- Erdogan blasts Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ intent on ‘total destruction’ of Gaza The Times of Israel
- Turkey’s Erdogan calls Israel ‘terror state’, slams West Reuters
- Turkey’s Erdoğan calls Israel ‘terror state’ as he condemns Gaza hospital raid The Guardian
- ‘You’ve No Guts’: Erdogan’s Biggest Attack On Netanyahu; Calls Israel ‘Terrorist State’ | Gaza War Hindustan Times
- Lapid slams Erdogan: We won’t take lessons in morality from man with appalling human rights record The Times of Israel
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: intent
Johnson & Johnson Confirms Intent Not to Enforce Patents for SIRTURO® (bedaquiline) for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in 134 Low- and Middle-Income Countries – Johnson & Johnson
- Johnson & Johnson Confirms Intent Not to Enforce Patents for SIRTURO® (bedaquiline) for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in 134 Low- and Middle-Income Countries Johnson & Johnson
- J&J will not enforce TB drug bedaquiline patent in many countries STAT
- MSF responds to groundbreaking news that Johnson & Johnson will not enforce patents on key TB drug bedaquiline in low- and middle-income countries MSF Access Campaign
- MSF welcomes J&J’s decision to not enforce unnecessary patents on key TB drug Doctors Without Borders (MSF-USA)
- Unitaid slams J&J over pricing and patents for a tuberculosis drug STAT
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Bengal Government And State Poll Panel Failed To Prevent Violence; Bid To Blame Central Forces Has Sinister Intent – Swarajya
- Bengal Government And State Poll Panel Failed To Prevent Violence; Bid To Blame Central Forces Has Sinister Intent Swarajya
- Smriti Irani Slams Congress Alliance With Mamata As Bengal Panchayat Election Violence Escalates India Today
- 18 Deaths, Rampant Malpractice: Bengal’s Panchayat Elections Turn Bloody Once Again The Wire
- Violence Continues In Bengal, Several Areas To Vote Again & Other Headlines | News Wrap @ 8 AM Hindustan Times
- BJP alleges central forces deliberately not deployed in West Bengal panchayat polls Firstpost
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Special master in Trump document probe signals intent to move quickly
The independent arbiter tasked with inspecting documents seized in an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home said Tuesday he intends to push briskly through the review process and appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s reluctance to say whether it believed the records had been declassified.
“We’re going to proceed with what I call responsible dispatch,” Raymond Dearie, a veteran Brooklyn judge, told lawyers for Trump and the Justice Department in their first meeting since his appointment last week as a so-called special master.
The purpose of the meeting was to sort out next steps in a review process expected to slow by weeks, if not months, the criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. As special master, Dearie will be responsible for sifting through the thousands of documents recovered during the Aug. 8 FBI search and segregating those protected by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege.
Though Trump’s lawyers had requested the appointment of a special master to ensure an independent review of the documents, one of the former president’s attorneys, James Trusty, made clear they were concerned that Dearie’s proposed deadlines were too ambitious.
The lawyers are also resisting Dearie’s request for information about whether the seized records had been declassified, as Trump has maintained. In a letter to Dearie on Monday night, the lawyers said that issue could be part of Trump’s defense in the event of an indictment.
But Dearie appeared unsatisfied with that position. He said if Trump’s lawyers will not actually assert that the records have been declassified and the Justice Department instead makes an acceptable case that they remain classified, then “as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.”
Jane Rosenberg
Trusty said the Trump team should not be forced at this point to disclose a possible defense based on the idea that the records had been declassified. He denied that the lawyers were trying to engage in “gamesmanship” but instead believed it was a process that required “baby steps.”
But Dearie at one point observed: “I guess my view of it is, you can’t have your cake and eat it” too.
Trump has maintained without evidence that all of the records were declassified; his lawyers have not echoed that claim, though they have repeatedly asserted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information, and they said in a separate filing Tuesday that the Justice Department had not proven that the records remained classified.
