(CNN)Rep. Matt Gaetz, who's facing a , was recently denied a meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate as the ex-President and his allies continue to distance themselves from the Florida congressman. Two people familiar with the matter said Gaetz tried to schedule a visit with Trump after it was first revealed that he was being investigated, but the request was rejected by aides close to the former President, who have urged Trump not to stick his neck out to defend Gaetz. Harlan Hill, a spokesman for Gaetz, said the congressman did not request a meeting with Trump this week."Rep....…(CNN)Rep. Matt Gaetz, who's facing a , was recently denied a meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate as the ex-President and his allies continue to distance themselves from the Florida congressman. Two people familiar with the matter said Gaetz tried to schedule a visit with Trump after it was first revealed that he was being investigated, but the request was rejected by aides close to the former President, who have urged Trump not to stick his neck out to defend Gaetz. Harlan Hill, a spokesman for Gaetz, said the congressman did not request a meeting with Trump this week."Rep....WW…

The Logan Circle Group warned journalists they risked a lawsuit if they didn’t retract reports that Trump was distancing himself from the embattled congressman.Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fa.). | Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty ImagesA boutique conservative consultancy group working on behalf of Rep. Matt Gaetz is threatening to sue journalists for their coverage of the embattled congressman.The entity, Logan Circle Group, is run by Harlan Hill, a former Democrat who became a top Trump surrogate during the 2016 presidential election. The official behind the recent legal threats is Erin Elmore, a...…The Logan Circle Group warned journalists they risked a lawsuit if they didn’t retract reports that Trump was distancing himself from the embattled congressman.Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fa.). | Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty ImagesA boutique conservative consultancy group working on behalf of Rep. Matt Gaetz is threatening to sue journalists for their coverage of the embattled congressman.The entity, Logan Circle Group, is run by Harlan Hill, a former Democrat who became a top Trump surrogate during the 2016 presidential election. The official behind the recent legal threats is Erin Elmore, a...WW…

The party didn’t think it could stop passage. But with nearly three-quarters of Americans approving of the law, some luminaries can’t believe how little a dent they made.President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan into law on March 11. | Doug Mills-Pool/Getty ImagesAs President Joe Biden embarks on an ambitious plan to sell his massive coronavirus relief package to the public, conservatives are starting to ask: Did we botch this?The overwhelming sentiment within the Republican Party is that voters will turn on the $1.9 trillion bill over time. But that wait-and-see approach has...…The party didn’t think it could stop passage. But with nearly three-quarters of Americans approving of the law, some luminaries can’t believe how little a dent they made.President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan into law on March 11. | Doug Mills-Pool/Getty ImagesAs President Joe Biden embarks on an ambitious plan to sell his massive coronavirus relief package to the public, conservatives are starting to ask: Did we botch this?The overwhelming sentiment within the Republican Party is that voters will turn on the $1.9 trillion bill over time. But that wait-and-see approach has...WW…

Even allies say the president is lacking an apparatus and direction as he sorts out just what he wants to do in his post-presidency.The version of former President Donald Trump that has emerged in the month and a half since he left office is far from the political godzilla many expected him to be. | Mary Altaffer/AP PhotoHe backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup.His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of...…Even allies say the president is lacking an apparatus and direction as he sorts out just what he wants to do in his post-presidency.The version of former President Donald Trump that has emerged in the month and a half since he left office is far from the political godzilla many expected him to be. | Mary Altaffer/AP PhotoHe backed away from creating a third party and has soured on the costly prospect of launching his own TV empire or social media startup.His vow to target disloyal Republicans with personally-recruited primary challengers has taken a backseat to conventional endorsements of...WW…

Cocooned in Mar-a-Lago, the newly acquitted ex-president is stepping up his political activities.Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather along Southern Blvd. near Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThere’s no longer a chief of staff to screen his calls and he keeps no predictable working hours. So an unspoken rule has governed Donald Trump’s calendar since he left Washington last month: To sit down with the former president, you must belong to his posh Palm Beach club or know how to contact him directly.But even that won’t always...…Cocooned in Mar-a-Lago, the newly acquitted ex-president is stepping up his political activities.Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather along Southern Blvd. near Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThere’s no longer a chief of staff to screen his calls and he keeps no predictable working hours. So an unspoken rule has governed Donald Trump’s calendar since he left Washington last month: To sit down with the former president, you must belong to his posh Palm Beach club or know how to contact him directly.But even that won’t always...WW…

