Trump tricked with prank call on Air Force One
Washington, June 30 : A comedian claims to have spoken for several minutes with US President Donald Trump by pretending to be Senator Robert Menendez while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez said he claimed to be Senator Menendez and a fake assistant. Then he spoke to the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Trump on Thursday.
"I am shocked ... I mean we did this as a goof, I'm a comedian," Melendez, better known as Stuttering John, told CNN on Friday. "I just could not believe that it took us an hour-and-a-half to get Kushner and Trump on the phone from Air Force One."
Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey and a long-time campaigner for immigration reform.
Melendez recorded his conversations with the President and uploaded on his podcast. At the start of the purported call, the voice that is purportedly Trump congratulates Menendez on his acquittal in a federal corruption case, saying: "You went through a tough, tough situation, and I don't think a very fair situation. But congratulations."
The senator was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political influence.
The two also discuss the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, according to the audio on the podcast. The voice that sounds like Trump promises the fake Menendez he'll nominate a new justice in "10 to 14 days".
The prank caller said that his plan could have easily gone wrong. "All they had to ask me is what party affiliation is Senator Menendez, or what state is he a senator of, and I would not have known. But they didn't ask me any of this," Melendez told CNN.
Melendez said that they initially called the White House and were honest about their identity, but officials said Trump was busy and hung up. So they called again, but this time as "Shawn Moore," a fake assistant to Menendez.
Later, when the White House made inquiries with Menendez's office about the conversation Trump thought he had with him on Thursday, the senator's staff were befuddled, reports said.
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Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy questioned by Karnataka Lokayukta police in land denotification case
Bengaluru, Sep 27: JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday appeared before the Lokayukta police for questioning in connection with a land denotification case.
"He was questioned in the Gangenahalli denotification case," a Lokayukta official said.
The ruling Congress in Karnataka last week asked the Lokayukta to expedite its probe against former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Kumaraswamy, also a former CM in connection with the alleged denotification of land here.
Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Santhosh Lad held a joint press conference on September 19 and released documents regarding the denotification of 1.11 acres of land at Gangenahalli in Kasaba hobli of Bengaluru North.
ALSO READ: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy criticizes Cabinet decision opposing CBI probe in Karnataka
Kumaraswamy said he has nothing to do with the case and he has never done anything that is illegal while in power and during his tenure as CM.
"In connection with the Gangenahalli case, four Ministers had held a press conference against me. I had said that day too, I have nothing to do with it (case). Still they have spoken lightly for the sake of publicity," he told reporters after appearing before the Lokayukta.
"... there were reports in the media that Kumaraswamy faces danger from Lokayukta. I have done nothing that is illegal and that will cause me danger, while I was in power. This government cannot do anything to me."
Noting that as an opposition MLA he had raised several issues that had caused embarrassment to the then Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in 2015, Kumaraswamy said, this case was put against him then.
"Today it is 2024, already several times the statements have been taken for inquiry, once again today I was called, recently I heard from the media that Yediyurappa was also called. I have appeared and answered all their questions, let them conduct further inquiry, and this government is free to take any action in accordance with law," he said.
Kumaraswamy said he has not come before Lokayukta after having committed wrong or illegal.
"I have come voluntarily today and have answered all questions by officers...there is no need for me to come once again, I have responded to whatever they have asked for."
Alleging that a 'benami' named Rajashekharaiah, "who has nothing to do with the said land (that was notified)", gave a petition when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister in 2007, seeking denotification of the land, which was acquired 30 years ago, Krishna Byre Gowda had last week alleged that Kumaraswamy had then asked officials to move the file in this regard.
He had said that the original owner of the said land had 21 heirs, who gave a general power of attorney to Kumaraswamy's mother-in-law.
Further pointing out that when Yediyurappa was the CM in 2010, and despite the then principal secretary to the urban development department K Jothiramalingam noting on the file that it was not a fit case for denotification, the former ordered denotification, Gowda had claimed.
"Subsequently after the denotification of the land in June, 2010, it was registered in the name of Kumaraswamy's brother-in-law Channappa in July that year," he had said.
The land costing several crores of rupees belonged to Bangalore Development Authority and should have been used for the poor, the Minister had said, asking: "is it not a systematic fraud."