“As someone who has been president of the United States, he has unfettered access along with unfettered declassification authority,” Trusty said Tuesday.
The resistance to the judge’s request was notable because it was Trump’s lawyers, not the Justice Department, who had requested the appointment of a special master and because the recalcitrance included an acknowledgment that the probe could be building toward an indictment.
In the letter, Trump’s lawyers said the time for addressing that question would be if they pressed forward with demands for the Justice Department to return some of the property taken from Mar-a-Lago.
“Otherwise, the Special Master process will have forced the Plaintiff to fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment,” they wrote.
The Trump team also asked the judge to consider pushing back all of the deadlines for his review. That work includes inspecting the roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 marked as classified, that were taken during the FBI’s search.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who granted the Trump team’s request for a special master, had set a Nov. 30 deadline for Dearie’s review and instructed him to prioritize his inspection of classified records. The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to halt Cannon’s order requiring it to provide him with classified documents for his review. That appeal is pending.
Dearie, a Ronald Reagan appointee whose name is on the atrium of his Brooklyn courthouse, made clear during Tuesday’s meeting that he intended to meet the deadlines, saying there was “little time” to complete the assigned tasks.
Julie Edelstein, a Justice Department lawyer, said she was hopeful that the department could get the documents digitized and provided to Trump’s lawyers by early next week. She noted that the department had given the legal team a list of five vendors approved by the government for the purposes of scanning, hosting and otherwise processing the seized records.
After some haggling, Dearie instructed Trump’s lawyers to choose a vendor by Friday.
Earlier Tuesday, the Trump legal team urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to leave in place Cannon’s order temporarily barring the Justice Department’s use of the classified records for its criminal investigation while Dearie completes his review. The department has said that order has impeded its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump’s lawyers called those concerns overblown, saying investigators could still do other work on the probe even without scrutinizing the seized records.
“Ultimately, any brief delay to the criminal investigation will not irreparably harm the Government,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “The injunction does not preclude the Government from conducting a criminal investigation, it merely delays the investigation for a short period while a neutral third party reviews the documents in question.”
Judge announces ‘preliminary intent to appoint a special master’ to review Trump records seized by FBI
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: A federal judge on Saturday announced her “preliminary intent to appoint a special master” to review records seized by the FBI during its unprecedented raid of his Mar-a-Lago home earlier this month, at the request of former President Trump and his legal team, citing the “exceptional circumstances.”
Trump and his legal team filed a motion Monday evening seeking an independent review of the records seized by the FBI during its raid of Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, saying the decision to search his private residence just months before the 2022 midterm elections “involved political calculations aimed at diminishing the leading voice in the Republican Party, President Trump.”
U.S. District Judge from the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen M. Cannon on Saturday afternoon said that the decision was made upon the review of Trump’s submissions and “the exceptional circumstances presented.”
“Pursuant to Rule 53(b) (1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Court’s inherent authority, and without prejudice to the parties’ objections, the Court hereby provides notice of its preliminary intent to appoint a special master in this case,” Cannon wrote in a filing Saturday.
FBI SAID IT HAD ‘PROBABLE CAUSE’ TO BELIEVE ADDITIONAL CLASSIFIED DOCS REMAINED AT MAR-A-LAGO, AFFIDAVIT SAYS
A hearing is set for Sept. 1 at 1:00 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Fla. Cannon also ordered the Justice Department to file a response by Aug. 30 and provide, “under seal,” a “more detailed Receipt for Property specifying all property seized pursuant to the search warrant executed on August 8, 2022.”
The current property receipt shows that FBI agents took approximately 20 boxes of items from the premises, including one set of documents marked as “Various classified/TS/SCI documents,” which refers to top secret/sensitive compartmented information.
Records covered by that government classification level could potentially include human intelligence and information that, if disclosed, could jeopardize relations between the U.S. and other nations, as well as the lives of intelligence operatives abroad. However, the classification also encompasses national security information related to the daily operations of the president of the United States.
