American Bridge 21st Century Weekly Recap: September 1, 2023
Our top moments of the week
Q: What do Glenn Youngkin, Mike Pence, and Frank LaRose have in common?
A: They’re all GOP politicians fighting to ban abortion.
Here are our biggest moments of the week:
1. This F*cking Guy: Trump Treats His Lawyers Horribly
Leading up to Labor Day, American Bridge is highlighting just how bad Donald Trump treats his workers — especially his lawyers.
- In 2012, the law firm Levine Staller sued Donald Trump over $1.25 million in unpaid fees that Trump attempted to claim in bankruptcy court were unsecured debt.
- In 2015, David Hopper, the lawyer who represented Trump against Bank of America over land rights, resigned mid-case and sued Donald Trump over nearly $95,000 in unpaid fees.
- In 2018, the law firm Morrison Cohen sued Donald Trump for nearly half a million dollars in unpaid legal fees.
- In 2019, Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, sued him for over $3.8 million in unpaid fees and bills.
Several attorneys who helped Donald Trump in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election tried and failed to collect payment for their work. In fact, Trump did not even substantially pay Rudy Giuliani — who was indicted alongside Trump for his part in trying to overturn the 2020 election — for his work.
2. Glenn Youngkin Is Funding Anti-Choice Extremists Through His PAC
On Friday, a new HuffPost report revealed Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin is “quietly funding anti-choice extremist lawmakers, many of whom have said they believe life begins at conception.”
Youngkin’s political action committee has donated “nearly $100,000 to anti-choice down-ballot Republican candidates in the state so far this year.” If Younkin’s candidates win, Virginia could join neighboring states that have passed devastating abortion bans.
Richmond Times Dispatch also covered the story:
“Republicans have not talked about abortion as much as Democrats have in the fight for control of the legislature — but their money has.”
3. Mike Pence-Founded Organization Spreads Lie Linking Abortion to Breast Cancer
A new report from Rolling Stone recently uncovered a Mike Pence-founded group, Advancing American Freedom, working to revive a widely debunked theory linking abortion to breast cancer. The Pence-founded organization posted an:
“hour-long Zoom presentation delivered to the group Anglicans for Life by the surgeon and anti-abortion activist Angela Lanfranchi, a staunch defender of the debunked claim that having an abortion increases one’s risk of developing breast cancer.”
4. Frank LaRose Pushed to “Twist Ballot Language”
According to a report from HuffPost, the Ohio Ballot Board, led by Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate Frank LaRose, “approved anti-choice language to be used in the initiative, which may confuse voters.” LaRose proposed the language changes and was the deciding vote.
The new language uses “unborn child” instead of “fetus.” “It does not include any language about the right to make decisions about miscarriages, fertility treatments or contraception — even though that’s a significant part of the proposed amendment.”
This isn’t the first time LaRose has used his position to help himself and his political allies and try to circumvent the upcoming election on abortion rights in November. LaRose “selectively applied the rules around Ohio law to benefit Issue 1 supporters” ahead of the failed August vote.
5. AB21 President Pat Dennis on the GOP Presidential Field
On Monday, American Bridge 21st Century President Pat Dennis joined the NH Today radio show to discuss the GOP presidential debate and Donald Trump’s campaign.
“[Donald Trump] has been around for a long time and I think it would be a huge mistake not to take him seriously. But that said, there’s no denying he’s an extremely weak candidate at this point. He’s the most unpopular politician in America. He is under serious criminal problems and these things are, it’s sad for America honestly, but this is a country where nobody should be above the law.”
