Jan 6 hearings – live: Trump rants about justice, media, and ‘lyin’ Cassidy Hutchinson’ in July 4 posts

Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to lay into January 6 committee vice chair Liz Cheney, calling her a “despicable human being” and raging at the news that the “fake unselect committee” on which she sits may recommend that the Justice Department bring ciminal charges against him.

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Ms Cheney opined that “a man as dangerous as [Donald Trump] can never be anywhere near the Oval Office ever again” – and declined to rule out running for president herself in the next election.

“I haven't made a decision about that yet,” she said. “And I’m obviously very focused on my re-election. I’m very focused on the 6 January committee. I’m very focused on my obligations to do the job that I have now. And I’ll make a decision about ‘24 down the road.”

The New York Times reported that Mr Trump may announce a 2024 bid for the White House as soon as this month.

Mr Trump also decried his perceived lack of fair justice and any balance in media reporting. He also referred to last week’s bombshell January 6 testimony, nicknaming former White House staffer “Lyin’ Cassidy Hutchinson”.

Key Points

• More evidence against Donald Trump emerging

• Former federal prosecutor says Trump will be ‘indicted’

• Cassidy Hutchinson stands by explosive testimony

• Furious Trump rants about Cassidy Hutchinson on Truth Social

• ‘Irate’ Trump grabbed steering wheel, attacked Secret Service agent

• New testimony exposes Trump’s political vulnerabilities in 2024 race

Recap: January 6 committee’s sixth hearing

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump tears into ‘despicable human being’ Liz Cheney

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

An incensed Donald Trump has launched a direct attack on Liz Cheney, the Republican vice-chair of the January 6 committee, calling her a “despicable human being”, decrying her colleagues as “thugs” and complaining that they should be investigating violent left-wing activists instead of him.

Andrew Naughtie has the latest:

Donald Trump tears into ‘despicable human being’ Liz Cheney on Truth Social

Liz Cheney won’t rule out presidential run

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

said during her first sit-down interview since the public hearings kicked off last month that she hasn’t ruled out making a bid for president in 2024.

“I’ll make a decision about ’24 down the road,” the Wyoming Republican said during a pre-recorded interview on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.

Johanna Chisholm reports:

Liz Cheney refuses to rule out presidential run against ‘dangerous’ Trump in 2024

Filmmaker who upended Jan 6 probe talks Trump ‘aggression’ and what he saw

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Holder, the British filmmaker who recently provided the House January 6 select committee with a trove of footage shot in the months leading up to the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, says members of former president Donald Trump’s family appeared largely unconcerned about the possibility that his repeated lies about a “stolen” election could lead to violence.

Last week, the select committee received hours of video from Mr Holder after he was issued a subpoena calling for “raw footage” taken by him and his colleagues on the day of the Capitol attack. The subpoena also requested footage of interviews with Mr Trump, Mr Pence, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, or Jared Kushner and “any footage pertaining to discussions of election fraud or election integrity surrounding the November 2020 presidential election”.

In an interview with The Independent, Mr Holder said the focus of the series, which is set to premiere later this year on the Discovery+ streaming service, was on Mr Trump and his three eldest children — Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump — and spanned from September 2020 through the last days of Mr Trump’s tumultuous presidency.

Read more:

Filmmaker who upended Jan 6 probe talks Trump ‘aggression’, what he saw

Is Cassidy Hutchinson testimony a ‘smoking gun’ and will it lead to criminal charges for Trump?

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, two impeachment inquiries led by House Democrats, and a two-year special counsel probe led by a legendary former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His eponymous real estate company, the Trump Organization, currently awaits trial on tax fraud charges, and more than a few of his former close associates have spent time in federal prison for things done while in his employ.

But after each one, the former president has emerged unscathed, often claiming that the lack of consequences for him means he has been exonerated.

Is that about to change?

