Bergdahl defense team wants to meet with Trump over statements

Court hearing set for accused Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl

Attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said Saturday they may seek a deposition from presidential contender Donald Trump or call him as a witness at a legal proceeding, saying they fear his comments could affect their client's right to a fair trial.
Bergdahl's attorney Army Lt. Col. Franklin Rosenblatt asked Trump in a letter dated Saturday for an interview to discuss the Republican's comments about Bergdahl, who faces military charges after walking off a post in Afghanistan in 2009. The letter sent to Trump's New York office by registered mail says the interview would determine whether they will seek to have him give a deposition or appear as a witness at a legal hearing.
"I request to interview you as soon as possible about your comments about Sergeant Bergdahl during frequent appearances in front of large audiences in advance of his court-martial," Rosenblatt wrote in the letter on U.S. Army letterhead.
Defense attorney Eugene Fidell said Trump's statements could affect Bergahl's right to a fair trial. He added in an email to The Associated Press that the statements "raise a serious question as to whether he has compromised Sgt. Bergdahl's right to a fair trial."
A spokeswoman for Trump's campaign didn't immediately respond to an email and a phone call seeking comment.
Fidell had previously asked publicly that Trump cease making comments about Bergdahl such as Trump's comment in October that the soldier was a "traitor, a no-good traitor, who should have been executed." Fidell has also said previously that Trump gave incorrect information about rescue efforts for Bergdahl during public speeches.
Bergdahl faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a relatively rare charge that carries a punishment of up to life in prison. His trial had been tentatively scheduled for the summer, but legal wrangling over access to classified documents has caused delays.
Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay. The move prompted harsh criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardizing the safety of the country.
He was arraigned in December but has yet to enter a plea.

Cruz wins CPAC presidential straw poll

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday won the annual CPAC presidential straw poll, a gauge of where conservative voters stand.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in second and billionaire businessman Donald Trump came in third.
Cruz got 40 percent of the informal vote, followed by Rubio with 30 percent, Trump with 15 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 8 percent.
Trump at the last minute cancelled his appearance at the four-day CPAC event. Cruz and Rubio spoke at the event.
Last year, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the informal poll with 25.7 of the vote, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Cruz, Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rubio and Trump.
In 2012, the last CPAC straw poll in a presidential year, the winner was Mitt Romney, the eventual GOP nominee. He was followed by Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

Cruz, Trump grab two wins; Dems divided as candidates look ahead to Michigan, Florida contests

Donald Trump renewed calls Saturday night for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to drop out of the Republican race, saying he wants to take on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in a two-man GOP showdown for the 2016 party nomination.
“Marco has to get out of the race. He has to,” Trump said.  “Man, do I want to run against just Ted.”
Trump and Cruz were Saturday’s big winners, claiming two victories each in four Republican state contests. Trump won the Kentucky caucus and Louisiana primary while Cruz claimed caucus wins in Kansas and Maine.
Cruz attributed his strong showing to conservatives coalescing behind his candidacy, calling it “a manifestation of a real shift in momentum.”
He suggested it was time for Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to call it quits.
“As long as the field remains divided, it gives Donald an advantage,” Cruz said.
Despite the support of many elected officials, Rubio’s lackluster performance Saturday raises serious questions about his viability in the race. He finished in third place in every state that voted Saturday except Maine, where The Associated Press projected him to finish behind Kasich.
Rubio said the upcoming schedule of primaries would be "better for us," and renewed his vow to win his home state of Florida, claiming all 99 delegates there on March 15.
Saturday’s races saw high voter turnout in several states. Turnout in Republican presidential caucuses in Kansas exceeded the party's most optimistic predictions.
State GOP Executive Director Clay Barker said at least 73,000 people cast ballots in Saturday's caucuses. He said there are another 6,000 provisional ballots and 1,000 absentee ballots sent to voters but not yet collected.
That compares to about 30,000 people voting in the state's GOP caucuses in 2012 and about 20,000 voting in 2008.
The party had 60,000 ballots printed this year and then warned caucus sites to be prepared to print more.
With the GOP race in chaos, establishment figures are looking for any way to derail Trump, perhaps at a contested convention if no candidate can get enough delegates to lock up the nomination in advance.
Party leaders -- including 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and 2008 nominee Sen. John McCain -- are fearful a Trump victory would lead to a disastrous November election, with losses up and down the GOP ticket.
"Everyone's trying to figure out how to stop Trump," Trump marveled about himself at an afternoon rally in Orlando, Florida. At the rally, the billionaire businessman had supporters raise their hands and swear to vote for him.
On the Democratic side, there was another divided verdict from voters. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders notched wins in the Nebraska and Kansas caucuses, while front-runner Hillary Clinton snagged a win in the Louisiana primary.
"No matter who wins this Democratic nomination, I have not the slightest doubt that on our worst day we will be infinitely better than the Republicans on their best day,” Clinton said.
She also said she was thrilled to add to her delegate count and expected to do well in Michigan’s primary on Tuesday. But before that, she and Sanders will go head-to-head Sunday in Maine’s Democratic caucus where 30 delegates are up for grabs. Republicans will battle it out in Puerto Rico’s GOP caucus for 23 delegates.
Despite Clinton’s commanding lead in the delegate count, Sanders vowed to keep fighting until the Democratic convention in Philadelphia this summer. 

