Molly A. Michael

Last updated

Molly Amelia Michael is an American political operative and former government staffer. She was a Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Assistant to the President during the Trump Administration. Michael was a key figure in President Donald Trump's day-to-day life at the White House and in his post-presidency life.

Contents

Early life

Michael grew up outside of Chicago and attended Palm Beach Atlantic University. [1]

Career

Michael started working at the White House in 2017. In 2018, Michael became President Trump's executive assistant in the White House. [2] In December 2020, Michael conveyed information from the President regarding alleged election fraud to high-ranking administration officials. [3] Michael was notably absent from work on the morning of January 6, 2021 for personal reasons, which may have contributed to some of the gaps in President Trump's call logs that day. [4]

After President Trump left the White House, Michael remained in his service. [5] She was reportedly close enough to him to proactively reach out to friends and allies to ask them to contact the former president with "positive affirmations." [6]

In November 2021, Michael received a subpoena from the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. [7] In March 2022, she appeared before the Select Committee, describing herself as an employee of Save America, Donald Trump's political action committee. [1]

Because of her proximity to the former president, Michael is considered a key witness in many of the legal proceedings against the President. Unlike other current and former staffers of his, she has reportedly demonstrated cooperative behavior with law enforcement. [8] In 2022, following the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago related to the classified documents, Michael helped transfer additional files to the FBI upon discovering them in her work area. [2] Some of those documents included to-do lists written on classified documents. [9] President Trump reportedly urged her not to tell law enforcement officials about her knowledge of any classified documents that were improperly handled. [10]

Related Research Articles

In the law of the United States, a special master is an official appointed by a judge to ensure judicial orders are followed, or in the alternative, to hear evidence on behalf of the judge and make recommendations to the judge as to the disposition of a matter. The special master should not be confused with the traditional common law concept of a master, a judge of the High Court entrusted to deal with summary and administrative matters falling short of a full trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mar-a-Lago</span> Historic resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.

Mar-a-Lago is a resort and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida. It spans 126 rooms and 62,500 sq ft (5,810 m2) built on 17 acres of land. Since 1985, it has been owned by former president Donald Trump, who now resides on the premises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Trump's disclosures of classified information</span> Disclosures by the 21st-century US president

Donald Trump's handling of United States government records, especially those containing classified information, during his tenure as the 45th U.S. president has come under scrutiny. A number of incidents in which the president disclosed classified information to foreign powers and private individuals have become publicly known, sometimes with distinct national security and diplomatic consequences.

Li "Cindy" Yang is a Chinese-American businesswoman known for founding an enterprise of massage parlors in Florida, including one sold by Yang in 2013 where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft later allegedly received illegal sexual services. After becoming successful in the massage parlor business, Yang became involved in politics, allegedly selling access to President Donald Trump to Chinese businessmen at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, resulting in Democratic calls for an investigation of her activities.

Hugo Lowell is a senior political correspondent for The Guardian in Washington, D.C. He covers former President Donald Trump and the US Department of Justice, and has broken several high-profile stories. He frequently appears on MSNBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alyssa Farah Griffin</span> American political strategist (born 1989)

Alyssa Farah Griffin is an American political strategist and television personality. She was the White House Director of Strategic Communications and Assistant to the President in 2020 during the presidency of Donald Trump. In addition to appearing on CNN as a commentator, she is a co-host of the talk show The View, for which she received a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kash Patel</span> American political operative (born 1980)

Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel is an American attorney and former government official. He served as a U.S. National Security Council official, senior advisor to the acting Director of National Intelligence, and chief of staff to the acting United States secretary of defense during the Trump presidency. A member of the Republican Party, Patel previously worked as a senior aide to congressman Devin Nunes when he chaired the House Intelligence Committee. He was previously a federal public defender, a federal prosecutor working on national security cases, and a legal liaison to the United States Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aileen Cannon</span> Colombian-American judge (born 1981)

Aileen Mercedes Cannon is a Colombian-born American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida since 2020. President Donald Trump nominated and appointed Cannon to the federal bench after confirmation by the U.S. Senate in November 2020. Cannon worked for the corporate law firm Gibson Dunn from 2009 to 2012 and was a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida from 2013 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack</span> Former select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives

The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established to investigate the U.S. Capitol attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Bobb</span> American lawyer (born 1982)