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

ICYMI: Trump may launch surprise bid for White House this month, report says

00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Against the backdrop of damning details put forward by the January 6 select committee, former president Donald Trump may soon decide to jump into the 2024 presidential race.

That’s according to new reporting from The New York Times, which said that Mr Trump may make a surprise campaign announcement as soon as this month. The potential looming decision has sent his aides scrambling, according to The Times.

David Taintor reports:

Trump may launch surprise bid for White House as soon as this month, report says

A steep slide for Biden from one July 4 to the next

23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Last Fourth of July the pandemic appeared to be waning, the economy was booming, inflation was negligible and public approval of his job performance was glowing.

As Biden approaches his second Fourth of July in the White House, his standing couldn’t be more different. A series of miscalculations and unforeseen challenges have Biden struggling for footing as he faces a potentially damaging verdict from voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Even problems that weren’t Biden’s fault have been fuel for Republican efforts to retake control of Congress.

From one July Fourth to the next, a steep slide for Biden

Gavin Newsom trashes Ron DeSantis in campaign ad urging Florida residents to move

22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

California governor Gavin Newsom is looking to tweak a potential future presidential rival with an ad calling for Floridians to move to the Golden State.

The 30-second television advertisement will air starting Monday in Florida, and takes aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ culture war-fuelled policies that have made him a darling among Republican activists.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Gavin Newsom trashes Ron DeSantis in ad urging Floridians to ‘join us in California’

Next Jan 6 hearing to focus on ‘efforts to assemble’ pro-Trump mob

22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A member of the January 6 committee revealed the subject of the committee’s next hearing on Sunday, telling CBS News that he and his colleagues will examine the effort by Donald Trump to lure thousands of his supporters to the US Capitol.

Representative Adam Schiff made the comments on Face the Nation, explaining that “[o]ur very next hearing will be focused on the efforts to assemble that mob” that attacked Congress while the Senate was meeting to certify the results of the 2020 election.

John Bowden reports.

Schiff says next Jan 6 hearing will focus on Trump’s ‘efforts to assemble’ mob

Opinion: Why America actually has reason to be cheerful about this July 4

21:44 , Oliver O'Connell

People are taking action and not waiting for Joe Biden or Donald Trump to solve the country’s problems, writes Andrew Buncombe.

Why America actually has reason to be cheerful about this July 4

Harvard law professor predicts Trump indictment coming

21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A Harvard law professor whose roster of former students includes President Joe Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, predicted that the Justice Department would seek to indict Donald Trump with criminal charges related to the January 6 attack on Congress.

Laurence Tribe made the prediction on CNN on Saturday, speaking to host Wolf Blitzer, who asked the professor point-blank if he thought the DOJ was heading in that direction.

John Bowden has the story.

Harvard law professor predicts indictment of Donald Trump is coming

Orlando apologises for saying many people won’t want to ‘celebrate’ 4th of July

21:14 , Oliver O'Connell

The city of Orlando incensed conservatives after it released a statement questioning whether or not it was appropriate to celebrate the Fourth of July at a time when so much “division, hate and unrest” permeates American society.

The statement was made in a 1 July email newsletter promoting the city’s annual “Fireworks at the Fountain” event, according to NBC News.

Orlando apologises for saying many people won’t want to ‘celebrate’ 4th of July

July 4 celebrations at turbulent time for US

21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Independence Day arrives at a time when the United States is roiled by hearings over the Jan. 6 insurrection, awash in turmoil over high court rulings on abortion and guns and struggling to maintain the common bonds that keep it together.

Yet many also see cause to celebrate: The pandemic continues to be on the wane and, despite its faults, America’s democracy survives.

A turbulent US this July 4, but many see cause to celebrate

More than one million sign petition calling for Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas' impeachment

20:48 , Oliver O'Connell

More than a million signatures have been registered to a petition calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Mr Thomas has come under fire for his support of the the court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, paving the way for women to lose their right to end a pregnancy in nearly half the country.