Donald Trump pulled out of CPAC forum

Huma Abedin Cartoon

Carson suspends presidential campaign

Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson dropped out the 2016 presidential race Friday, days after declaring there was “no political path forward” for his campaign.
In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Carson said “I am leaving the campaign trail,” but promised he would remain heavily involved “in saving our nation.”
The announcement was widely expected. On Wednesday Carson sent a message to supporters saying, “I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results” and he did not attend Thursday’s Fox News debate in Detroit.
In Friday's wide-ranging speech, Carson warned against a growing debt, overreaching government social programs and a general breakdown of morals in the country.
“Our pillars of strength are faith and family,” Carson said. “As those things are being eroded, you see what is happening to our nation.”
Carson also announced Friday that he is taking up the role of chairman of “My Faith Votes,” a nonpartisan organization to “inspire and motivate” Christians to vote.
The consummate outsider, Carson enjoyed a surge in the polls last year, at one point becoming competitive with Donald Trump. But his numbers later plunged, and he has not won a single contest; he was solidly in last place in the delegate count following Super Tuesday.
Known for his affable, soft-spoken, and sometimes awkward speaking style, he was an unpredictable presence on the debate stage and at rallies.
Carson entered the political spotlight in 2013 when at the National Prayer Breakfast he tore into the Affordable Care Act just feet away from President Obama, gaining fame among conservatives in the process.
He announced his decision to run for the White House in May from his hometown of Detroit.

Cruz blasts Trump as phony conservative in front of CPAC crowd

Republican presidential candidate Sen.Ted Cruz blasted Donald Trump Friday as a phony conservative who must be stopped before he wins the presidential nomination.
In a speech to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Cruz said, “It’s easy to talk about making America great again -- you can even put that on a baseball cap.
“But do you understand the principles that make America great in the first place?”
Cruz said Trump was in no position to answer that question.
Fresh from a bitter Super Tuesday battle and rancorous debate Thursday night, Cruz appeared relaxed in jeans. He took full advantage of Trump’s announcement earlier in the day that he would be skipping the event, which is typically considered a required stop for Republican candidates seeking to woo the conservative base.
Dr. Ben Carson, who spoke after Cruz on Friday, announced he was formally leaving the race. Sen. Marco Rubio was expected  to appear on Saturday, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich spoke earlier on Friday.
Citing rallies in Kansas and Florida, where there are upcoming primary battles, Trump demurred, leaving a hole in the CPAC schedule.
“I think someone told him (Fox News host) Megyn Kelly was going to be here,” Cruz said, joking. “But worse, he was told conservatives were going to be here. Even worse, he was told there would be libertarians here. Even worse, young people were going to be here.”
“I hope none of you have a degree from Trump University,” he said, referring to the lawsuits against Trump’s now defunct online school.
Cruz was only interrupted once by audience members chanting “Trump! Trump! Trump!” The audience applause was otherwise enthusiastic as Cruz revived a key charge against Trump from Thursday night - that he has been funding and cozying up to Democrats for years.
Referring to the loss of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, Cruz warned that the court is now “one justice away” from the loss of religious liberty and the second amendment right to bear arms.
“Let me be very clear to every man and woman here at CPAC, I will not compromise away your religious liberty. I will not compromise away your second amendment right to keep and bear arms,” Cruz said.
He also poked at Trump, whom he said suggested in a previous debate that the U.S. should be neutral in order to negotiate in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. “As president I have no intention of being neutral. America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel.”
Joking on stage with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Cruz also suggested Hillary Clinton should get used to “orange pant suits” in case she's indicted in the ongoing email controversy and that for the first time, a general election debate may be “convened in Leavenworth.”

Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC Donald Trump Cancels Speech at Conservative Conference

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; /ˈsiːpæk/ SEE-pak) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States.

Organizers of a high-profile conservative conference in Washington DC say that Donald Trump has abruptly cancelled his planned appearance tomorrow.
Trump was scheduled to address activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) early Saturday morning.

In a statement, Trump's campaign said he would be campaigning in Kansas Saturday in advance of that state's caucuses.
"The Donald J. Trump for President Campaign has just announced it will be in Witchita, Kanasas for a major rally on Saturday prior to Caucus," the statement read, misspelling the name of both the city and the state where he will appear. "He will also be speaking at the Kansas Caucus and then departing for Orlando, Florida and a crowd of approximately 20,000 people or more. Because of this, he will not be able to speak at CPAC as he has done for many consecutive years."

Donald Trump put in the hot seat as GOP debate gets dirty 3:47

The conference has long been a destination for Republican presidential candidates as well as other conservative lawmakers and media stars. Presidential hopefuls John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are all slated to participate, and Ben Carson is expected to use his address Friday to speak about his "political future."
The crowd at CPAC may not have been a uniformly friendly one for Trump. The conference this year has already featured appearances by some of the GOP figures with whom Trump has warred, including RNC chairman Reince Priebus and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.
The abrupt cancellation is not the first time Trump has dropped out of a conservative cattle call at the last minute.
He also cancelled a Heritage Action event in South Carolina earlier this cycle, citing a last minute business deal that needed his attention. He was also uninvited from Erick Erickson's Red State Gathering in August.