Florida
State AG is chosen to fill Marco Rubio’s open Senate seat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take Marco Rubio ‘s seat in the U.S. Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday, making Moody only the second woman to represent Florida in the chamber.
Elected as the state’s top law enforcement officer in 2018, Moody campaigned on a pledge to voters that she’d be a prosecutor, not a politician. Along with DeSantis, Moody boosted her political profile during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on the federal government to “hold China responsible” for the outbreak.
Before running for statewide office, Moody worked as a federal prosecutor. In 2006, she was elected to the post of circuit judge in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa.
As the state’s attorney general, Moody has been instrumental in defending DeSantis’ conservative agenda in court and has joined other Republican-led states in challenging the Biden administration’s policies, suing over changes to immigration enforcement, student loan forgiveness and vaccine mandates for federal contractors.
Under Florida law, it’s up to the Republican governor to pick Rubio’s replacement, after President-elect Donald Trump picked the three-term senator to be his next secretary of state. Moody will serve in the Senate until the next general election in 2026, when the seat will be back on the ballot.
Moody fought unsuccessfully to keep an abortion rights measure off the ballot in Florida in 2024, saying proponents were waging “a war” to protect the procedure. The measure did go before voters but ultimately failed to get the 60% approval needed to pass.
She was also among the state attorneys general to sign on to the lawsuit backed by Trump aimed at overturning Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020.
Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, a key Trump ally in the state, was among those who had pushed the president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as their top pick for the Senate seat. Lara Trump removed herself from consideration in December.
Still, Gruters praised Moody, calling her “a winner here in Florida.”
Moody’s appointment opens up a key vacancy in Florida’s Cabinet, giving DeSantis another shot at expanding his influence in the state. DeSantis will also get to pick a replacement for outgoing Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who’s leaving his post to run for former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s open seat in Congress.
Florida
Conor McGregor sued for alleged sexual battery at 2023 NBA final
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A woman who accused former UFC champion Conor McGregor of sexual assault but was unsuccessful in getting criminal charges filed is now suing him and employees of the basketball arena where she says the attack took place.
The woman is described in the suit as a 49-year-old senior vice president at a high-profile Wall Street financial institution. She alleges that McGregor assaulted her in a bathroom of the Kaseya Center, home arena of the Miami Heat, on June 9, 2023, when the Heat played the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the NBA finals. Her attorney, James Dunn, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
“My client has thought long and hard about the decision to pursue this civil case, and is fearful of the effect it may have on her job on Wall Street,” Dunn said.
The lawsuit alleges that staff and security at the arena “had actual knowledge of the wrongfulness of the conduct” and failed to provide adequate security to protect her. It also accuses staff of continuing to serve McGregor alcohol despite having a “chargeable knowledge of a heightened risk of battery being carried out.”
The lawsuit notes that McGregor was at the game for a promotional skit in which he struck the Heat’s mascot, Burnie, then punched the mascot again after he hit the ground. Promotional members of the Miami Heat then dragged Burnie off the court as McGregor attempted to “spray” the mascot with a featured pain relief product.
After the game ended, the woman was led by a person affiliated with McGregor to the men’s bathroom, where the assault took place, the lawsuit alleges.
Authorities began investigating the allegations but four months later announced they were not filing charges.
The Associated Press left a phone and email message with McGregor’s attorney. Heat spokesperson Lorrie-Ann Diaz told the AP that the organization does not comment on litigation.
McGregor was a former UFC champion in both the featherweight and lightweight classes, becoming the first UFC fighter to have championships in both weight classes at the same time. In November, a civil court jury in Ireland awarded 250,000 euros to a woman who said she was “brutally raped and battered” by McGregor.
Texas
Developer at the center of AG’s impeachment pleads guilty to federal charge
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A real estate developer whose relationship with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was at the center of the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of lying to a financial institution.
The plea by Nate Paul, whose company is based in Texas, was entered before a U.S. magistrate judge and still must be reviewed by a district judge, court documents show. Records did not indicate when Paul might be sentenced.
Paul claimed that federal investigators acted improperly when they raided his Austin home in 2019. He later sought help from Paxton, and the relationship and dealings between the two men played a prominent role in lawmakers impeaching Paxton, who was later acquitted in the Senate.
Paxton has long denied wrongdoing and was not mentioned in federal indictments against Paul, which accused the developer of making false statements to banks in order to obtain more than $170 million in loans.
The Associated Press emailed a request for comment to federal prosecutors on Wednesday. Staff for Paul’s attorney, Gerry Morris, said he would have no comment.
Paul would figure heavily in 20 articles of impeachment filed against Paxton, who was accused of abusing his power and bribery in order to help the developer, who gave the Republican a $25,000 campaign donation in 2018.
The impeachment came about after eight of the attorney general’s top deputies reported him to the FBI in 2020. All were subsequently fired or quit and half the group later sued under the state’s whistleblower law.
Paul initially faced a dozen charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, but online documents noted only the plea to the single charge of lying to a financial lender.
