Tag - americas

Trump businesses earned $1m from Pentagon while he was in office

Newly released documents have revealed that Donald Trump’s businesses charged the Pentagon almost $1m during the first three years of his presidency. As per the documents obtained by ethics watchdog American Oversight, and verified by Forbes, Trump’s businesses charged his Department of Defense $976k from 2016 to 2019. The number is reportedly way larger than previous public information of about $300k, which was reported by CNN in 2019. “As far as we can tell, this is the first time these specific expenses have been reported– and they are long overdue,” Heather Sawyer, American Oversight’s executive director told Forbes. “While we expect to receive receipts of government spending at Trump properties for years to come, we urge the government to pick up the pace so that the American people have this information as they consider Trump’s re-election efforts.” As per the documents, the defence department spent money across 15 different Trump properties with the former president’s Miami resort being the biggest beneficiary, followed by his golf club in New Jersey. Both properties collected $274k and $266k respectively. Mr Trump’s Scottish resorts also collected approximately $181k. Mr Sawyer pointed out that “Trump’s refusal to divest from his businesses created an environment rife with the potential for abuse”. He added: “During his administration, Trump’s properties became vessels for self-enrichment. “Donald Trump is now running for president again. His ‘old’ habit of enriching himself at taxpayer expense deserves renewed scrutiny as he seeks another term.” In other news, Mr Trump is set to make his first public appearances since his federal indictment, speaking on 10 June to Republican audiences in Georgia and North Carolina as he seeks to rally supporters to his defence. The former president is going to reportedly deliver a full-throated rebuke of the charges and amplify his assertions that he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch hunt” by Joe Biden’s Justice Department. Read More Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Trump news — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Trump boasts about having non-declassified papers in bombshell recording: ‘I have a big pile’ US announces new $2.1 billion package of military aid to Ukraine Plane lost contact with air traffic control before it crashed in Virginia White House says it wasn’t behind Pentagon decision to cancel drag shows

2023-06-10 15:48

AP News Digest 3:05 a.m.

2023-06-10 15:18

Tucker Carlson says Obama had a ‘strange and highly creepy personal life’ in Twitter episode

Tucker Carlson has made strong comments about Barack Obama’s personal life in his new Twitter show, Tucker on Twitter. On Friday, the 54-year-old American political commentator posted a new episode titled “Cling to your taboos!” where he said Mr Obama has a “highly creepy personal life”. In his 13-minute monologue, Mr Carlson spoke about how “fast” taboos are changing and how “American society isn’t overtly religious, but it’s governed by taboos”. The television personality claimed what Americans “are allowed to dislike is being dictated to us from above” before giving examples. Speaking of “the current behaviour of our politicians” and how “adultery was considered disqualifying [in 1992] for anyone seeking higher campaign”, Mr Carlson referenced Bill Clinton’s alleged extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers, and how he went to “elaborate lengths to lie about the relationship, because he had no choice”. The commentator then pivoted to speaking about Mr Obama, saying: “By 2008, it was obvious to anybody who was paying attention that Barack Obama had a strange and highly creepy personal life, yet nobody ever asked him about it. “By that point, a leader’s behaviour within his own marriage, the core relationship of his life, had been declared irrelevant. It was Barak Obama’s business, not yours.” Mr Carlson did not elaborate on his reference to Mr Obama. The presenter went on to say that “one by one, with increasing speed, our old taboos have been struck down. “Those that remain have lost their moral force”. This isn’t the first time Mr Carlson has slammed Mr Obama in public. In 2021, he was widely mocked on Twitter after calling Mr Obama a “hater”. Carlson was responding to Mr Obama’s comments to CNN about right-wing news outlets, which he said were making money out of stoking fear and resentment among white Americans. “[They] do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened,” Mr Obama told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “Lo and behold, the single most important issue to them currently right now is critical race theory.” he said. “Who knew that that was the threat to our republic?” Speaking to his Fox News audience about Mr Obama’s comments, Mr Carlson said: “He’s back to let you know that if you’ve got any problem with your kids’ teachers telling them that some races are better than others that you, my friend, are a racist.” He went on to say that Mr Obama should have “retreated to Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard”, where the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, bought a $12m beachfront property. “That guy is a hater. For real.” he added. Mr Carlson’s latest episode of Tucker on Twitter has amassed over 45m views and almost 500k likes so far. Read More Madeleine McCann news – latest: Soil from reservoir compared to samples from prime suspect’s van Is Donald Trump going to prison? Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Why did Fox News fire Tucker Carlson? Here are six theories Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant Fox News accuses Tucker Carlson of breaching contract with new Twitter show

