Larry Hogan's ex-chief, Roy McGrath, defended in books mysteriously published after his disappearance

Misty Severi

April 04, 03:43 PM April 04, 03:47 PM

Two books defending Roy McGrath, former Gov. Larry Hogan's onetime chief of staff who died on Monday after a confrontation with the FBI, were released in the days after his disappearance on March 13.

The self-published books, Betrayed: The True Story of Roy McGrath and Betrayed: The True Story of Maryland Environmental Service, were apparently written by a man named Ryan Cooper. The books paint McGrath as a "hard worker" who had "no record of wrongdoing." They call Hogan an antagonist who orchestrated McGrath's prosecution to avoid political blowback.

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"In this day and age, anyone can publish a 'book' and repeat bizarre and baseless accusations, including fugitives from justice who are facing multiple counts of fraud," Hogan's spokesman David Weinman told WBAL-11 News.

The first book was mysteriously released 10 days after McGrath disappeared. The second was released a couple weeks later. McGrath was declared a fugitive last month. He was found in Tennessee after a federal manhunt that resulted from his failure to appear in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 13. Gunfire broke out when McGrath was found by the FBI, and he later died on Monday night after a weekslong manhunt. It is unclear if McGrath died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or if he was shot by an agent.

McGrath faced an eight-count federal indictment on charges including wire fraud. He was accused of securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service and faced fraud and embezzlement charges for roughly $170,000 in expenses.

The first book in the series, which was 52 pages, focused on the theft allegation. The book claimed Hogan approved the six-figure severance for McGrath to leave the Maryland Environmental Service and join him in the governor's office, but Hogan denied the claim. The book characterized Hogan as secretive and back-stabbing, and it nicknamed him "Lyin' Larry."

The book also claimed Hogan used the secure messaging app Wickr to contact McGrath. The book states that Hogan wrote: "I know you did nothing wrong. I know this is unfair. I will stand with you."

A spokesman for Hogan told the Washington Post that the message was sent before Hogan learned about how McGrath got the severance package.

The book included multiple handwritten notes that Cooper claimed were from the former governor, and it cites a press release from Hogan.

The second book, released on Friday, centered on McGrath's tenure as the executive director of Maryland's Environmental Service. It went into why the role played an important part in the prosecution of McGrath.

"In this second entry of the Betrayed series, we'll look at the [Maryland Environmental Service] story and why it was so central to the decision by Lyin' Larry Hogan to collude to persecute and prosecute Roy McGrath," the description reads.

Not much is known about the author of the books. Cooper describes himself as someone in their 60s but does not give his exact age. He says he is “semi-retired,” but he does not specify what he does for work. He says he is in “development” and “capital investments," according to the Baltimore Sun. He also says he used to live in Hagerstown, Maryland, and now lives in Florida.

McGrath's wife Laura Bruner claimed she did not know Cooper and had never met him. She was aware that the book was being written, according to Cooper. Bruner's attorney said she was aware McGrath was contemplating writing a book.

The book was written by Cooper, and he has denied rumors that he is actually McGrath, but a lot of the language in the books mimics McGrath's writing style.

Larry Hogan leaves door open to backing DeSantis in 2024 despite differences

Ryan King

March 07, 07:17 PM March 07, 07:17 PM

Former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan begrudgingly left open the possibility of backing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for president despite their profound differences.

Fresh off his bowing out of consideration for the 2024 GOP primary, Hogan reiterated his long-standing staunch opposition to former President Donald Trump reclaiming the party nod and underscored that "DeSantis would not be my favorite" while demurring when repeatedly pressed on whether he could support him for president.

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"I think [DeSantis] is the younger, maybe smarter version of Donald Trump, but he's fishing for the same exact same MAGA base, and he's trying to appeal to them," Hogan told PBS NewsHour. "I've said I wouldn't support Donald Trump, but I'm anxious to see how Gov. DeSantis performs."

Hogan quickly emerged as one of Trump's loudest Republican detractors. On occasion, he has also dinged DeSantis's culture war policies, deeming them "big government and authoritarian" approaches that he opposes.

"We don't agree on a lot of things. We're completely different in many respects, in tone and style and substance," Hogan added. "We'll just have to see how the campaign plays out."

A torrent of polling has pegged DeSantis as Trump's top competitor for the 2024 GOP primary. He has yet to declare but is reportedly eyeing a summertime announcement after the Florida state legislature concludes its session.

In January, Hogan stepped down as governor. Despite being a Republican in a deep blue state, he was one of the most popular governors in the country, which sparked some presidential speculation, though polls showed him getting trounced by his Republican peers in a primary. He took note of his odds when he bowed out.

