Jan 6 hearings – live: Trump seen in trailer for documentary that shocked aides as panel’s DoJ session looms

Oliver O'Connell,Andrew Naughtie,Maroosha Muzaffar and Sravasti Dasgupta
·35 min read
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A new report says that Donald Trump is not only watching the 6 January hearings closely, but that he is furious that there are no Republicans on the panel to fight his corner because House leader Kevin McCarthy pulled three nominees out of the committee when it was formed.

According to the Washington Post, the former president is “about to scream at the TV” during the sessions, which have so far laid out devastating evidence of his and his associates’ plot to illegally wrest the presidency back from Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, as the committee prepares to hold its fifth hearing of the summer this afternoon, chair Bennie Thompson has announced that with a flurry of law enforcement activity on Wednesday and a steady stream of new evidence, it is pausing its schedule after today’s hearing to resume once the House comes back from its 4 July recess.

The panel is in the process of securing the co-operation of longtime right-wing activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. Congressman Mo Brooks, who spoke at the 6 January rally outside the White House, has also offered to testify, but says he will only do so in public.

Key points

  • FBI raids, subpoenas and new evidence leads Jan 6 committee to expand hearings

  • GOP officials and election workers reveal dramatic cost of Team Trump intimidation

  • Arizona GOP official on ‘rigged’ 2020 election: ‘That would not be true’

  • Filmmaker Alex Holder releases statement after being subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee

  • Senator Ron Johnson aide reached out to Pence team to offer alternate Electoral College votes

  • Election worker gives emotional testimony about threats by Trump supporters

Federal authorities search home of Trump-era Department of Justice official ahead of January 6 testimony

18:40 , Josh Marcus

Federal authorities raided the home of former Department of Justice official Jefferey Clark in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, The New York Times reported.

Eric Garcia is following this breaking news story.

Federal authorities search home of Trump-era Department of Justice official

Nevada Republicans part of latest round of FBI searches in 2020 probe

18:35 , Josh Marcus

The FBI has reportedly served search warrants on two top Nevada Republicans, part of the latest round of investigations into the attempt to overturn the 2020 election result.

On Wednesday, agents seized the cell phone of state GOP chair Michael McDonald, and sought party secretary James DeGraffenreid for another search.

Both men were part of a December scheme from Nevada’s Republican party to send its own slate of Electoral College electors on behalf of Donald Trump, even though Joe Biden won the state.

The subpoenas, 8 News Now reports, were issued in January, and said, “We are seeking information about your role and participation in the purported slate of electors casting votes for Donald Trump and, to the extent relevant, your role in the events of January 6, 2021.”

Here’s our report on some of the other FBI searches underway.

FBI raids homes and new subpoenas issued as January 6 committee pushes back hearings

Why is Dr Phil at the Capitol?

18:20 , Josh Marcus

As if the January 6 hearings couldn’t get any stranger.

Talk show star Dr Phil was spotted on the US Capitol subway system on Thursday morning.

It’s unclear why the celebrity host is in Washington, but he was spotted walking with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Here’s a picture, courtesy of Punchbowl News’s Christian Hall.

Kevin McCarthy dodges question about 2020 election by talking about...sequoias?

18:06 , Josh Marcus

In recent days, we’ve seen Republicans using all manner of tactics to dodge reporters’ questions about the 2020 election, the January 6 riots, and the GOP’s support for Donald Trump’s election falsehoods.

There was Ron Johnson, who was busted pretending to be on a very important phone call.

Ron Johnson busted faking phone call to dodge reporters’ Jan 6 questions

There was Ted Cruz, who used his loquaciousness to avoid answering any real questions from our correspondent.

Ted Cruz played me for a fool. Here’s how he got away with it

And on Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy debuted perhaps the most innovative and brazen dodge yet: talking about trees instead.

When CNN reporter Manu Raju began asking the top Republican for his reaction to the numerous GOP officials who have testified in the January 6 hearings there was no election fraud, Mr McCarthy cut him off and began talking about giant redwoods.

“You ever visited a sequoia? … Let’s go up on a tour, you bring your cameras, you do a story on that, and then I’ll do a live interview with any politics,” he said.

Here’s a clip of the exchange.

Donald Trump rails against ‘abysmal’ hearings and ‘Shifty’ Adam Schiff in Truth Social tirade

17:46 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is clearly not a huge fan of the ongoing January 6 hearings, and his social network Truth Social has been a favourite place to vent.