2023-06-10 14:49

DeSantis looks to boost his appeal in North Carolina – but the talk is of Trump indictment

In another era, a Republican frontrunner facing his second indictment in three months would mean that primary voters would actively be shopping for other candidates to put up against a president as unpopular as President Joe Biden. Instead, former president Donald Trump’s indictment, which he announced on Thursday evening and which was unsealed on Friday, calcified his support among Republican voters at the North Carolina Republican Convention in Greensboro. If anything, the 37-charge indictment accusing Mr Trump of showing highly classified information to unauthorised persons on two separate occasions made Republicans in the Tar Heel State more likely to support him. “After yesterday?” Beverly Atwell of Forsyth County asked in response to a question from The Independent about who she was leaning towards. “Trump.” Ms Atwell said what happened to Mr Trump was “terrible.” “Everybody needs to support him,” she said. “What Joe Biden has done, only somebody like Trump can fight.” Terry Stafford, an attendee, said the indictment would not affect his vote either way. “I know they’re just making s*** up,” he told The Independent. “If they wanted to show us how true they were, Biden would have been arrested for his crimes.” Friday should have been all about Mr Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. Mr DeSantis addressed a packed house for the Old North State Dinner at the Koury Convention Center. The super PAC that supports Mr DeSantis called Never Back Down had a booth on the third floor of the building. One campaign button being sold showed Mr DeSantis telling Mr Trump, “hold my beer.” The convention is meant to be a cattle call for the top Republican presidents. Former vice president Mike Pence will speak there on Saturday afternoon during a luncheon and Mr Trump will deliver one of his first speeches since his indictment in the evening after he speaks at the Georgia GOP’s state convention earlier in the day. Alan Pugh of Randolph County told The Independent that the GOP had a wide array of qualified candidates, citing not just Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis but also Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina and Gov Doug Burgum of North Dakota. But he said that Mr DeSantis had received much of the talk. “I think the reason is, simply the fact that his record in Florida,” he said, noting how Mr DeSantis went from narrowly winning his first race to winning re-election by almost twenty per cent and carrying the Hispanic vote. “People like whoever you want to, but we’ve got to win. And DeSantis is a winner.” But Mr Trump dominated the discussion. Even Mr DeSantis spoke about the Department of Justice “weaponising” itself against conservatives, though he didn’t mention the former president by name. “Our Founding Fathers would have absolutely predicted the weaponisation of these agencies, particularly Justice and the FBI, because if we don’t have constitutional accountability, human nature is such that they will abuse their power,” he said. He also criticised the Justice Department for not indicting former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her tenure as secretary. “Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president,” he said. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country.” Republican presidential candidates find themselves in a bind in that they now have to simultaneously show their support for the twice-impeached and now twice-indicted former president and make the case that they are a more optimal choice. Even Mr Pugh, who praised Mr DeSantis, said that even though he was not committed to any candidate, the charges helped Mr Trump “because he’s being attacked by our own government.” “Our own Justice Department,” he said. “That infuriates me as a lawyer.” Republicans will likely continue to feel pressure to show solidarity with Mr Trump. Charlie Kirk, the chief executive of Turning Point USA, tweeted that every Republican should suspend their campaign and go down to Miami to show support for Mr Trump. “Either we have an opposition party or we don't,” he said. “GO to Miami Tuesday, and show solidarty or we will mark you as part of the oppsition [sic].” The predicament many Republicans face is personified by one poster in one of the booths at the convention centre which featured a quote from Ronald Reagan showing his 11th commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” Read More DeSantis pledges to restore name of notorious Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

