservative activists and media personalities, had been among the loudest voices alleging a cover-up in the Epstein investigation before taking up their government posts. Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi also accused the Southern District of New York of hiding information not previously known about Epstein, and insinuated that a 'client list' was part of files on her desk to be reviewed. (Last week, she clarified she meant the files as a whole were on her desk, and that she was not referring to a client list specifically.) The DOJ/FBI memo concluded that there was no client list, that Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, and that no further investigation into third parties was warranted. The conclusions set off a firestorm of criticism on the right. 'It's a shame that a lot of good people are getting attacked as a result of the order to protect the pedos in the Epstein Files. This isn't going away,' wrote Rogan O'Handley, known as 'DC Draino' on X. Laura Loomer, a close ally of Trump, blamed Bondi for the Epstein Files fallout and called on the president to fire her. 'We were promised transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Instead, we got Pam Blondi @PamBondi, a Fox News addict waving around a binder of heavily redacted and recycled documents like it's some sort of bombshell,' Loomer wrote on X. Trump doubled down on his support for Bondi and Bongino over the weekend but that did little to quell some supporters' anger. 'Trump's persuasive power over his base, especially during his first term, was almost magical. Calling out obvious mistakes he made would get you an ass chewing. 'Trust the plan!' The reaction on Epstein should thus be startling to him. No one is buying it. No one is dropping it,' Cernovich added. And at the Student Action Summit, hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA this past weekend, there seemed little interest in letting the matter drop, NBC News reported. Conservative podcaster Brandon Tatum shared his own theory to the crowd of young conservatives, and added: 'I don't think they're telling us the truth about Epstein.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge denies Mayor Mike Norris' bid to remove Charles Gambaro from council
A judge on July 3 denied Mayor Mike Norris's bid to remove fellow City Council member Charles Gambaro from his District 4 City Council seat. Norris filed the lawsuit against the city of Palm Coast, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Gambaro. Norris was represented by Attorney Anthony Sabatini who in the lawsuit argued that the City Council violated the city charter by failing to put Gambaro's seat up for a vote in the same November election in which Norris was voted into office. Sabatini said Gambaro's term ended on the night of the election in 2024. Circuit Judge Christopher France asked Sabatini about what standing Norris had to challenge the appointment. Sabatini argued that Norris had standing as a resident of Palm Coast affected by the actions of the City Council. He also argued that Norris was 'injured' because his votes were diluted by the votes in the council. Norris filed his lawsuit as mayor, but under the city charter, the mayor cannot make such a claim unless approved by the City Council. The attorney for the city and Gambaro, Rachael Crews, argued that Norris did not have standing based on Florida law; only the attorney general or the person who claims to be the rightful holder of the seat could challenge. She also spoke about the timing and discretionary language in the city charter. Crews also said that, according to the charter, even if the court were to remove Gambaro, the position would be filled by an appointment, not an election. She said the charter only called for a special election to fill the mayor's seat or in the event of a recall. In a previous email to The News-Journal, Norris said he was funding the lawsuit to remove Gambaro from the council. Gambaro did not attend the hearing. Norris declined to comment after the verdict was read. The lawsuit is another front in Norris' fight against the city. Norris received a unanimous vote of no confidence in April by his four fellow council members last month. The no-confidence vote stemmed from a 57-page report released April 21 regarding allegations that Norris violated the city charter, interfered with city employees and behaved unprofessionally. The Palm Coast City Council on May 9 submitted the letter filing a formal complaint against Norris with the Florida Ethics Commission. Norris' complaint to remove Gambaro states that the city charter gives the council two options if a council member "vacates their seat during the first two years of their term": Either appoint someone within 90 days or delay the appointment, according to a previous News-Journal story. If the council makes an appointment, that councilmember only serves until "the next regularly scheduled election." Palm Coast District 4 Councilmember Cathy Heighter resigned in August, and the council appointed Gambaro 3-1 (with only four members on the panel at that point) to replace her Oct. 1. Those in favor were previous Mayor David Alfin, previous Vice Mayor Ed Danko and previous Councilman Nick Klufas. All three were voted out in November. Theresa Pontieri, the only one to retain her seat after the election, supported Darryl Boyer. According to Norris' complaint, the city charter would have required Gambaro's appointment to expire after the Nov. 5 election. It is Norris' position that the city "has continued to allow Gambaro to occupy the seat beyond the term authorized by the charter." In a social media post referring to the hearing, Norris wrote "Independence Day is gonna get a lot better this year!" In its response to Norris, the city argued that the mayor was trying to use the judicial system to oust a political opponent and force a costly election, which would not be authorized by the city charter anyway. Attorney Crews, representing the city and Gambaro, filed a response on Thursday, May 29, listing a number of reasons Norris' request for Gambaro's removal should be denied. n the response, Crews wrote that Norris 'comes to the court with unclean hands' because he was 'improperly using the judicial system to undo a political opponent.' This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast mayor's court bid to remove councilman denied
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sabatini proposes Lake consider how to ‘combat' illegal immigration
Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini wants to make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to enter the county, giving local authorities a directive to assist the Trump administration in deportations. Sabatini opened discussion during Tuesday's board meeting about a potential local ordinance modeled after one previously enacted in Jacksonville. 'I think, at the state and local level, we need to be doing everything we can to address this very important issue of illegal immigration,' he said. 'I think eventually, this commission should take action to make sure we're doing everything in our power to combat this issue.' The Jacksonville ordinance is on hold, however, as it was based on a new Florida law that a federal judge on April 4 issued a temporary restraining order against, saying it was likely unconstitutional. Sabatini said he proposed the item to start the discussion and position Lake County to impose harsher penalties against undocumented immigrants if that is allowed. 'We have a new president, illegal immigration has become a major issue, there's all types of efforts towards deportation and the states are stepping up,' he said. 'Florida passed one of the first laws in the country to remove illegals from the state.' The new law (SB 4-C) passed earlier this year as part of an effort to crack down on undocumented immigrants coming into the state. Sabatini argued a temporary restraining order against the law— halted on 4 by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams — stands on 'extremely dubious, unconstitutional grounds.' Florida's attorney general also has said the law is not improper. The law created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida. Immigrant advocacy groups and others challenged it on ground it violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes the federal government as the 'supreme law of the land' and could designate immigration enforcement as a federal responsibility. Sabatini said wants county officials to discuss immigration enforcement regularly while it waits on a final court ruling. 'As I'm getting this information from different parts of the state and the court system, I'm going to start putting it on the agenda once a month just to check in,' he said. 'So that when we do get an ordinance, we will be lawfully allowed to enact this law.' Sabatini did not share specifics on how Lake County would implement the law should it be allowed to move forward, but said he wanted to take time for input from other commissioners. Commissioner Tim Morris raised concerns about the potential cost of enacting the law in Lake County if it stands. 'We're going to have impacts on the jail population, the cost of housing and medical,' he said. 'They'll have to have representation, which means it's probably the public defender. The state attorney's going to be involved and the sheriff.' Sabatini said he shares Morris' concerns and that's what he wants to have ongoing conversations. 'It may be a meeting or two or a few from now we'll put it back on,' he said. 'Or I'll request respectfully for it to be put back on so we can talk about it again and then maybe eventually have a vote.' Tuesday's meeting was not Sabatini's first effort to make significant moves regarding immigrants in Lake. In January, Sabatini urged Tom Homan, then a nominee for director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to begin the process for deporting the more than 21,000 undocumented immigrants he said were in in the county. Homan is now the Trump administration's border czar. 'Lake County has a population of over 435,000 people, yet contains 21,000+ illegal aliens, one of the highest concentrations of illegals in the state of Florida,' Sabatini wrote in the letter to Homan. 'As a Lake County Commissioner and strong supporter of the nation's immigration laws, I can assure you that the citizens of my county would greatly appreciate the efforts of your agency.' Have a tip about Lake County? Contact me at jwilkins@ or 407-754-4980. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lake County officials push to preserve farmland amid rapid development
The Brief Lake County officials are pushing to slow rapid development as farmland disappears to new subdivisions. A $50 million land acquisition bond was approved, but funding won't be available until 2026, prompting calls for faster conservation efforts. Leaders plan to form a citizen's advisory board and hold a public workshop to explore preservation strategies. TAVARES, Fla. - Lake County officials are working to slow down rapid development to preserve the area's rural and agricultural identity. What we know Lake County's population, currently around 410,000, is expected to grow by another 100,000 within the next decade. Once open farmland is quickly being replaced by subdivisions, raising concerns that agriculture may disappear entirely. In 2022, Lake County was the fifth-fastest-growing county in Florida, and new developments continue to expand. What we don't know While officials have proposed several strategies to curb farmland loss, it remains unclear how effective they will be. A $50 million land acquisition bond was approved by voters, but funding won't be available until 2026. Some commissioners want to fast-track conservation easements to provide financial incentives for farmers to keep their land, but they acknowledge they have limited tools to stop city annexations that change zoning rules to allow more development. The backstory The push for farmland preservation comes as municipal expansion accelerates, with cities extending their borders and rezoning agricultural land for housing and commercial use. County leaders say Florida has done little to protect farmland compared to other states, making it difficult to slow urban sprawl. To counteract this, commissioners plan to form a citizen's advisory board by April to identify key farmland for preservation and advocate for state and federal conservation funding. What they're saying Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini stressed the urgency of the issue when he spoke with FOX 35 News. "If we don't act drastically and quickly, I think we're going to lose most, if not all — I think that you will have almost no serious farms." He also voiced frustration with state policies, adding, "Some states have done a great job protecting farmland, and I would argue Florida is doing a horrible job protecting it." Big picture view Lake County is at a crossroads between maintaining its agricultural heritage and managing explosive population growth. Officials are exploring conservation efforts, but development pressures remain strong. What you can do A public workshop is planned to discuss strategies with the community, as leaders seek ways to balance growth while protecting the county's farmland before it is too late. Stay tuned to FOX 35 for details on upcoming public meetings. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini, the Lake County Commission, and the U.S. Census Bureau.