The property receipt also showed that FBI agents collected four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents and three sets of confidential documents, but the document does not reveal any details about any of those records.
DOJ ‘TAINT TEAM’ EXAMINING TRUMP MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENTS
The government initiated the search in response to what it believed to be a violation of federal laws: 18 USC 793 — gathering, transmitting or losing defense information; 18 USC 2071 — concealment, removal or mutilation; and 18 USC 1519 — destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The allegation of “gathering, transmitting or losing defense information” falls under the Espionage Act.
Trump and his team are disputing the classification and say they believe the information and records to have been declassified.
Cannon also ordered the Justice Department to file under seal a “particularized notice indicating the status” of its review of the seized property, “including any filter review conducted by the privilege review team and any dissemination of materials beyond the privilege review team.”
Cannon also said that the Justice Department should include in its filings its “respective and particularized positions on the duties and responsibilities of a prospective special master, along with any other considerations pertinent to the appointment of a special master in this case.”
Trump’s motion for a special master filed Monday evening, requested that the Justice Department halt its ongoing review of the material seized by the FBI during the raid — some labeled classified, and others covered by attorney-client privilege — until an independent review could be conducted.
At this point, a Department of Justice “taint” or “filter” team has been reviewing documents seized by the FBI during its raid.
A senior law enforcement official familiar with the process told Fox News that the review began soon after the search warrant was executed on Aug. 8.
The official told Fox News that it is standard procedure for the Justice Department to use a “taint” or “filter” team to go through documents obtained during a search — in part, to identify records that may be protected by attorney-client privilege.
Fox News first reported earlier this month that FBI agents seized boxes containing records covered by attorney-client privilege and potentially executive privilege during the raid.
TRUMP FILES MOTION SEEKING INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF DOCS SEIZED DURING FBI RAID ON MAR-A-LAGO
Sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News Saturday that the former president’s team was informed that boxes labeled A-14, A-26, A-43, A-13, A-33, and a set of documents — all seen on the final page of the FBI’s property receipt — contained information covered by attorney-client privilege.
Attorney-client privilege refers to a legal privilege that keeps communications between an attorney and their client confidential. It is unclear, at this point, if the records include communications between the former president and his private attorneys, White House counsel during the Trump administration or a combination.
The ruling Saturday comes after another federal judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, released a redacted version of the affidavit used to justify the FBI’s raid.
The FBI, in the heavily-redacted affidavit, said it had “probable cause to believe” that additional records containing classified information, including National Defense Information, would be found on the premises of Mar-a-Lago, beyond what he had previously turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Reinhart signed the FBI’s warrant for the raid on Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 5, giving the FBI authority to conduct its search–a document Reinhart unsealed, along with the property receipt from the raid earlier this month.
Real Madrid’s Casemiro intent on joining Man United
Casemiro wants to join Manchester United, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed, saying the midfielder wants “a new challenge” away from the Bernabeu.
ESPN reported on Thursday that the Brazil international midfielder — who has won five Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles in nine years at Madrid — was considering an offer from United, with a decision imminent.
– La Liga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)
– Notebook: Ten Hag’s concerns over De Gea
– Real Madrid’s third kit inspired by the Bernabeu
Casemiro, 30, is expected to receive a substantial pay increase at United, who have been looking to strengthen their squad after losing the first two games of the Premier League season.
“I talked about it with [Casemiro] this morning,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Friday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga game at Celta Vigo. “He wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity. The club and I understand it. Casemiro — with what he’s done at this club, and with the person he is — we have to respect this desire he has.
“There are negotiations right now. Nothing is official, he’s still a Real Madrid player, but he wants to leave. If he goes and reaches an agreement, we have the resources to replace him.”
Ancelotti said he had not tried to convince the player to change his mind.
“I just listened to him,” the Italian coach said. “Hearing his desire to leave, there’s no way back … If the negotiations go well and an agreement is reached, we have to wish him all the best and look at what we have.