2023-06-10 09:45

GOP Congressman’s ‘scary as hell’ tweet seemingly calls for insurrection after Trump indictment

GOP Representative Clay Higgins appeared to call for an insurrection following the announcement that Donald Trump would face a second set of indictments stemming from his possession of sensitive documents following his presidency. On Thursday evening, Mr Trump announced on Truth Social that he would face indictment a second time — making him the first president ever to face federal charges — in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid by the FBI. After the announcement, Mr Higgins, a GOP congressman from Louisiana and a former law enforcement officer, issued a strange tweet responding to the news. "President Trump said he has 'been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM.' This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this," he wrote. "Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all." Mr Higgins has previously referred to Mr Trump as "rPOTUS," and Joe Biden as "iPOTUS." QuacksAnonymous, a researcher on Twitter who follows right-wing extremist spaces, told The Independent that the "rPOTUS" abbreviation was originally used by resistance Democrats when referring to Mr Trump — with "r" standing for Russian — but was later co-opted by conservatives who do not accept the results of the 2020 election, now using the "r" to stand for "real." It is unclear what "iPOTUS" refers to with regard to Mr Biden, though it may mean "imposter" when considering the meaning behind "rPOTUS." More troubling though is his comment regarding bridges. The Washington Post's Will Sommer — who has authored a book on QAnon and previously hosted a podcast focused on esoteric right-wing grievance culture — was baffled by the tweet and asked for assistance parsing the language. “Any ideas on what '1/50k know your bridges' means, besides literally knowing your local bridges? Not something I’ve encountered before,” Sommer asked on Twitter. Jeff Sharlet, the author of The Undertow: Scenes From a Slow Civil War, a New York Times bestselling book about US militia movements, provided Sommer with an answer. "Deep scary: 1/50 k refers to military scale maps & publicly available US Geological Survey maps of areas mostly surrounding military installations," he wrote. "This isn’t a metaphor. This isn’t slow civil war. This is a congressman calling for the real thing." Mr Sharlet admitted that "I think this is scary as hell." He also theorised that “rPOTUS” means “real POTUS” in Mr Higgins’ usage. The alarming response prompted Twitter users to ask Mr Sharlet for his intepretation of Mr Higgins’ tweet. “Prepare for war. ‘Know your bridges’ is militia speak for closing them down. County level insurrection,” Mr Sharlet replied. Former New Jersey Democratic Representative Tom Malinkowski, who served at the same time as Mr Higgins, called the congressman "dangerous" and "unhinged" after the comment. "Most of this guy's House GOP colleagues know he's dangerous and unhinged," Mr Malinkowski wrote. "But they tolerate him. That is all." The Independent has reached out to Mr Higgins for comment. This is the second time in as many months that Mr Higgins has made headlines. Last month he grabbed and shoved an activist who was shouting questions at Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and other GOP lawmakers during an outdoor press conference in Washington DC. Mr Higgins was caught on video grabbing the man's shirt and forcefully shoving him backward. He then kept the man grappled until police arrived and separated the two. He offered a response peppered with law enforcement lingo following the incident. "Activist was a 103M. Threatening. He was escorted out and turned over to Capitol Police. Textbook," Mr Higgins wrote in a tweet. "103M" is police radio code for a "mentally disturbed individual”. Read More Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment Trump bragged a ‘secret’ document ‘totally wins my case’. A tape of his remarks could land him in prison Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