He has further infuriated Americans in his concurring opinion by saying the court “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” Those cases deal with Americans’ fundamental right to privacy, due process, and equal protections rights, like same-sex marriage.

Graig Graziosi reports:

Petition to impeach Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas signed one million times

More witnesses coming forward with evidence against Trump says Kinzinger

20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the January 6 US Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson‘s devastating testimony last week against former President Donald Trump, says a member of a House committee investigating the insurrection.

The panel already has subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who investigators remain hopeful will appear Wednesday for a deposition, and said it would also welcome follow-up details from Secret Service members with Trump that day.

Rep Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., cited Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump wanted to join an angry mob that marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6 where they rioted as particularly valuable in “inspiring” more people to step forward as the committee gets set for at least two public hearings this month.

Kinzinger says more witnesses coming forward after explosive recent testimony

Opinion: The US has nothing to celebrate this Independence Day

20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Victoria Richards writes:

It’s 4 July, but the USA has a lot more to be ashamed of than to celebrate.

Rather than parades, hot dogs and fireworks, let’s take the past few weeks alone as a snapshot of what the “land of the free” really symbolises in 2022: turmoil over abortion, civil rights, gun control and insurrection.

Does the US deserve a birthday party?

Opinion: It’s 4 July, but the US has nothing to celebrate this Independence Day

Michigan secretary of state nominee backed by Trump called abortion ‘child sacrifice’

19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Trump-endorsed candidate for secretary of state in Michigan once proclaimed that abortions were akin to “child sacrifice”, CNNfirst reported.

“Abortion is really nothing new. The child sacrifice is a very satanic practice, and that’s precisely what abortion is. And we need to see it as such,” Kristina Karamo, 36, a community college professor, said during a recording of her podcast, It’s Solid Food, back in October 2020, before Donald Trump endorsed her.

Johanna Chisholm reports:

Trump-backed Michigan secretary of state nominee called abortion ‘child sacrifice’

Trump decries justice system, media, and ‘Lyin’ Cassidy Hutchinson'

19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Continuing his holiday weekend social media screed, former President Donald Trump took aim at the justice system and media, before turning his attention to former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson.

He posted: “We don’t have a fair system of ‘Justice’ in this Country anymore. The way they are treating me & my supporters, compared to what happens to those ‘on the other side,’ is like day & night. It has been this way for a long time, but never like it is today! All semblance of a ‘FAIR & BALANCED’ Media to look over, study, and report on what is going on in our Country is GONE! Fight on, America, Fight On! (Oh, I’m sorry. By using the word FIGHT, they will say I am inciting an Insurrection. Apologies!).”

Mr Trump then added: “Lyin’ Cassidy Hutchinson, who the Fake News Media refuses to properly reveal, recently called the January 6 Unselect Committee ‘B.S.’ Gee, that wasn’t reported by LameStream!”

The former president then signed off with: “America First!” and “Make America Great Again!”

Poll: Record low number of Americans proud of nationality

19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A record low number of US adults say they are “extremely proud” to be Americans, according to a new Gallup poll.

As Americans celebrate the 4th of July holiday, just 38 per cent declared extreme pride in the country, the lowest figure since the annual survey was first taken in 2001.

Another 27 per cent said they were “very proud”, 22 per cent say they are “moderately proud.” Nine per cent are “only a little” proud, and four per cent “not at all” proud.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Poll shows record low number of Americans proud of nationality

Trump issues Independence Day message

18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump has issued a ranting message about the state of the US to mark Independence Day in a post on Truth Social.

He wrote:

What’s coming up at the next 6 January hearing?

18:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Adam Schiff yesterday confirmed that the next hearing “will be focused on the efforts to assemble that mob” that attacked Congress while the Senate was meeting to certify the results of the 2020 election.

This is expected to include at least some insight into the roles played by two key extremist groups: the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, both of whom were present on the day and both of which are thought to have had at least some communication with people in the inner Trump orbit. Senior members of both groups are facing trial on charges connected to the Capitol riot.