The former president tore into “Shifty” Adam Schiff and what he called the committee’s “hoaxes” in a Thursday morning rant on the platform.

“Their lead investigator just quit, they canceled or postponed future hearings, the T.V. Ratings are absolutely abysmal, and Shifty Schiff continues his sanctimonious ‘interviews’ just as though he were talking about his first four failed hoaxes!”

Here’s what he’s on about.

FBI raids homes and new subpoenas issued as January 6 committee pushes back hearings

Watch: Morning Joe anchor drops an unflattering metaphor on Trump

17:30 , Andrew Naughtie

On today’s edition of Morning Joe, whose hosts were the subject of relentless attacks from Donald Trump – many of them focused on Mika Brzezinski’s body – Joe Scarborough offered up an unflattering comparison between the former president and a past-his-prime star of decades gone by...

Trailer released for Jan 6 Trump documentary “Unprecedented"

17:15 , Andrew Naughtie

CNN has screened a trailer for “Unprecedented”, the documentary filmed in late 2020 and early 2021 whose raw footage has been subpoenaed by the 6 January committee.

The clip features Mr Trump and his children Ivanka, Donald Jr and Eric all sitting for one-on-one interviews.

In a series of quick-cut clips, Ms Trump can be heard saying that her father is "honest" and "is who he is." Donald Trump Jr says his father thinks "everything he's doing is right" before Mr Trump's voice cuts into the trailer: “I think I treat people well unless they don’t treat me well, in which case you go to war.”

Near the end of the trailer, Mr Holder asks Mr Trump if they can talk about 6 January. Mr Trump replies “yep.”

Watch the trailer here.

Trump speaks about Jan 6 in secret documentary that blindsided aides

Peter Navarro’s trial scheduled

17:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro, who was recently arrested after refusing to comply with a subpoena from the 6 January committee, has had his trial date set for this November.

Mr Navarro served as a trade adviser, and played a key role in formulating the so-called “Green Bay Sweep” plan to have the certification of the 2020 election sent from Congress back to the states so that Donald Trump could retain the presidency,

The Trump-DeSantis cold war heats up

16:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump this morning took to Truth Social to share a national poll of likely voters that showed him capturing more than 50 per cent of the vote in a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary – a full 42 points ahead of his nearest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Why would the ex-president care about this? Because as Eric Garcia writes in today’s Inside Washington dispatch, the signs are that Mr DeSantis may in fact be starting to catch up to Mr Trump in Republican primary voters’ estimation:

A University of New Hampshire poll released Wednesday shows DeSantis at a statistical tie in the state that holds the first-in-the-nation primary, with DeSantis earning 39 per cent of the vote and Trump earning 37 per cent. Last year, Trump was at 43 per cent to DeSantis’s 18.

Of course, Trump likely won’t take too kindly to DeSantis’s rising popularity and his outreach to donors. Nor will he take kindly to the fact that DeSantis hasn’t asked for his endorsement — since for all that Trump might be wary of endorsing a potential challenger, he has also shown time and again how much he loves a groveler.

Read Eric’s full analysis below.

The cold war between DeSantis and Trump is heating up

What’s coming up at today’s hearing?

16:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Andrew Feinberg has this preview of today’s 6 January committee hearing, which will be the last for a few weeks as the panel recalibrates its schedule to accommodate a deluge of new evidence.

The panel’s Thursday session will feature a trio of top Trump-era Justice Department officials, including Jeffrey Rosen, who served as the acting attorney general after William Barr’s resignation, former acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue, and Steven Engel, the ex-assistant attorney general who headed the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel during the waning days of the Trump administration.

All three have already spoken extensively about Mr Trump’s actions in the days leading up to the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814, with each previously giving evidence in depositions taken as part of a Senate Judiciary Committee probe into Mr Trump’s attempts to hang on to the presidency against the wishes of American voters.

The Senate investigation found Mr Trump “repeatedly asked DOJ leadership to endorse his false claims that the election was stolen and to assist his efforts to overturn the election results” starting as soon as Mr Rosen assumed leadership of the department, including seven separate phone calls and meetings between the two men in December 2020.

Mr Trump also tried to induce Mr Rosen to resign during another Oval Office meeting on 3 January 2021 — just three days before the Capitol attack — in order to replace him with Jeffrey Clark, then the acting head of the DOJ’s civil division.

