Flake stokes presidential speculation as court debate rages

Supreme Court News

The Republican senator who suddenly sits at the center of the explosive debate over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick was set to address New Hampshire voters on Monday ahead of a possible run for president.

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake was scheduled to speak in New Hampshire Monday evening, his second appearance this year in the state that hosts the nation's first presidential primary election.

Three days earlier, Flake single-handedly delayed Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation proceedings by insisting on an FBI investigation as a condition for his support.
 
Flake told CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday that he believed the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault and said the conservative judge's nomination would be "over" if federal investigators determine he lied to the committee.

Flake, a 55-year-old lifelong conservative who is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year, has quickly emerged as the centerpiece of a passionate lobbying effort from the right and left.

Organizers said a separate Flake appearance in Boston earlier in the day was moved to City Hall after security concerns emerged about the original location.

Hundreds of liberal protesters, victims of sexual assault among them, pleaded with Flake to block Kavanaugh's nomination outside the venue. A similar demonstration was planned for New Hampshire.

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Nimon Naphaeng, 36, a native and citizen of Thailand, who resided in Wakefield, R.I., was sentenced Monday to 27 months in federal prison for running an immigration fraud scheme that defrauded more than 320 individuals, most of them immigrants, of at least $400,000, and perhaps more than $518,000. The scheme included the unauthorized filing of false asylum applications on behalf of individuals who did not request, nor authorize, the applications.

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services does not tolerate immigration fraud of any kind,” said Susan Raufer, director of the USCIS Newark Asylum Office. “We are proud of our role in uncovering this fraud scheme and bringing the perpetrator to justice.”

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith ordered a provisional amount of restitution of $400,000. The final amount of restitution will be determined subject to additional victims being identified and additional court filings over the next 90 days. According to court documents already filed by the government, restitution in this matter may exceed $518,300. During the investigation, the government seized $285,789.31 from Naphaeng. The forfeited funds will be applied toward restitution for victims of Naphaeng’s crimes.