Christina Bobb is an American lawyer, television personality and Republican Party official. She gained prominence for her television promotion of president Donald Trump and involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and promotion of the false allegation that the election had been stolen from Trump by fraud. She was involved in the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents. Prior to working as a Trump attorney, she was an executive secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and in 2020 became an anchor at One America News Network, a far-right, pro-Trump cable channel. The Republican National Committee named Bobb to lead its election integrity program in March 2024. Bobb and seventeen other Arizona Republicans and Trump associates were indicted in April 2024 for their alleged involvement in the Trump fake electors plot to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Justice Department investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election</span>

The United States Justice Department investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election began in early 2021 with investigations and prosecutions of hundreds of individuals who participated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. By early 2022, the investigation had expanded to examine Donald Trump's inner circle, with the Justice Department impaneling several federal grand juries to investigate the attempts to overturn the election. Later in 2022, a special counsel was appointed. On August 1, 2023, Trump was indicted. The indictment also describes six alleged co-conspirators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FBI search of Mar-a-Lago</span> 2022 FBI search of Donald Trumps home

On August 8, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former U.S. president Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents</span>

Plasmic Echo was the codename for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified and national defense-related government documents beginning in 2022, looking for possible violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith special counsel investigation</span> Investigation into former U.S. president Donald Trump

An ongoing special counsel investigation was opened by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on November 18, 2022, to continue two investigations initiated by the Justice Department (DOJ) regarding former U.S. President Donald Trump. Garland appointed Jack Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor, to lead the independent investigations. Smith was tasked with investigating Trump's role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and Trump's mishandling of government records, including classified documents.

<i>Trump v. United States</i> (2022) 2022 lawsuit filed by former U.S. president Donald Trump

Donald J. Trump v. United States of America, was a lawsuit filed on August 22, 2022, by former U.S. president Donald Trump in the Southern District of Florida. He sought the appointment of a special master to review materials seized on August 8, 2022, during the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, a part of the investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents.

Matthew Evan Corcoran is an American former federal prosecutor who became a white-collar crime defense attorney, and who gained prominence due to his role in the FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents as Donald Trump's attorney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (classified documents case)</span>

United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, Waltine Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira was a federal criminal case against Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, Walt Nauta, his personal aide and valet, and Mar-a-Lago maintenance chief Carlos De Oliveira. The grand jury indictment brought 40 felony counts against Trump related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after his presidency, to which he pleaded not guilty. The case marks the first federal indictment of a former U.S. president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Nauta</span> American political aide (born 1982/83)

Waltine Torre Nauta Jr. is an American valet and body man to former U.S. president Donald Trump. He is a defendant in a criminal case over violations of the Espionage Act and related offenses. While a petty officer in the U.S. Navy, he was Trump's valet at the White House. After Trump's term ended, Nauta continued to work for him at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club and residence.

Stanley Edmund Woodward Jr. is an American attorney with Brand Woodward Law. His clients have included those subpoenaed or convicted for the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and aides to Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save America</span> Political action committee run by Donald Trump

Save America is a leadership political action committee founded and controlled by former US president Donald Trump. It has been Trump's primary fundraising and political spending arm since he left office. The PAC has spent more than $60 million on legal fees for the former president and his allies.

References

  1. 1 2 "CTRL0000060751 - Deposition of Molly Michael, (Mar. 24, 2022)" (PDF). GovInfo. March 24, 2022.
  2. 1 2 News, A. B. C. "Trump wrote to-do lists for assistant on White House documents marked classified: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-07-08.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. Solender, Andrew. "Emails Reveal How Trump White House Pressured DOJ On Election Fraud". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  4. "Scoop: New clue on Trump gap". March 31, 2022.
  5. Crilly, Rob (2021-01-23). "Trump's young guns: The five former White House staffers setting up his Mar-a-Lago office - Washington Examiner" . Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. Khullar, Samaa (2022-12-19). "Trump aide follows him on golf course with a printer to boost ego with "uplifting articles": report". Salon. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  7. "Molly Michael Subpoena Nov 9 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  8. Dawsey, Josh; Alemany, Jacqueline (2023-06-12). "Evidence in Trump's indictment came from inside Mar-a-Lago and those hired for him". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  9. "Meet Molly Michael, the 'witness from hell' for Donald Trump's defense". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  10. Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (2023-09-19). "Trump Is Said to Have Told Aide Not to Acknowledge She Knew of Documents". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-08.