2023-06-10 08:55

DeSantis pledges to restore name of notorious Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to restore the name of a military fort to the name of a Confederate general in North Carolina if he is elected president. The 2024 candidate for the Republican nomination for president made the remarks at the North Carolina Republican Party convention on Friday evening. “I also look forward to, as President, restoring the name of Fort Bragg to our great military base in Fayetteville, North Carolina,” he said during the Old North State Dinner in Greensboro. “It's an iconic name and iconic base, and we're not gonna let political correctness run amok.” Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced that Fort Bragg, which was established in 1918, would be renamed Fort Liberty. The Pentagon began the initiative to rename military bases in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter protests after a white police officer killed George Floyd. Fort Bragg had been named for Braxton Bragg, who was a general for the Confederate States of America. He also served as a adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He also owned slaves and many in the South also despised him for abandoning Kentucky during the Civil War. Unlike other Confederate generals like Robert E Lee, he refused to surrender. Mr DeSantis is one of three presidential candidates speaking at the state convention. Former president Donald Trump and former vice president Mike Pence will also speak at the convention. The governor also claimed to have banned “Critical Race Theory,” a niche legal theory taught in law schools but that conservatives have used as a catch-all term to describe most teaching about racism. “We place renewed emphasis on American civics, about teaching kids about our Constitution and our Bill of Rights and about what it means to be an American,” he said. “Because no matter what avenue they take, they choose in life. they are all going to be citizens of our republic.” Mr DeSantis also took a subtle swipe at Mr Trump during his speech. “I tell you this leadership at the end of the day is not entertainment,” he said. “It's not brand building.” He also emphasised how he won re-election by double digits in November, while Republicans, many of whom Mr Trump endorsed, fell short in Senate races. “We had good stuff in some other states,” he said. “But we had huge disappointments across the board. We have 49 Republican US senators, we should have 55 Republican US Senators right now.” Mr DeSantis launched his campaign for president last month and is often polling second against Mr Trump but continues to lag by double digits in most surveys. The governor also touched on many themes that have also animated his campaign, such as fighting, “woke ideology,” which he called a form of “cultural Marxism.” “Woke represents a war on truth itself,” also briefly seeming to hit the former president, who said that Republicans who crow about the word “woke” do not know how to define it. Mr DeSantis also mentioned how he banned teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, most notably with his “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which triggered a fight with Walt Disney. “And I know in Florida, they basically called the shots for many, many decades but there’s a new sheriff in town,” he said. Mr Trump and Mr Pence will address the North Carolina Republican Convention on Saturday. Read More DeSantis accused of changing pronunciation of his own name DeSantis news – latest: Florida governor most popular with rich Republicans as he defends move to fly migrants to California Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebranding Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

2023-06-10 08:45

Fox host Mark Levin screams at camera in outrage at Trump indictment over secret papers

Fox News host Mark Levin delivered an eight-minute on-air rant after news broke of Donald Trump’s indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified papers. Appearing on Sean Hannity’s segment on Thursday night, Mr Levin became irate as he accused the Biden administration of weaponising what he called the “Department of Injustice” to advance a criminal case against Mr Trump. None of the key players at the centre of the Palm Beach, Florida, case against the former president escaped the vicious rant. The radio personality especially honed in his criticism against US Attorney General Merrick Garland and Special Counsel Jack Smith, who Mr Levin branded a “mob lawyer” and a “Soviet star prosecutor,” respectively. “This is a disgusting mark in history by these bandits in the White House,” Mr Levin yelled to the camera. “Joe Biden is the crookedest crook that has ever been in the oval office... What’s going on here is a disgusting disgrace and it is a war on Trump, a war on the Republican party, and a war on the Republic” Mr Levin went as far as claiming that Thursday, 8 January, was the “real insurrection,” not the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — which put the lives of elected officials in danger and left five people dead — all while unchallenged by Hannity. The host of Life, Liberty & Levin, who once claimed he would “never” support Mr Trump, continued to spew more accusations against the FBI, the DoJ, and the Biden administration. He noted he “[doesn’t] want to hear about the technicalities [in Trump’s case] and his [alleged] obstruction,” because it is a “documents” case and it should have never been criminalised.” “For what? For what? And they indict him today? And they indict him today in Miami?” a flustered Mr Levin said. “Don’t be bamboozled by these cable channels and these fools telling you, ‘He’s not above the law,’ Are you kidding me?” Mr Trump faces seven criminal charges, including the willful retention of national defence information, obstruction of justice and conspiracy related to his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at Mar-a-Lago. The scope of the evidence remains unclear as the indictment is under seal. Mr Trump has already been indicted in New York in connection to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels. He faces more potential indictments in Georgia and Washington, DC, a prospect that could see him facing trial in four separate jurisdictions while running to return to the highest office in America. Read More Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Kevin McCarthy says Trump indictment will ‘disrupt the nation’: ‘We’re not going to stand for it’ Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury Ivanka reveals why she snubbed Trump’s 2024 campaign Loser Trump will gift Democrats the White House in 2024 Trump’s 2024 announcement proves it — he’s the weakest he’s ever been

