Trump's team scrambling to figure out whether special counsel has evidence, witnesses they don't know
Former President Donald Trump's lawyers and advisers are trying to figure out if there is evidence and witnesses they are unaware of that are bolstering special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to multiple sources familiar with Trump team's legal conversation.
2023-07-20 00:21
Oversight Committee to hear from 2 IRS whistleblowers Wednesday
The House Oversight Committee is expected to publicly hear Wednesday from two IRS whistleblowers whose closed-door testimony alleging that the Hunter Biden criminal probe was mishandled has ignited a firestorm among House Republicans and led to calls to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland.
2023-07-19 23:28
Senators introduce bipartisan ban on stock ownership for executive and legislative branch office holders and their families
New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley are introducing bipartisan legislation that would prevent members of the executive and legislative branches — as well as their spouses and children — from trading individual company stocks.
2023-07-19 22:55
Israeli president to deliver address to joint meeting of Congress
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, in what is expected to mark a bipartisan show of support for a top strategic ally in the Middle East.
2023-07-19 22:53
Judge denies Trump's request for a new trial in E. Jean Carroll case
A federal judge has denied Donald Trump's request for a new trial in the E. Jean Carroll case -- finding the jury who found that the former president sexually abused and defamed Carroll did not reach a "seriously erroneous result."
2023-07-19 22:45
Donald Trump Jr says it will be ‘the end of civilisation’ if his father is charged over January 6
Former president Donald Trump being charged over the January 6 insurrection would mark the end of civilisation – that is, according to his eldest son. Donald Trump Jr made the comment during an interview with rightwing broadcaster Real America’s Voice, also suggesting that civilisation was actually due to end soon anyway. “This is like the end of the civilisation,” he said. “And, you know, if you look at the timing, most civilisations last 250 years, we’re at about 248 – so we are in serious trouble if we don’t right this ship.” His comments came as the former president took to Truth Social to reveal he had been notified by the Department of Justice of his status as a target of the investigation into the January 6 attack, the first real confirmation that he could face criminal charges for his role in the hourslong siege of Capitol Hill. “On Sunday night, while I was with my family ... HORRIFYING NEWS for our country was given to me by my attorneys,” said Mr Trump. “Deranged Jack Smith ... sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.” The exact number of charges Mr Trump may face related to the DoJ’s January 6 probe is not yet known, nor is the extent of the criminal accusations he may face. The House’s select committee investigating January 6 previously recommended a handful of charges at the conclusion of their hearings in 2022, including the charge of giving comfort to an insurrection. Mr Trump Jr shared his father’s statement on Twitter on Tuesday and added his own comment: “It never ends! The corrupted bureaucrats of the swamp will do anything to stop my father from fighting for you & putting Americans first. This is a mockery of justice & our constitution. We are a Third World nation in rapid decline, with only one cure. RE-ELECT DONALD J TRUMP!” Read More Judge denies Trump’s motion for a mistrial in E Jean Carroll sexual assault civil case Trump probe ‘subpoenaed CCTV from Georgia 2020 ballot counting centre’ Trump news – live: Trump claims he’s ‘not frightened’ by Jan 6 target letter as potential indictment looms
2023-07-19 22:27
Biden uses clips of Marjorie Taylor Greene speech for new campaign ad
President Joe Biden on Tuesday posted a campaign ad promoting his legislative wins by using clips from a recent speech GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene gave at the Turning Point Action Conference where she compared Biden to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.
2023-07-19 21:56
Jeffries outraises McCarthy in second quarter, bringing in $29 million for House Democrats
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries raised $29 million in the second quarter of 2023, bringing in a total of $62.4 million this year.
2023-07-19 21:52
Why a third indictment of Trump could be such a profound stain on his legacy
Few citizens face the kind of perfect storm of legal threats engulfing Donald Trump. And given that he is a past and possibly future president running for a new term, the entire country could share in his historic ordeal.