“It’s hard to speak now, because we don’t know what will happen in the next few hours, whether he stays or goes. But if he goes, we’re hugely grateful to him.”
Real Madrid have already added a potential replacement to their squad this summer, signing France international Aurelien Tchouameni for a fee of €80 million in June.
Ancelotti said the club would not look to bring in an additional midfielder if Casemiro completes his move to United.
“We have replacements within the squad,” he said. “We have a lot of good players who can play in that position. Tchouameni is one of the best midfielders in the market right now. Then there’s the option of Toni Kroos, who can play in that position, as he did in my second year here [the 2014-15 season], when we won 22 games in a row.
“We have [Eduardo] Camavinga, who played last year. We can’t replace Casemiro with a player with the same characteristics, but we have others with different characteristics … In my [AC Milan] team [Andrea] Pirlo played in that position and did well.”
“If Casemiro goes, we have six midfielders,” Ancelotti added. “[Luka] Modric, Kroos, Tchouameni, [Fede] Valverde, Camavinga and [Dani] Ceballos. I think six are enough to manage all season.”
Sesame Place Issues A Statement With The Intent To Require Training To Avoid Future Incidents Of Bias – Deadline
Sesame Place is in hot water.
Comms director at The Frontline, Leslie Mac, posted a video to social media about how a four year old girl and a friend (both Black children) were ignored by a performer in a Rosita costume, when the kids had their arms extended for high-fives and hugs. The performer did wave to visitors standing around the children.
#BabyPaige & her cute lil friends went to @SesamePlace this weekend to celebrate Paige’s 4th birthday & this is how #SesamePlace treated these beautiful Black children. I’m HOT. pic.twitter.com/wATjpRzUF1
— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) July 17, 2022
The mother of the girl posted the video to Instagram.
Many dismissed the incident as an unintentional mistake, that is until similar videos of characters ignoring Black kids popped up on social media.
Sesame Place issued a statement to social media this past weekend in which they claimed to have spoken to the family, apologized, and invited them back to the park. However, Mac says the conversation never happened.
THEY HAVE NOT INVITED THE KIDS BACK FOR ANYTHING. This statement is the first & only time the family heard about this offer & Sesame Place has cut off email communications. The entire statement is a lie. https://t.co/RrtJ4mJbwV
— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) July 18, 2022
Sesame Workshop, a Sesame Place licensed partner said in a statement on social media, “We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage with families and guests.”
pic.twitter.com/ObonXOniKZ
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) July 18, 2022
The children’s theme park followed up with their own statement on social media. “We sincerely apologize to the family for their experience in our park on Saturday; we know that it’s not ok. We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests.”
Several celebrities and high profile people reacted to the incident.
This is absolutely HEARTBREAKING! 💔 These two young Queens did NOT deserve to be blatantly singled out and ignored by this #SesameStreet character! @SesamePlace MUST address their staff’s disgusting behavior! 🎥: IG/__jodiii__ pic.twitter.com/07shnhEGvM
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) July 18, 2022
Singer Kelly Rowland took to social media to voice her opinion.
U.S. basketball star Griner admits Russian drugs charge but denies intent
KHIMKI, Russia, July 7 (Reuters) – U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court on Thursday but denied she had intentionally broken the law.
Griner was speaking at the second hearing of her trial on the narcotics charge that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, days after she urged U.S. President Joe Biden to secure her release. read more
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, speaking quietly in English which was then translated into Russian for the court.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,” she added.
The next court hearing was scheduled for July 14.
Griner’s lawyers told reporters they were hoping for the most lenient sentencing possible.
“We, as her defense, explained to her the possible consequences. Brittney stressed that she committed the crime out of carelessness, getting ready to board a plane to Russia in a hurry, not intending to break Russian law,” said Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s attorneys.
“We certainly hope this circumstance, in combination with the defence evidence, will be taken into account when passing the sentence, and it will be mild.”
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia, and has been kept in custody since.