2023-06-10 07:46

Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury

It was anticipated that a federal investigation into Donald Trump’s retention of top-secret documents months after he left the White House would result in charges in Washington DC. But the damning 37-count indictment, with more than two dozen counts of illegally withholding classified documents under the Espionage Act, was filed on 8 June in US District Court in Florida, his primary residence and the location of his notorious Mar-a-Lago resort property, where mounds of boxes with sensitive government documents were discovered by federal law enforcement. Photographs in an unsealed indictment released on 9 June showed stacks of them on a ballroom stage and gilded bathroom with a chandelier. Interviews with witnesses and transcripts of conversations in the sweeping indictment appear to show a depth of coordination among Mr Trump, his aides and attorneys to bring them to the property and, later, conceal them from law enforcement. So it makes sense that prosecutors would charge him and his associate Walt Nauta in Florida. But determining the venue for a case against the former president, or any defendant, isn’t necessarily a straightforward one. “It really could make a huge difference. The jury pool is different. The judges are different,” according to former assistant US Attorney Andrew Weissmann, speaking to MSNBC. “Also, DC is a location where the court is very used to dealing with classified information. There’s an expertise there. So in terms of speed, getting this case to trial, the venue matters,” he added. The Republican former president also has repeatedly rejected charges and investigations against him in several jurisdiction as political “witch hunts,” pointing to the Democratic majorities in New York City – where was found liable for sexual abuse, hit with a $250m lawsuit from the state attorney general, and criminally charged with more than 30 counts of falsifying business records – and Atlanta, where his efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election are expected to result in charges this summer. Mr Trump won the state of Florida in 2016 and 2020, though he lost the county of Miami-Dade, where he is facing a federal indictment. A form attached to the indictment also noted that the case was filed in the West Palm Beach court division, suggesting that a prospective jury pool may be drawn from there. Voters in Palm Beach County have reliably voted for Democratic presidential candidates, but Republican Governor Ron DeSantis won 51 per cent of the county vote last year. Mr DeSantis – Mr Trump’s rival for the 2024 Republican nomination for president – said in a statement after news of the indictment that he “will bring accountability to the [US Department of Justice], excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all” but stopped short of saying he would do anything to intervene. “The fact that this is being charged in Florida is enormously significant,” according to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. “Legally, I think it’s the right move by [the Justice Department], because they’re going to avoid a messy question about venue.” Subpoenas may have been issued from Washington DC, but courts have upheld that the venue must be tied to where the unlawful conduct was committed. Florida may ultimately be “less advantageous” for federal prosecutors and the Justice Department in a case dealing with classified documents and the aftermath of a presidential administration, typically the purview of Washington courts, but the state is a “legally a less risky venue at this juncture,” according to Mr Weissmann and Ryan Goodman. “Whatever legal and factual arguments might support venue in Washington DC, the consequences of getting that calculus wrong, is an unknown variable that will counsel in favor of caution on the part of the [Justice Department],” they wrote. Prosecutors also likely do not want to “risk spending the first year fighting over venue,” former federal prosecutor Randall D Eliason told The Washington Post. For now, Mr Trump’s case will be handled by a federal judge he appointed to the bench in 2020 – and who already has delivered controversial rulings in the investigation that were rejected by an appeals court. US District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to preside over his federal court case in Miami. Last year, Judge Cannon appointed a “special master” to review materials seized by federal law enforcement and restricted the FBI from using those documents as part of the investigation until she completed a review, effectively freezing the Justice Department probe. That order was ultimately thrown out entirely by a three-judge panel at a federal appeals court, which sharply criticised the judge’s actions and stressed that a court cannot simply “write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant” or “write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so.” If she does not recuse herself from the case and she remains a trial judge, she could play a potentially critical role in the case’s development, including whether to set a trial before or after presidential primary elections and the general election in 2024, as Mr Trump seeks the Republican nomination for president. He already is scheduled to return to Manhattan Criminal Court on 25 March – days after voting begins in primary states. A trial in a fraud lawsuit targeting Mr Trump, his adult children and his business entities is slated to begin in October. Read More Trump indictment — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Read Donald Trump’s 37-count federal indictment in full Conspiracy, false statements and retaining national defence documents: The federal charges against Donald Trump Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment Jack Smith defends Trump indictment: ‘We have one set of laws and they apply to everyone’