The Senate minority leader publicly soured on the former president after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, breaking four years of loyal support.Then-President Donald Trump looks on as Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6, 2019. | Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesFormer President Donald Trump issued a caustic and highly personal statement against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, effectively declaring war on the Kentucky Republican for failing to back his attempts to undermine the 2020 election.“Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political...…The Senate minority leader publicly soured on the former president after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, breaking four years of loyal support.Then-President Donald Trump looks on as Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6, 2019. | Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesFormer President Donald Trump issued a caustic and highly personal statement against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, effectively declaring war on the Kentucky Republican for failing to back his attempts to undermine the 2020 election.“Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political...WW…

The former president may be out for revenge after his acquittal. But beyond that, his future is uncertain.Donald Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial on Saturday.What comes next for the 45th president is anybody’s guess.Uncertainty looms over nearly every aspect of the former president’s post-impeachment political future — from the causes he will embrace, to his level of influence inside the GOP, to the possibility he could face criminal charges or see diminished voter appetite for a potential comeback bid in 2024.In a statement following his acquittal, Trump hinted that...…The former president may be out for revenge after his acquittal. But beyond that, his future is uncertain.Donald Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial on Saturday.What comes next for the 45th president is anybody’s guess.Uncertainty looms over nearly every aspect of the former president’s post-impeachment political future — from the causes he will embrace, to his level of influence inside the GOP, to the possibility he could face criminal charges or see diminished voter appetite for a potential comeback bid in 2024.In a statement following his acquittal, Trump hinted that...WW…

The former president is confident both of his acquittal and that he’ll come out of the trial with an iron grip on the GOP.Former President Donald Trump, whose second impeachment trial begins Tuesday, has already found the process beneficial. It's exposed disloyalty within the party’s ranks and turned its base against his GOP opponents. | Scott Eisen/Getty ImagesThree weeks ago may have been the nadir of Donald Trump’s political influence. A meager crowd of supporters gathered to send him off to Florida, he’d lost access to Twitter and the Senate’s most powerful Republican, Mitch McConnell,...…The former president is confident both of his acquittal and that he’ll come out of the trial with an iron grip on the GOP.Former President Donald Trump, whose second impeachment trial begins Tuesday, has already found the process beneficial. It's exposed disloyalty within the party’s ranks and turned its base against his GOP opponents. | Scott Eisen/Getty ImagesThree weeks ago may have been the nadir of Donald Trump’s political influence. A meager crowd of supporters gathered to send him off to Florida, he’d lost access to Twitter and the Senate’s most powerful Republican, Mitch McConnell,...WW…

The former president was frustrated with the meandering arguments. Some close to his defense team quit watching.David Schoen (left) and Bruce Castor, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, arrive for the second impeachment trial of Trump at the Capitol on Tuesday. | Andrew Harnik/AP PhotoFor former President Donald Trump, the opening day of his second impeachment trial did not go as planned or to his liking.Cocooned at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump watched as his defense attorneys responded to an emotional presentation by House impeachment managers with a series of dry, technical and at...…The former president was frustrated with the meandering arguments. Some close to his defense team quit watching.David Schoen (left) and Bruce Castor, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, arrive for the second impeachment trial of Trump at the Capitol on Tuesday. | Andrew Harnik/AP PhotoFor former President Donald Trump, the opening day of his second impeachment trial did not go as planned or to his liking.Cocooned at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump watched as his defense attorneys responded to an emotional presentation by House impeachment managers with a series of dry, technical and at...WW…

Days after “total authority“ over states, President Donald Trump on Thursday kicked responsibility for coronavirus-related shutdowns to state governors as he unveiled general for a phased reopening of the economy.In a call with governors and at a White House news conference, the president marked the moment — which he called “open up America again“ — as a key step in reviving a devastated economy and an opportunity for state leaders to tailor a response to their individual needs. But he left many critical questions unanswered for the states, including how testing will be ramped up...…Days after “total authority“ over states, President Donald Trump on Thursday kicked responsibility for coronavirus-related shutdowns to state governors as he unveiled general for a phased reopening of the economy.In a call with governors and at a White House news conference, the president marked the moment — which he called “open up America again“ — as a key step in reviving a devastated economy and an opportunity for state leaders to tailor a response to their individual needs. But he left many critical questions unanswered for the states, including how testing will be ramped up...WW…