Read the full piece below.

Fifth January 6 hearing to show ‘greater detail’ on Trump plan for justice department

DoJ asks whether Sidney Powell’s nonprofit is funding Oath Keepers’ defence

16:15 , Andrew Naughtie

As members of the self-styled Oath Keepers militia face sedition charges over their alleged activities on the day of the Capitol riot, Department of Justice prosecutors have asked a federal judge to investigate reports that Sidney Powell’s fundraising nonprofit Defending the Republic is paying some of the defendants’ legal fees.

Read more about the Oath Keepers and the charges against them below.

Oath Keepers leader tried to ask Trump to forcibly stop January 6 transfer of power

Mark Meadows’s Trump tell-all falls flat

15:45 , Andrew Naughtie

The library of Trump administration alumni memoirs is still growing, but its various authors have met with mixed success.

Politico reports that among the most disappointing performers is The Chief’s Chief, written by ex-chief of staff and key coup attempt figure Mark Meadows; so far, it has sold less than 22,000 copies. And others besides are doing badly:

The memoir of Deborah Birx, the Covid response coordinator under Trump, has sold fewer than 6,000 copies; Dr. Scott Atlas’ book sold 27,013 copies; Dr. Ben Carson’s book sold 21,786 copies; former White House press secretary turned Trump critic Stephanie Grisham sold 38,249 books; counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway has sold 42,273 books since it was published in late May; and former defense secretary Mark Esper sold 20,900 books.

Read the full story here.

Trump screaming at TV while he watches Jan 6 hearings – report

15:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump is reportedly watching every January 6 Committee hearing in a rage, furious that no one is there to defend him, according to a report.

A close advisor told The Washington Post that Mr Trump is at “the point of about to scream at the TV” as he watches the hearings.

Read Gustaf Kilander below.

Trump angrily watches every Jan 6 hearing, almost screaming at TV, report says

FBI raids homes and new subpeonas issued as Jan 6 committee expands hearings over fresh evidence

14:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Federal agents issued new subpoenas regarding the January 6 riot at the US Capitol and raided the homes of two people involved in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, The Washington Post reported.

The FBI confirmed to The Post that it conducted authorised law enforcement activity at the home of Brad Carver, who allegedly signed a document to be a Trump elector, as well as Thomas Lane, who worked on Trump’s effort to overturn the election in Arizona and New Mexico. Other would-be participants in former president Donald Trump’s scheme to send an alternate slate of electors to overturn the 2020 presidential election received subpoenas.

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg report from Capitol Hill.

FBI raids homes and new subpeonas issued as January 6 committee pushes back hearings

Right wing news channels face reckoning of their own over false election claims

14:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Proponents of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen are currently facing a very public reckoning. Millions of Americans are tuning in to watch the January 6 House committee outline evidence of a concerted effort by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the election.

But another reckoning, largely out of view until now, may yet take place for the people and institutions that promoted those lies. In the courts, right wing media companies that broadcast false claims about voting machines being rigged are being hit with billion-dollar lawsuits — and they are not going away.

Richard Hall reports for The Independent.

Right wing news channels face a reckoning of their own over false election claims

Images from Trump documentary subpoenaed by Jan 6 panel

13:47 , Andrew Naughtie

CBS News has obtained two images from the hours of documentary footage subpoenaed by the 6 January committee.

Alex Holder’s thus-far-unseen three-part documentary has been bought by Discovery+. Its existence was reportedly a surprise to many core Trump aides, who only heard about it when the committee’s subpoena was revealed this week.

Graig Graziosi has more.

Trump aides shocked by revelation of unseen documentary subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee

Mo Brooks says he’ll talk to panel – but only in public

13:14 , Andrew Naughtie

Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks, who spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally outside the White House on 6 January before the Capitol riot, is clearly furious after losing his state’s Senate primary to a Trump-backed challenger on Tuesday night – and he appears to be preparing to have his revenge on the former president in the form of testimony to the committee, which he is insisting he will only give in public.

Mr Brooks was originally endorsed by Mr Trump in his run for the open seat, but the ex-president withdrew his backing after the congressman began to slide in the polls and told an audience of supporters they should stop fixating on the supposed “theft” of the 2020 election.

After the endorsement was pulled, Mr Brooks shared an unflattering story that Mr Trump was still asking people whether he could somehow be reinstalled as president before the next election.