2023-06-10 06:46

Kevin McCarthy says Trump indictment will ‘disrupt the nation’: ‘We’re not going to stand for it’

Kevin McCarthy launched an aggressive defence of Donald Trump after his indictment on 37 counts of mishandling top secret documents. “This is going to disrupt this nation because it goes to the core of equal justice for all which is not being seen today,” the Republican House Speaker told Fox News on Friday. “And we're not going to stand for it.” Mr McCarthy’s comments came after the Department of Justice unsealed a 49-page indictment which laid out in extraordinary detail Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 15-month investigation into Mr Trump’s “willful defiance” of efforts to retrieve the materials. The indictment painted a damning picture of Mr Trump’s reckless storage of top secret material he took to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, and his efforts to obstruct investigators. The classified material included nuclear secrets, war plans, and vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies. Mr Trump told lawyers tasked with complying with a DOJ subpoena that he didn’t want “anyone going through my boxes”, according to the indictment. Mr McCarthy, who is struggling to hold on to the House leadership, called the indictment a “dark day for America”. “You've got a sitting president right now in the exact same situation. You have a former first lady, senator, secretary of state, that had the same situation that nothing was done to,” he told Fox News. Republicans also rushed to defend Mr Trump despite the seemingly overwhelming evidence presented in the 49-page indictment. “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye,” Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter. Elise Stefanik, the number three House Republican, tweeted that she was committed to “holding government officials accountable for their endless illegal witch hunt against President Trump”. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley wrote: “If the people in power can jail their political opponents at will, we don’t have a republic.” And Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, said: “There is no limit to what these people will do to protect their power & destroy those who threaten it, even if it means ripping our country apart & shredding public faith in the institutions that hold our republic together.” However, the indictment comes not from political rivals or even from prosecutors but from a grand jury. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was investigated by the FBI in 2016 for her handling of classified material, who opted not to charge her after saying she had been “extremely careless”. President Joe Biden and Trump’s vice president Mike Pence were found to have retained classified materials, but complied with efforts by the National Archive to return them. Read More Trump news — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Jonathan Turley tells Fox News the Trump indictment is ‘extremely damning’ and a ‘hit below the waterline’ Trump praised attorney for deleting Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 emails, indictment shows Trump described Pentagon ‘plan of attack’ and shared classified military map with PAC member, indictment shows Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

2023-06-10 06:23

Mystery over female Trump family member allegedly involved in decisions over secret papers