2023-07-19 20:52
Trump news – live: Trump claims he’s ‘not frightened’ by Jan 6 target letter as potential indictment looms
Donald Trump has claimed he is “not frightened” about his third potential indictment on criminal charges – after he revealed that he had been sent a letter by special prosecutor Jack Smith informing him he is the “target” of a grand jury investigation into his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The former president took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning to say that he had been told to report to a grand jury over the January 6 Capitol riot, which he pointed out “almost always means an Arrest and Indictment”. The Independent has learned that the indictment could be handed down as soon as this week. Mr Trump spoke out about the potential looming indictment to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, admitting that “it bothers me”. “They want to try to demean and diminish and frighten people. But they don’t frighten us because we’re going to make America great again. That’s all there is,” he said. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced criminal charges against 16 people who signed certificates falsely declaring Mr Trump won the 2020 election, part of a nationwide scheme to upend the results in states that the former president lost to Joe Biden. Read More Donald Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’ Ron DeSantis campaign fires staff as Florida governor trails Trump in the polls Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle RFK Jr revives antisemitic conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jewish people
2023-07-19 16:49
Trump ‘faces Jan 6 charges of conspiracy, obstruction and civil rights violations’
The letter Donald Trump said he had received from special counsel Jack Smith reportedly listed three federal statutes that could constitute charges against him over the Jan 6 riots. The three federal statutes mentioned in the letter by Mr Smith, according to several reports, are conspiracy to commit offence or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law and tampering with a witness, victim or informant. Mr Trump is the sole individual mentioned in the letter and there are no other names mentioned, according to a source with knowledge of the matter cited by Rolling Stone magazine. Mr Trump had earlier on Tuesday confirmed he had received a letter from Mr Smith in a Truth Social post. “On Sunday night, while I was with my family...HORRIFYING NEWS for our country was given to me by my attorneys,” he wrote. “Deranged Jack Smith...sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.” Meanwhile, Florida representative Matt Gaetz revealed on his podcast that he planned to introduce a bill in the near future to defund Mr Smith’s investigation into the former president. Mr Gaetz’s announcement came just hours after Mr Trump gave confirmation of him receiving Mr Smith’s letter. “In the coming hours, the coming days, I will be introducing legislation under my name, in the House of Representatives, as a freestanding bill, to defund the Jack Smith investigation,” Mr Gaetz said on Tuesday. “And one reason why is the election interference feature. Another reason why: the lack of transparency.” CNN reported that the former president has reached out to House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Conference chair Elise Stefanik for political assistance with the fallout from the probe. Should Mr Trump face criminal charges related to his efforts to stop Joe Biden’s lawful assumption of power following his own failure to prove his countless conspiratorial allegations of election fraud, it would be the third criminal indictment to come down on the ex-president’s shoulders this year. A source familiar with the special counsel’s probe and Department of Justice operating procedures told The Independent that the earliest an indictment could be handed down is late Thursday or Friday, after the deadline for Mr Trump to avail himself of the invitation to testify before the grand jury has passed. Read More DeSantis fights to reset his stagnant campaign as Trump dominates the 2024 conversation Trump's target letter suggests the sprawling US probe into the 2020 election is zeroing in on him Trump fumes about ‘crooked’ DOJ after losing immunity in E Jean Carroll case Voting fraud claims spread ahead of Spanish election IRS whistleblowers to testify to Congress as they claim 'slow-walking' of Hunter Biden case A key part of Biden's strategy to control immigration at the US-Mexico border gets a court hearing
2023-07-19 12:45
Biden’s latest campaign video is a Marjorie Taylor Greene speech
When Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to criticise President Joe Biden by comparing his programmes to those of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, the White House took it as a compliment. “Caught us. President Biden is working to make life easier for hardworking families,” the official White House account tweeted. Later, the Democratic president went a step further and released the video as a campaign ad. Rep Greene outlined President Johnson’s programmes, called The Great Society, which addressed “education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and welfare,” as well as the Office of Economic Opportunity and labor unions. While Johnson had The Great Society, Joe Biden has Build Back Better, Ms Greene said, describing it as: “The largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started that LBJ expanded on.” “And Joe Biden is attempting to complete socialism,” Ms Greene continued. “Marjorie Taylor Greene thought her recent speech was an attack on â¦POTUSâ©. It’s actually a huge compliment,” California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu chimed in. New York Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres also reacted: “Marjorie Taylor Greene, a recovering member of the House Freedom Caucus, has accused President Biden and Congressional Democrats of ‘trying to finish what FDR started.’” He added, “Yes! We are guilty as charged.” Rep Greene went on to criticise President Biden’s investments, saying the US is “now $32 trillion in debt with record high homelessness, 40 year record inflation. We’re losing the US Dollar as the number one world currency. We’re losing our freedoms. Our government is one big fat bloated machine and it’s killing the American dream.” But Rep Greene’s initial remarks spread like wildfire on social media, with some accounts tweeting it out as if it were an ad for Mr Biden’s re-election campaign. The President himself took note and formally released his own version. Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene’s antics show that the 2024 election will be about America’s role in the world Far-right pundits and lawmakers evangelise and crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point’s Florida conference Marjorie Taylor Greene brands Nato ‘not a reliable partner’ as she calls for US to withdraw Trump downplays his legal challenges on the campaign trail in Iowa after revealing new target letter Michigan charges 16 fake electors for Donald Trump with election law and forgery felonies DeSantis says charging Trump for Jan 6 is ‘criminalising political differences’
2023-07-19 11:53