Report: New video contains 11 hours of interviews with Trumps around time of Capitol riot

12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot has received 11 hours of previously unseen interviews and footage featuring former President Donald Trump and his family in the months leading up to and the immediate aftermath of the 6 January insurrection, reports indicate.

According to CBS’s Bob Costas, the documentary footage the panel subpoenaed from British filmmaker Alex Holder includes more than 10 hours of interviews, including statements from Mr Trump.

That footage is in addition to many hours of footage Mr Holder shot that are not direct interviews with Mr Trump and his family.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Video containing 11 hours of interviews with Trump and family given to Jan 6 panel

With primary behind him, Dr Oz back away from Trump

12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Pennsylvania Senate candiate Mehmet Oz is making a strong pivot towards a centrist electorate as he hurtles towards a general election showdown with the state’s lieutenant governor in November.

The celebrity TV doc better known as “Dr Oz” has removed any mention of former president Donald Trump from his Twitter bio, background image, campaign website splash page, and even recent advertisements, following a primary campaign that relied heavily on his endorsement from the 45th president. The changes were first reported on Wednesday by Axios.

John Bowden reports.

Dr Oz backs away from Trump support after GOP primary win

Ron Johnson calls fake electors ‘non-story’ says he didn’t look in envelope

11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Ron Johnson said today that he has not looked into the alternate electors’ controversy that involved his office any further.

He told CNN’s Ted Barrett: “No, I haven’t. Haven’t looked in any further because it’s a non-story.”

Asked if he had looked inside the envelope that supposedly contained the fake electors, he said: “I don’t believe I ever did, no.”

Here’s our earlier coverage of the senator’s initial reaction to being asked about the revelations from the January 6 hearing.

Watch: Minority Leader McCarthy says ‘President always has a right to question an election’

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Poll shows more heard Elon Musk voted Republican than judge’s Trump takedown at Jan 6 hearings

09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

More Americans have heard about Elon Musk’s pledge to vote Republican than have heard about retired federal judge Michael Luttig’s takedown of Donald Trump during the January 6 hearings, a poll has found.

The poll, which was carried out following last week’s initial televised January 6 hearings, suggests some of the damning revelations aired by witnesses have not been noticed by the American public.

Gino Spocchia reports:

Voters more aware of Elon Musk than judge’s warning to Jan 6 hearing

Watch: Senator caught by reporters avoiding questions by pretending to be on phone

08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Senators Booker and Tester tackle each other in slapstick video about reforming agriculture

07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A slapstick political ad from senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester is hoping to draw focus to a topic not often discussed at the water cooler: agriculture reform.

“Consolidation in the agriculture industry is costing consumers and producers, so @SenBooker and I are teaming up to *tackle* it,” Sen Tester tweeted on Wednesday, teasing the video where he and his Democratic colleague ham it up on camera to jokingly showcase all the lengths – and friendly charges – they’re willing to take to get a bill that would place an immediate moratorium on acquisitions and mergers within the food and agriculture sector across the president’s desk.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Senators Booker and Tester jokingly tackle each other in recent political ad

Watch: Biden outlines plan for federal gas tax holiday

06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Monica Lewinsky expertly mocks Ron Johnson over his reaction to Jan 6 revelations

05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Monica Lewinsky’s Twitter account is a treasure trove of hits and her latest remark to Sen Ron Johnson is no exception.

On Wednesday, the Vanity Fair contributor offered her two cents in response to a video of Mr Johnson that went viral on Tuesday.

Jenna Amatulli reports.

Monica Lewinsky mocks Ron Johnson over his reaction to Jan 6 revelations

DeSantis beating Trump in New Hampshire GOP primary polling

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida’s Ron DeSantis would win the New Hampshire Republican primary were it held today, even if he faced Donald Trump, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

The survey from the University of New Hampshire indicated that Mr DeSantis would win the support of 39 per cent of GOP primary voters, compared to just 37 per cent who said they would support Mr Trump. Those were the only two names to even breach double digits in the poll.

Those results represent a surge in support for Mr DeSantis, who trailed the ex-president in a previous survey published by the university in October.

DeSantis pulls past Trump in New Hampshire GOP primary polling

Even Fox News analysts say Trump should face criminal charges

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News analysts have said evidence from the January 6 House select committee showed Donald Trump’s “unfitness” to lead the country and that he may be guilty of a crime.