John Bowden has more.

Schiff says next Jan 6 hearing will focus on Trump’s ‘efforts to assemble’ mob

Recap: January 6 committee’s sixth hearing

17:41 , Oliver O'Connell

ICYMI: Cheney confirms Trump prosecution referral possible

17:15 , Andrew Naughtie

House January 6 select committee vice-chair Liz Cheney on Sunday said the panel the US Capitol riot may yet make formal criminal referrals of former president Donald Trump and his associates to the Department of Justice.

Asked about the possibility of the select committee making such a referral during ABC’s This Week programme, Ms Cheney replied: “We’ll make a decision as a committee about it”.

“The Justice Department doesn’t have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral, and there could be more than one criminal referral,” she said.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Liz Cheney says Jan 6 committee could refer Donald Trump for criminal prosecution

Mitt Romney on Biden and Trump

16:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Writing for The Atlantic on the occasion of 4 July, Mitt Romney – a prominent Trump critic and a former GOP presidential nominee – has stern and sombre words about the state of the US, and the threat posed by a Trump resurgence:

Read his full op-ed here.

Cheney for president?

15:59 , Andrew Naughtie

She may be favoured to lose her re-election primary in Wyoming, but in her interview broadcast yesterday, Liz Cheney made clear she has not yet decided whether or not to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

If she did, she could end up on a debate stage opposite Mr Trump himself. The ex-president is expected by many to announce a re-election bid soon, perhaps even this month.

Trump “truthing” about Liz Cheney again

15:18 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump is awake and active on Truth Social, his semi-cloistered “free speech”-themed bespoke social media platform, and his first target today is Liz Cheney, whose interview with ABC News broadcast this weekend clearly seems to have riled him up:

Interview: Trump documentarian Alex Holder

15:05 , Andrew Naughtie

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg has spoken to Alex Holder, a British filmmaker who was following Donald Trump and his close family (with authorisation) in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election and the crucial two months after it. His footage only recently became known to the public when it was subpoenaed by the 6 January committee.

Read the full interview below.

Filmmaker who upended Jan 6 probe talks Trump ‘aggression’, what he saw

Lofgren knocks back reports of DoJ-committee friction

14:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Speaking on Meet the Press yesterday, 6 January committee member Zoe Lofgren had this to say about stories that the Justice Department was “blindsided” by the Cassidy Hutchinson hearing:

“We’re not an arm of the Justice Department,” she said. “We’re a legislative committee. They have subpoena power. They could subpoena Ms. Hutchinson. I’m surprised they had not done so.”

Ms Lofgren also reiterated that Ms Hutchinson, who switched lawyers not long before her public testimony, is apparently being intimidated by people with an interest in keeping her from sharing what she knows with investigators.

Watch her remarks below.

Kinzinger calls out right-wing paper on Hutchinson testimony

13:50 , Andrew Naughtie

The Washington Examiner, which covers DC politics from the right, has headlined a story about Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony with a claim that there is “no corroboration” for what she told the 6 January committee last week.

Adam Kinzinger, whose name also appears, is unimpressed.

Adam Schiff on the danger of not charging Donald Trump

13:07 , Andrew Naughtie

The Justice Department could choose to bring charges against Donald Trump whether or not the 6 January committee makes a criminal referral, but the panel members’ interviews in recent days and weeks have made plain that they do view the evidence they’ve gathered as grounds for criminal proceedings.

More than that, Adam Schiff yesterday told CBS News that should the department fail to charge him, the precedent that would set for presidential immunity could be incredibly dangerous.

12:25 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 6 January committee’s televised hearings have notched up disappointing ratings. This is one of his most-used lines of attack against rivals and adversaries in general, and this time, it’s wide of the mark: the committee’s broadcast sessions have in fact attracted millions of viewers much in line with its members’ hopes.

And as Scott MacFarlane points out, the size of the audience is notable enough that it’s been mentioned in court filings from 6 January defendants themselves.