"There are several competent Republican leaders who have the potential to step up and lead. But the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination," Hogan said in a statement Sunday.

Still, Hogan maintains that there is an ongoing "battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party" and has some advice for the GOP. Hogan has prodded Republicans to focus on appealing to moderate voters rather than focusing on throwing red meat to the base.

"If the Republican Party wants to get back to winning again so that they can govern, then they're going to have to have a message that appeals to a wider group of people," Hogan told NPR. "And I think kind of doubling down on the rhetoric just to appeal to the base may backfire in a general election."

Rather than dwell on peddling dubious claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Hogan contends that the party should focus on the economy, crime, education, and other pocketbook issues.

"Most Americans are looking for leadership that focuses on getting things done and common sense solutions that can bring people together. They want a hopeful, positive vision for America, not just divisiveness and performative politics," he tweeted.

SEE IT: Texas Gov. Abbott joins list of GOP governors banning TikTok on state devices

Julia Johnson

December 07, 04:55 PM December 07, 04:55 PM

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) followed the lead Wednesday of Republican governors across the country who are banning the social media app TikTok.

"Every state agency in Texas shall ban its officers and employees from downloading or using TikTok on any of its government-issued devices," Abbott wrote in a letter to state agency heads. The ban is effective immediately.

"This TikTok ban extends to all state-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices capable of internet connectivity, and it must be strictly enforced by your agency’s IT department," he added.

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"While TikTok has claimed that it stores U.S. data within the U.S., the company admitted in a letter to Congress that China-based employees can have access to that U.S. data," he noted. "Further, under China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, all businesses are required to assist China in intelligence work, including data sharing, and TikTok’s algorithm has already censored topics politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party, including the Tiananmen Square protests."

The governor also signaled that he stands ready to sign and implement legislation that cements this directive into law.

Further, Abbott asked the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources to design a plan for state agencies regarding the use of TikTok on personal devices.

Per the governor, the plan must address the use of the app on personal devices that have remote access to government accounts, the identification of sensitive locations, meetings, and agency personnel that could be exposed by TikTok-enabled personal devices, network-based restrictions that could prevent TikTok use on personal devices while on agency property, and whether other apps, services, hardware, or software should be considered for inclusion in the plan.

Last week, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) set off a domino effect when she issued an executive order banning TikTok on state-owned or leased devices. Following her lead, Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) issued a directive Monday asking his state's Department of Administration to remove the application from state-owned devices permanently.

On Tuesday, outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) sent out a similar directive, ordering the removal of TikTok from state-owned or managed technology assets.

Democrats throw nearly $1 million driving Trump-backed applicant in Maryland

Cami Mondeaux

July 13, 08:30 AM July 13, 08:30 AM

Democrats are trying to safe a blue acquire in the Maryland governor’s race by throwing their assist powering an abnormal applicant in the primaries: Trump-backed Republican candidate Dan Cox.

The Democratic Governors Affiliation, the major firm that assists Democratic candidates in gubernatorial elections, has put in nearly $1 million to run adverts boosting Cox forward of the most important — hoping to established up a common election challenge with an individual it believes will be a weaker opponent for the Democrats in November, in accordance to WHD News. The fiscal backing highlights the sharp divide among the Republicans in Maryland as they seek out to protect the seat held by Gov. Larry Hogan.

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Although previous President Donald Trump has endorsed Cox, Hogan, a regular Trump critic, has thrown his assistance powering Republican challenger Kelly Schulz, a previous condition lawmaker who served in Hogan’s administration. The governor has also taken intention at Cox in the months major up to the main, telling WHD News he is a "insane dude" who has "no business enterprise by any means jogging for governor and has no means to acquire a race."

“Trump is supporting this mad dude, and the Democrats are colluding with it,” Hogan stated. "The Democrats are spending a great deal of money making an attempt to nominate the least electable people today, and they are owning some achievement, but you know, we call them out.”

Trump fired back, accusing Hogan in a assertion of currently being a “RINO,” or Republican in identify only, and saying Cox is the only one particular to finish the “terrible RINO reign by defeating his ‘Never Trump’ successor, an additional low-power RINO, Kelly Schulz."

Schulz has taken advantage of Democrats throwing their guidance behind Cox, arguing the get together is “meddling in our principal because they know that I am the only Republican who can gain in November.”

The tension will come just just one week before the major elections in Maryland in which Cox and Schulz are the two entrance-runners in the race for the GOP nomination. The Democrats confront additional of an uphill challenge since they are tasked with narrowing down a packed major with 9 candidates.