Analysing the fourth hearing by the panel investigating the Capitol insurrection, former assistant US attorney Andy McCarthy was asked by Fox News host Anita Vogel if the panel was trying to charge the former president with “conspiracy to defraud the United States”.

“No, I don’t think so, I think the most plausible crime is obstruction of Congress,” Mr McCarthy replied.

Read more:

Fox News analysts say Trump should face criminal charges as channel airs hearings

What we’ve learned, and what’s next in the Jan 6 hearings

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection heard from election workers and state officials on Tuesday as they described President Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn his 2020 election defeat. On Thursday, the nine-member panel will hear from former Justice Department officials who refused Trump’s entreaties to declare the election “corrupt.”

The committee’s fourth and fifth hearings, held this week, are part of an effort to show how Trump’s pressure eventually shifted to Congress, where his false declarations of widespread election fraud led directly to the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when hundreds of his supporters violently breached the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.

In July, the panel will hold at least two more hearings that are expected to focus on the far-right domestic extremists who attacked the Capitol and what Trump was doing inside the White House as the violence unfolded.

Jan. 6 hearings: What we’ve learned, and what’s next

Three months in jail for former West Virginia lawmaker at Capitol riot

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A former West Virginia lawmaker who livestreamed himself on Facebook storming the U.S. Capitol and cheering on what he described as a “revolution” was sentenced Wednesday to three months in prison.

Derrick Evans, 37, who pleaded guilty to a felony civil disorder charge, told the judge that he regrets his actions every day and is a “good person who unfortunately was caught up in a moment.”

Former West Virginia lawmaker gets 3 months in Jan. 6 riot

Senator busted faking phone call to dodge reporters’ questions over Jan 6 texts

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson attempted to avoid answering reporters’ questions as he left the Capitol by pretending to be on his phone, but he was called out by one of the journalists who spotted his screen.

Mr Johnson was walking out of the congressional building on Tuesday after the hearing of the January 6 House Select Committee. The hearing presented texts between one of the senator’s staffers and an aide to then-Vice President Mike Pence.

The conversation took place not long after the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s victory was halted by the violent mob of Trump supporters laying siege to the Capitol.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Ron Johnson busted faking phone call to dodge reporters’ Jan 6 questions

Jan 6: Even Fox News analysts say Trump should face criminal charges

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News analysts have said evidence from the January 6 House select committee showed Donald Trump’s “unfitness” to lead the country and that he may be guilty of a crime.

Analysing the fourth hearing by the panel investigating the Capitol insurrection, former assistant US attorney Andy McCarthy was asked by Fox News host Anita Vogel if the panel was trying to charge the former president with “conspiracy to defraud the United States”.

“No, I don’t think so, I think the most plausible crime is obstruction of Congress,” Mr McCarthy replied.

Sweta Sharma reports:

Fox News analysts say Trump should face criminal charges as channel airs hearings

Jan 6: Previously unknown film of Trump and family at time of riot obtained by probe

Thursday 23 June 2022 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The House January 6 select committee has taken possession of recently discovered video footage shot by Alex Holder, a documentary filmmaker who had access to former president Donald Trump, former vice president Mike Pence, Mr Trump’s children and other confidantes in the months leading to the Capitol riot.

A spokesperson for Mr Holder, Liz Trotter, told The Independent Mr Holder has provided the select committee with “all the footage” it requested in a 15 June subpoena, and said the documentarian will appear before the panel for a deposition on Thursday.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Jan 6 committee obtains previously unknown film of Trump and family at time of riot

Alabama primary: Katie Britt beats Mo Brooks after Trump switches his endorsement

Thursday 23 June 2022 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Katie Boyd Britt beat Representative Mo Brooks in the runoff race to win the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama after former president Donald Trump endorsed her.

Mr Trump took credit for Ms Britt’s victory on his Truth Social networking platform.

“With the great ALABAMA win by Katie Britt tonight, I am please to announce that WE (MAGA!) are 12 WINS & ZERO LOSSES in US Senate Primary races this cycle”, he said.

Eric Garcia reports on the Alabama results:

Katie Britt beats Mo Brooks after Trump switches endorsement in Alabama Senate runoff

With primary behind him, Dr Oz backs away from Trump support

Thursday 23 June 2022 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Pennsylvania Senate candiate Mehmet Oz is making a strong pivot towards a centrist electorate as he hurtles towards a general election showdown with the state’s lieutenant governor in November.