State AG is chosen to fill Marco Rubio’s open Senate seat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take Marco Rubio ‘s seat in the U.S. Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday, making Moody only the second woman to represent Florida in the chamber.
Elected as the state’s top law enforcement officer in 2018, Moody campaigned on a pledge to voters that she’d be a prosecutor, not a politician. Along with DeSantis, Moody boosted her political profile during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on the federal government to “hold China responsible” for the outbreak.
Before running for statewide office, Moody worked as a federal prosecutor. In 2006, she was elected to the post of circuit judge in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa.
As the state’s attorney general, Moody has been instrumental in defending DeSantis’ conservative agenda in court and has joined other Republican-led states in challenging the Biden administration’s policies, suing over changes to immigration enforcement, student loan forgiveness and vaccine mandates for federal contractors.
Under Florida law, it’s up to the Republican governor to pick Rubio’s replacement, after President-elect Donald Trump picked the three-term senator to be his next secretary of state. Moody will serve in the Senate until the next general election in 2026, when the seat will be back on the ballot.
Moody fought unsuccessfully to keep an abortion rights measure off the ballot in Florida in 2024, saying proponents were waging “a war” to protect the procedure. The measure did go before voters but ultimately failed to get the 60% approval needed to pass.
She was also among the state attorneys general to sign on to the lawsuit backed by Trump aimed at overturning Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020.
Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, a key Trump ally in the state, was among those who had pushed the president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as their top pick for the Senate seat. Lara Trump removed herself from consideration in December.
Still, Gruters praised Moody, calling her “a winner here in Florida.”
Moody’s appointment opens up a key vacancy in Florida’s Cabinet, giving DeSantis another shot at expanding his influence in the state. DeSantis will also get to pick a replacement for outgoing Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who’s leaving his post to run for former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s open seat in Congress.
Florida
Conor McGregor sued for alleged sexual battery at 2023 NBA final
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A woman who accused former UFC champion Conor McGregor of sexual assault but was unsuccessful in getting criminal charges filed is now suing him and employees of the basketball arena where she says the attack took place.
The woman is described in the suit as a 49-year-old senior vice president at a high-profile Wall Street financial institution. She alleges that McGregor assaulted her in a bathroom of the Kaseya Center, home arena of the Miami Heat, on June 9, 2023, when the Heat played the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the NBA finals. Her attorney, James Dunn, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
“My client has thought long and hard about the decision to pursue this civil case, and is fearful of the effect it may have on her job on Wall Street,” Dunn said.
The lawsuit alleges that staff and security at the arena “had actual knowledge of the wrongfulness of the conduct” and failed to provide adequate security to protect her. It also accuses staff of continuing to serve McGregor alcohol despite having a “chargeable knowledge of a heightened risk of battery being carried out.”
The lawsuit notes that McGregor was at the game for a promotional skit in which he struck the Heat’s mascot, Burnie, then punched the mascot again after he hit the ground. Promotional members of the Miami Heat then dragged Burnie off the court as McGregor attempted to “spray” the mascot with a featured pain relief product.
After the game ended, the woman was led by a person affiliated with McGregor to the men’s bathroom, where the assault took place, the lawsuit alleges.
Authorities began investigating the allegations but four months later announced they were not filing charges.
The Associated Press left a phone and email message with McGregor’s attorney. Heat spokesperson Lorrie-Ann Diaz told the AP that the organization does not comment on litigation.
McGregor was a former UFC champion in both the featherweight and lightweight classes, becoming the first UFC fighter to have championships in both weight classes at the same time. In November, a civil court jury in Ireland awarded 250,000 euros to a woman who said she was “brutally raped and battered” by McGregor.
Texas
Developer at the center of AG’s impeachment pleads guilty to federal charge
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A real estate developer whose relationship with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was at the center of the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of lying to a financial institution.
The plea by Nate Paul, whose company is based in Texas, was entered before a U.S. magistrate judge and still must be reviewed by a district judge, court documents show. Records did not indicate when Paul might be sentenced.
Paul claimed that federal investigators acted improperly when they raided his Austin home in 2019. He later sought help from Paxton, and the relationship and dealings between the two men played a prominent role in lawmakers impeaching Paxton, who was later acquitted in the Senate.
Paxton has long denied wrongdoing and was not mentioned in federal indictments against Paul, which accused the developer of making false statements to banks in order to obtain more than $170 million in loans.
The Associated Press emailed a request for comment to federal prosecutors on Wednesday. Staff for Paul’s attorney, Gerry Morris, said he would have no comment.
Paul would figure heavily in 20 articles of impeachment filed against Paxton, who was accused of abusing his power and bribery in order to help the developer, who gave the Republican a $25,000 campaign donation in 2018.
The impeachment came about after eight of the attorney general’s top deputies reported him to the FBI in 2020. All were subsequently fired or quit and half the group later sued under the state’s whistleblower law.
Paul initially faced a dozen charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, but online documents noted only the plea to the single charge of lying to a financial lender.