A female member of Donald Trump's family was involved in decisions over how to handle classified US government documents that he took from the White House, prosecutors have said. In a historic indictment unsealed on Friday, authorities alleged that an unnamed family member gave instructions to Mr Trump's aide Walt Nauta as he was preparing to squirrel away documents that the former president did not wish to give back. The accusation widens the circle of people who may have had unauthorised influence over sensitive information about US nuclear weapons, military plans, foreign relations, and more. Yet the identity of the family member remains a mystery, with the only clue being that Mr Nauta allegedly addressed her as "ma'am". ABC News reported that the woman was likely to be Mr Trump's wife Melania, citing inside sources. Melania Trump's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr Trump is facing 37 criminal charges including willfully retaining national defence information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing a document in a federal investigation, and false statements and representations. Prosecutors claim that Mr Trump schemed to keep hold of some documents in defiance of a legal order to give them back, while storing them insecurely at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida while tens of thousands of guests came and went. Mr Trump contends that he is "an innocent man" and that the charges are "a hoax" contrived by his political enemies. According to the indictment, Mr Trump's family member became involved on 30 May 2022, just day before a lawyer was due to search his storage room for classified documents demanded by the government. Before that happened, Mr Trump allegedly asked Mr Nauta to remove 64 boxes from their storage room and bring them to his private residence, meaning they would not be present for the lawyer to search. That day, the family member allegedly texted Mr Nauta: "Good afternoon, Walt. Happy Memorial Day! I saw you put boxes to POTUS' room. "Just FYI, and I will tell him as well: not sure how many he wants to take on Friday on the plane. We will NOT have room for them. Plane will be full with luggage. Thank you!" Mr Nauta replied with a smiley face emoji, saying: "Good afternoon ma'am. Thank you so much. I think he wanted to pick from them. I don't imagine him wanting to take the boxes. "He told me to put them in the room and that he was going to talk to you about them." The indictment says nothing more about who this family member might have been, how much she knew about the documents, and what her intentions were in texting Mr Nauta. The most prominent women in Mr Trump's immediate family are his wife Melania, his daughter from his first marriage Ivanka, 41, and his daughter from his second marriage Tiffany, 29. The indictment does not suggest that any of them had knowledge of any illegal behaviour. Read More Trump bragged a ‘secret’ document ‘totally wins my case’. A tape of his remarks could land him in prison Trump news — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment

2023-06-10 04:52

Read Donald Trump’s 37-count federal indictment in full

The federal indictment against former president Donald Trump has now been unsealed - revealing a stunning laundry list of 37 counts. The 49-page, 37-count indictment was unsealed on Friday after Mr Trump released a series of social media posts revealing that he has been indicted by a grand jury under the supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith. The indictment details the charges against Mr Trump and Walt Nauta, a former US Navy noncommissioned officer who left government service to work for Mr Trump after his term ended in January 2021. Those charges include willful retention of national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing documents, conealing documents in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and making false statements. Mr Trump will surrender, face arrest, and be formally charged at an arraignment in US District Court in Miami next week. A potential sentence, if convicted, could include decades in prison. Read the indictment in full: Read More Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

2023-06-10 03:56

Trump indictment — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’

Former president Donald Trump showed highly-classified information to unauthorised persons on two separate occasions, according to a copy of the indictment against him that has been obtained by The Independent. The 49-page, 37-count indictment was unsealed on Friday after Mr Trump released a series of social media posts revealing that he has been indicted by a grand jury under supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith. The indictment details the charges against Mr Trump and Walt Nauta, a former US Navy noncommissioned officer who left government service to work for Mr Trump after his term ended in January 2021. According to the indictment, the 37 charges against Mr Trump and Mr Nauta include willful retention of national defence information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations. The first 31 counts of the indictment concern Mr Trump’s willful retention of national defence information at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach, Florida home. Read More What is an indictment? Here’s what Donald Trump is facing Trump indicted in classified documents case in a historic first for a former president Conspiracy, false statements and retaining national defence documents: The federal charges against Donald Trump Trump has been caught on tape. Congratulations, Donald – you played yourself

2023-06-10 03:49

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