The celebrity TV doc better known as “Dr Oz” has removed any mention of former president Donald Trump from his Twitter bio, background image, campaign website splash page, and even recent advertisements, following a primary campaign that relied heavily on his endorsement from the 45th president. The changes were first reported on Wednesday by Axios.

John Bowden has the story.

Dr Oz backs away from Trump support after GOP primary win

Former congressman sparks outrage with slavery tweet

Wednesday 22 June 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Iowa congressman Steve King has sparked widespread outrage with a tweet comparing enslavement to abortion on Tuesday morning.

The condemnation Mr King faced was a throwback to his final years in the House, when his far-right politics frequently drew criticism from Republicans as well as Democrats.

Mr King’s ties to and defense of white nationalism saw him stripped of his committee assignments during his final term in the House of Representatives.

Josh Marcus reports:

Former congressman Steve King sparks outrage with slavery tweet

ICYMI: Takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries

Wednesday 22 June 2022 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A Republican who was backed by Donald Trump at the last minute prevailed on Tuesday in an Alabama Senate runoff. But in neighboring Georgia, the former president’s losing streak deepened.

Meanwhile, moderate Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won her Democratic primary, offering a fresh warning to progressives.

Takeaways from the latest round of midterm primary elections:

Takeaways: Trump's conditional loyalty, new warning for left

Poll shows more heard Elon Musk voted Republican than judge’s Trump takedown at Jan 6 hearings

Wednesday 22 June 2022 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

More Americans have heard about Elon Musk’s pledge to vote Republican than have heard about retired federal judge Michael Luttig’s takedown of Donald Trump during the January 6 hearings, a poll has found.

The poll, which was carried out following last week’s initial televised January 6 hearings, suggests some of the damning revelations aired by witnesses have not been noticed by the American public.

Gino Spocchia reports:

Voters more aware of Elon Musk than judge’s warning to Jan 6 hearing

New video shows Ivanka Trump wanted father to ‘fight’ election

Wednesday 22 June 2022 22:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Ivanka Trump wanted her father to continue fighting the 2020 election result well into December, new documentary footage shows, contradicting her testimony in the recent 6 January hearings that she quickly accepted Donald Trump’s election loss.

The former president’s daughter wanted Mr Trump to “continue to fight until every legal remedy is exhausted,” she told a film crew in mid-December, as part of a yet-to-be-released documentary, The New York Times reported.

Josh Marcus reports:

Ivanka Trump wanted father to ‘fight’ election, despite claims she accepted 2020 loss

Right wing news channels face reckoning of their own over false election claims

Wednesday 22 June 2022 22:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Proponents of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen are currently facing a very public reckoning. Millions of Americans are tuning in to watch the January 6 House committee outline evidence of a concerted effort by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the election.

But another reckoning, largely out of view until now, may yet take place for the people and institutions that promoted those lies. In the courts, right wing media companies that broadcast false claims about voting machines being rigged are being hit with billion-dollar lawsuits — and they are not going away.

Richard Hall reports for The Independent.

Right wing news channels face a reckoning of their own over false election claims

Recap: Jan 6 committee hearing - Day 4

Wednesday 22 June 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Newly revealed video contains 11 hours of interviews with Trump and family, report says

Wednesday 22 June 2022 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot has received 11 hours of previously unseen interviews and footage featuring former President Donald Trump and his family in the months leading up to and the immediate aftermath of the 6 January insurrection, reports indicate.

According to CBS’s Bob Costas, the documentary footage the panel subpoenaed from British filmmaker Alex Holder includes more than 10 hours of interviews, including statements from Mr Trump.

That footage is in addition to many hours of footage Mr Holder shot that are not direct interviews with Mr Trump and his family.

Jan. 6 panel in possession of new Trump documentary footage

Senators Booker and Tester tackle each other in slapstick video about reforming agriculture

Wednesday 22 June 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A slapstick political ad from senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester is hoping to draw focus to a topic not often discussed at the water cooler: agriculture reform.