The WNBA’s players association released a statement reiterating its support for the eight-time All-Star.
“What we do know is that the U.S. State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and will continue negotiating for her release,” the WNBPA said.
In a handwritten note, Griner appealed to Biden directly earlier this week to step up U.S. efforts to bring her home.
U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained in March at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, is escorted before a court hearing in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia July 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees…” Griner wrote. “Please do all you can to bring us home.”
Biden spoke to Griner’s wife on Wednesday, telling her he was working to have her released “as soon as possible”, the White House said. read more
Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow attended Griner’s trial and delivered a letter to her from Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones,” he tweeted, referring to former U.S. Marine Whelan who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges.
‘BARGAINING CHIP’
U.S. officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner – or “BG” as she is known to basketball fans – who they say has been wrongfully detained.
Her case has also prompted concerns that Moscow could use it as leverage to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian citizen in U.S. custody.
Griner, a centre for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association, had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Women’s Basketball Premier League to boost her income during the WNBA off-season, like several other U.S. players.
Russian authorities say there is no basis to consider Griner’s detention illegal and that the case against her is not political despite Moscow’s fraught relations with United States over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that it was difficult to exchange prisoners with the United States and suggested Washington stop talking about the fate of Griner. read more
Asked about Ryabkov’s remarks, the State Department said it would not comment on speculation.
“Using the practice of wrongful detention as a bargaining chip represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working and living abroad. The United States opposes this practice everywhere,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The Russian foreign ministry has said Griner could appeal her sentence or apply for clemency once a verdict has been delivered.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Reuters
Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Amy Tennery
Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Angus MacSwan, Jonathan Oatis and Frances Kerry
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Biden arrives at Summit of the Americas intent on demonstrating focus on region despite snubs
The drama over the invitation list dampened the prospect of major shows of unity. Yet Biden remained intent Wednesday on showing his commitment to a part of the world often overlooked in American foreign policy.
Biden launched the summit calling for cooperation and a renewed focus on democracy, an urgent appeal after his exclusion of autocratic leaders at the conference drew protests and boycotts.
“At a moment we need more cooperation, common purpose and transformative ideas. There’s never been a greater need than today,” Biden said as he opened the three-day event.
“Democracy has been a hallmark of our region,” Biden went on, calling on nations to “renew our conviction that democracy is not only the defining feature of American histories” but the “essential ingredient.”
He said it was now critical to “demonstrate to our people the power of democracies to make life better for everyone.”
And as China makes inroads in Latin America, Biden said “we have all the tools we need right here in our own hemisphere” to provide security and economic advancement.
The President spelled out in broad terms a new economic framework that Washington hopes other countries will sign on to in the coming months. He also previewed a migration declaration that countries have agreed to that details the responsibilities of nations amid historic migrant flows.
Those are among the most serious challenges for the Western Hemisphere, and also amount to some of the most potent political liabilities for Biden as he suffers in the polls ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The President and his team had once hoped to use the summit to make major progress of those issues with players in the region. And US administration officials say they have secured participation even from countries whose leaders are refusing to attend.
“The substantive work of the summit has in no way, shape or form been touched or adjusted or reduced by the participation question,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden was flying west. “These two things are operating in entirely distinct lanes, and we’re happy to have senior level participation from each of these countries, even though the leaders each for their own reason has chosen not to come to Los Angeles.”
Still, the boycott undercuts the picture of unity that might have emerged from the summit had all of the region’s leaders been present.
“I think if they had to do it over again, they might have considered postponing it. But now, I think they’re just going to go ahead with it, make the best of it,” said John Negroponte, a former US ambassador to Mexico who has held several other high-ranking national security posts.
“This is an opportunity to put the spotlight on issues that are important to us in the hemisphere, and I’m sure the administration will have some success in doing that and I’m sure there will be useful meetings, useful conversations on a whole host of issues,” he said.
