This week, we’re highlighting some of the crooks, cranks, and convicts that make up Donald Trump’s MAGA GOP. As Trump eyes Corey Lewandowski for a role in the GOP Convention, DNC spokesperson Aida Ross released the following statement: 

“Corey Lewandowski is the latest MAGA reject returning to Trump’s orbit, with a resume that includes criminal charges for battery against a journalist and a police complaint for sexual assault. Trump is scraping the bottom of the barrel to staff up his campaign with unemployable lowlifes like Lewandowski who are desperate enough to work for a loser like him.”

Corey Lewandowski is not only helping out Trump’s campaign, he’s on the shortlist to help run the Republican National Convention — despite facing battery charges and allegations of physically assaulting a journalist.

New York Times: “Aides to former President Donald J. Trump are discussing getting Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager who was shoved out of a pro-Trump super PAC in 2021, involved in the Republican National Convention, according to two people briefed on the discussions.”

InDepthNH: “The Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, filed as a candidate for the Republican Presidential Primary in New Hampshire Monday saying if elected he would bring down utility prices for Granite Staters by building a pipeline. … Accompanying him at the desk for the signing of paperwork was Corey Lewandowski, who was 2016 campaign director for Trump and continues to be a political operative.”

Politico: “Lewandowski was also charged with battery in 2016 after yanking the arm of a reporter, Michelle Fields, at a Trump campaign event. The charges were later dropped, but Lewandowski, who at the time was serving as Trump’s campaign manager, claimed the incident never happened before video emerged confirming that it did.”

Trump and his team have a long history of attacking the press, including repeatedly calling the media the “enemy of the people.”

CNN: “In a particularly disturbing conversation this week, Trump’s former top political strategist, Steve Bannon, and former National Security Council adviser, Kash Patel, openly discussed plans to target the press. Bannon, who underscored that such promises are ‘not just rhetoric’ and that they are ‘absolutely dead serious’ about seeking revenge against journalists, asked Patel, who would likely serve in a second Trump administration, whether he could ‘deliver the goods.’ Patel responded affirmatively, vowing that a re-empowered Trump would indeed ‘come after’ the press.”

Washington Post: “President Trump lashed out anew Monday at the news media, calling it ‘the true Enemy of the People,’ and he again blamed what he called ‘fraudulent’ reporting for anger that has led to a spate of recent violence in the country.”

The Hill: “Mainstream media outlets are ‘not only dishonest and corrupt,’ the former president said, but ‘they are truly, according to a recent poll, the enemy of the people.’” 

CNBC: “President Trump told Lesley Stahl he bashes press ‘to demean you and discredit you so … no one will believe’ negative stories about him.”

Politico: “[Trump] also returned to scathing attacks on the news media just one week after a gunman killed five journalists at a Maryland newspaper. He derided the press as ‘fake news,’ ‘bad people’ and ‘so damn dishonest.’ ‘They’re fake,’ he said, pointing at the press area in the arena. ‘These are really bad people.’”

ABC News: “Trump blames media for ‘anger’ in country amid mail bomb campaign.”

New York Times: “In urging the crowd to vote for Representative Greg Gianforte, who is running for re-election and who was sentenced to anger management classes and community service for assaulting a reporter last spring, Mr. Trump jokingly warned the crowd to ‘never wrestle him.’ ‘I had heard he body-slammed a reporter,’ Mr. Trump said, noting that he was initially concerned that Mr. Gianforte would lose in a special election last May. ‘I said, ‘Wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well; I think it might help him.’ And it did.’” 

Associated Press: “A second Trump administration will ‘come after’ people in the media in the courts, an ally says.”

Trump’s circle is filled with election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and convicted felons. 

Axios: “Trump eyes convicts and conspiracists for 2024 reunion”

“Sidelined characters from former President Trump’s past campaigns — ‘crazies,’ some of his top advisers call them — are reattaching themselves to his inner circle now that he’s locked up the Republican nomination. … ex-advisers, conspiracy theorists and convicted felons are now knocking on the campaign’s door — and some are getting in.”

New York Times: “Paul Manafort, a top adviser to Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign who was pardoned by the former president at the end of his White House term, is in discussions to return to help with the Republican National Convention.”

“Mr. Manafort was found guilty in late August 2018 of a range of financial crimes, including tax and bank fraud.

“In September 2018, Mr. Manafort pleaded guilty to additional charges brought by Mr. Mueller and agreed to cooperate. But as the case proceeded, Mr. Mueller said that Mr. Manafort had not been truthful in his cooperation, breaching that plea deal.”

Washington Post: “Former president Donald Trump is preparing to bring back into his campaign fold a man convicted of multiple crimes and whom a bipartisan Senate report labeled a ‘grave counterintelligence threat’ because of his ties to a Russian spy.”

The Guardian: “Headache for campaign team as Trump gets the band back together”

New York Times: “Former President Donald J. Trump recently told aides to hire Laura Loomer, a far-right and anti-Muslim activist with a history of expressing bigoted views, for a campaign role, according to four people familiar with the plans. Mr. Trump met with Ms. Loomer recently and directed advisers to give her a role in support of his candidacy.”

Rolling Stone: “They Helped Trump Plan a Coup. He Wants Them Back for a Second Term”

The Hill: “Trump says he’ll bring back Michael Flynn if he wins in 2024: ‘He’s some man’” 

CNN: “Trump hosted Holocaust denier at Mar-a-Lago estate during visit with Kanye West, a week after announcing 2024 run”