“Consolidation in the agriculture industry is costing consumers and producers, so @SenBooker and I are teaming up to *tackle* it,” Sen Tester tweeted on Wednesday, teasing the video where he and his Democratic colleague ham it up on camera to jokingly showcase all the lengths – and friendly charges – they’re willing to take to get a bill that would place an immediate moratorium on acquisitions and mergers within the food and agriculture sector across the president’s desk.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Senators Booker and Tester jokingly tackle each other in recent political ad

Opinion: I was so wrong about Eric Greitens

Wednesday 22 June 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Stephen Lyons writes:

In all my years of interviewing people for articles, there have only been two people whose charisma made an immediate impact. When I say “impact”, I mean that upon meeting them I wanted to run through a wall for them and be part of whatever they were doing.

The first encounter was with Chad Pregracke, the founder of Living Lands and Waters, an organization that plies the inland rivers of America cleaning up decades of refuse. I spent a day with Pregracke on the Mississippi hauling out refrigerators, Styrofoam coolers and other garbage. Despite my fear of snakes, it was one of the best twelve hours of my life.

The second person that I would have followed into battle was Eric Greitens. Yes, that Eric Greitens, the disgraced former governor of Missouri, and the star of the recent “hunting RINOs” (Republicans In Name Only) campaign ad in his doomed quest to resurrect his dismal reputation and become the Republican candidate for Senator from the Show Me state.

Read more:

I was so wrong about Eric Greitens

Ron Johnson calls fake electors ‘non-story' says he didn’t look in envelope

Wednesday 22 June 2022 21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Ron Johnson said today that he has not looked into the alternate electors’ controversy that involved his office any further.

He told CNN’s Ted Barrett: “No, I haven’t. Haven’t looked in any further because it’s a non-story.”

Asked if he had looked inside the envelope that supposedly contained the fake electors, he said: “I don’t believe I ever did, no.”

Here’s our earlier coverage of the senator’s initial reaction.

Ron Johnson busted faking phone call to dodge reporters’ Jan 6 questions

Monica Lewinsky expertly mocks Ron Johnson over his reaction to Jan 6 revelations

Wednesday 22 June 2022 21:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Monica Lewinsky’s Twitter account is a treasure trove of hits and her latest remark to Sen Ron Johnson is no exception.

On Wednesday, the Vanity Fair contributor offered her two cents in response to a video of Mr Johnson that went viral on Tuesday.

Jenna Amatulli reports.

Monica Lewinsky mocks Ron Johnson over his reaction to Jan 6 revelations

Bannon to address GOP lawmaker spouses... day after his contempt of Congress trial begins

Wednesday 22 June 2022 21:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Politico reports that former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon is set to headline a seminar in July for the spouses of GOP lawmakers.

The event is set to take place on 19 July, the day after his trial for contempt of Congress is set to begin for charges following his defiance of a subpoena from the January 6 committee.

Other scheduled speakers include Kellyanne Conway and Dr Robert Malone, a Covid vaccine conspiracist, and Frank Gaffney, who has faced charges of trafficking in Islamophobia.

Steve Bannon faces trial for contempt of Congress (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Steve Bannon faces trial for contempt of Congress (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

ICYMI: Lots of theories, no evidence

Wednesday 22 June 2022 20:55 , Oliver O'Connell

FBI raids, subpoenas and new evidence leads Jan 6 committee to expand hearings

Wednesday 22 June 2022 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

The Justice Department’s investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot moved up a gear on Wednesday when federal agents dropped subpoenas on people in at least two states, as part of a widening probe into the use of fake electors to overturn the 2020 election.

The Washington Post reports that agents conducted court-authorised actions at the home of Brad Carver, a Georgia lawyer who allegedly signed a document claiming to be a Trump elector, and at the Virginia home of Thomas Lane, who worked on the Trump campaign’s efforts in Arizona and New Mexico.

Further subpoenas were issued in Michigan according to a person who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.

In light of this steady stream of new evidence, a person close to the House Jan 6 committee investigation confirmed to The Independent the panel was holding off on scheduling any further hearings until after the Independence Day recess.

January 6 committee pushes back hearings ‘several weeks’ to examine new evidence

Senator may need amputation after suffering ‘serious’ hand injury

Wednesday 22 June 2022 20:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Kevin Cramer says that he has suffered a serious injury to his right hand doing yard work in North Dakota and that it may require an amputation.

“While working in the yard over the weekend, I sustained a serious injury to my right hand, which required immediate surgery,” Mr Cramer said on Wednesday, without being specific on the injury.