It wasn’t only the region’s dictators who were denied invites to this week’s summit. The opposition leader of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, was also left off the list, even though the United States recognizes him as the interim president. Extending an invitation to Guaidó could have further aggravated tensions with countries who still recognize the dictator Nicolás Maduro, who was among the autocrats Biden barred from participating.
Biden did speak with Guaidó by telephone as he flew to Los Angeles.
Biden’s first day in California was intended to highlight American economic commitments to a region that has increasingly looked to China for investments in infrastructure. During the summit, Biden is expected to announce more than $300 million in assistance in food insecurity, in addition to other private sector commitments, as well as health initiatives and a partnership on climate resilience.
The President was planning to unveil a new economic partnership with Latin American nations, though it stops short of a full-blown trade agreement that would expand market access in ways many countries are seeking.
The “Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity” is instead a framework meant to reinvigorate regional economic institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank, make supply chains more resilient, create more clean energy jobs and ensure sustainable trade.
“The best antidote to China’s inroads in the region is to ensure that we are forging our own affirmative vision for the region economically,” a senior administration official told reporters. “We think that that’s why it’s so important that we do lay down a really ambitious, regionally updated vision.”
At the same time, officials acknowledged the partnership does not amount to a trade agreement that would require approval from Congress, where protectionist sentiments have largely forestalled any new free trade agreements.
“We’re not negotiating a trade agreement that would go to Congress, but rather building on existing agreements to actually promote a race to the top,” a second administration official said.
In Los Angeles, Biden was expected to meet for the first time with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was contemplating a boycott of his own before being promised a one-on-one with the American leader.
The far-right populist leader, who was a close ally of President Donald Trump, has been mostly ignored by the White House until this point. Earlier this week, he even echoed Trump by casting doubt on Biden’s 2020 election victory in comments from Sao Paulo. He has also questioned the reliability of Brazil’s election systems.
Sullivan said he expected the two Presidents to discuss “free, fair, transparent democratic elections” in their talks.
“There are no topics off limits in any bilateral the President does, including with President Bolsonaro,” Sullivan said.
Ex-Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson says he wasn’t directly paid to lose, but evidence of team’s intent to lose “will come”
Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson clarified in an interview with CNN on Friday night that he was never paid to lose games, but evidence that team ownership and executives intended to lose during the 2016 and 2017 seasons “will come to light at the right time.”
“No, I was never offered money like Brian [Flores] had mentioned,” Jackson told CNN. “I think this is a totally different situation but has some similarities.”
On Wednesday, Jackson and Kimberly Diemert, the executive director of the Hue Jackson Foundation, which works to prevent human trafficking, began tweeting in response to Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants — alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing last month by Miami. In the lawsuit, Flores also claimed that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to incentivize him to purposely lose games shortly after he was hired in 2019, allegedly offering Flores $100,000 for every loss that season.
Jackson tweeted that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam “was happy while we kept losing” and “trust me it was a good number,” while referencing the dollar amount he allegedly received from Haslam per loss.
Later Wednesday, Jackson told ESPN’s SportsCenter that the Browns had a “four-year plan” that incentivized losing during the first two years — bonus money was available if certain measurables were met such as aggregate rankings, being the youngest team and having so many draft picks. He said that plan led to his 1-31 record during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, which gave Cleveland the No. 1 overall draft pick in back-to-back years.
Haslam fired back at Jackson on Thursday, telling the Knoxville News Sentinel that Jackson “has never accepted blame for one thing” and called the claim he paid Jackson to lose games is “an absolute falsehood.”
Jackson told CNN that he wasn’t paid to lose games, but he had evidence to back his claims that ownership and the Browns’ executives intended to lose games.
“I told Jimmy that what he was doing was very destructive, to not do this because it’s going to hurt my career and every other coach that worked with me and every player on the team,” Haslam told CNN. “And I told him that it would hurt every Black coach that would follow me. And I have the documents to prove this.”
Said Jackson, when pressed why he hasn’t disclosed that evidence: “Those things will come to light at the right time.”