“I continue to remain in North Dakota close to medical care as there is a high risk of infection and the possible need for amputation.”

Graeme Massie reports:

US Senator may need amputation after suffering ‘serious’ hand injury

Greitens says violent video about hunting RINOs was meant to be humorous

Wednesday 22 June 2022 20:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has claimed that an advert for his senate campaign in which he hunts RINOs (Republican In Name Only) was meant to be humorous and that no one in the state took it seriously.

Mr Greitens, 48, served as the governor of Missouri between 2017 and 2018 before resigning amid allegations of sexual assault and campaign finance violations.

Gustaf Kilander has the story :

Greitens says violent video about hunting people was meant to be humorous

Trump-supporting Arizona GOP candidate calls official who testified at Jan 6 hearings a ‘traitor’

Wednesday 22 June 2022 20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

A Republican Arizona Congressional candidate called the state’s House speaker a “traitor” for testifying during the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot.

Josh Barnett, a Republican running for the state’s 1st district, tweeted a screenshot of Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers — a Republican — alongside a message calling him a traitor.

Graig Graziosi reports:

Trump-supporting candidate calls official who testified at Jan 6 hearings a ‘traitor’

DeSantis pulls past Trump in New Hampshire GOP primary polling

Wednesday 22 June 2022 19:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida’s Ron DeSantis would win the New Hampshire Republican primary were it held today, even if he faced Donald Trump, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

John Bowden reports:

DeSantis pulls past Trump in New Hampshire GOP primary polling

Is enthusiasm for Trump finally waning?

Wednesday 22 June 2022 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The results of the University of New Hampshire poll showing Ron DeSantis beating Donald Trump by two percentage points among likely Republican primary voters has caused a stir among political observers.

Sarah Longwell, CEO of Longwell Partners, publisher of The Bulwark, and founder of The Republican Accountability Project — a Trump adversary — says she has noted a shift among Trump voters.

“I’ve done two 2020 Trump-voter focus groups since the Jan 6 hearings began. And something happened that’s never happened before: ZERO of the participants in either group wanted Trump to run again in 2024,” she tweeted.

“To be clear, they still like Trump fine. And I’m not suggesting they’re being persuaded by the hearings. (They’re mostly not watching/hate the hearings). But it’s possible the hearings are making voters who want to move on from Jan 6 more open to also moving on from Trump,” Ms Longwell clarified.

She further notes: “That plus having an alternative in DeSantis they’re genuinely excited about — who they view as ‘Trump without the baggage’ — could be diminishing enthusiasm for another Trump run.”

“I’ve been very skeptical of the ‘Trump’s grip on the GOP is slipping’ narrative, in large part because in dozens and dozens of focus groups roughly half of Trump voters want to see Trump run again. It’s too soon to say for sure, but *possible* that’s changing,” Ms Longwell concludes.

Jennifer Rubin, a self-described “Never-Trump” and opinion writer at The Washington Post, replied to Ms Longwell’s thread: “Theory: When not forced to say ‘I don’t like Trump’ or ‘I was wrong to vote for Trump’ they’ll gladly jump ship to say ‘I found an even better Trump!’ The duped rarely admit they were duped. But they remain easy marks.”

Jan 6 committtee publishes Bowers’ journal excerpt

Wednesday 22 June 2022 19:04 , Oliver O'Connell

The January 6 select committee has published an excerpt from Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers’ journal from 4 December 2020.

I do not want to be a winner by cheating. I will not play with laws I swore allegiance to with any contrived desire toward deflection of my deep, foundational desire to follow God’s will...

Rusty Bowers

‘Some anxiety’ in Trump family about new documentary footage

Wednesday 22 June 2022 18:51 , Oliver O'Connell

The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, somewhat of an expert on Trumpworld through her years of reporting on the former president, appeared on CNN’s New Day this morning to talk about the family’s reaction to the news that the January 6 committee is talking with the British filmmaker who spent weeks documenting them in late 2020 and early 2021.

“My understanding is that there is some anxiety among some family members about what might have been said,” she told CNN’s John Berman, later adding that it may be at odds with other statements that have been made.

For example, Ms Haberman says that she suspects what Ivanka Trump said under oath about the election not being rigged was what she truly believed, but what she said in the documentary video was what she was saying to her father.

“It is a real reminder about how little people were saying to Donald Trump’s face about what they though about what he was doing,” says Ms Haberman.