Trump in court showdown with Cohen as Meadows ‘admits 2020 loss’: Live

Donald Trump sat face to face with Michael Cohen for the first time in years at his $250m civil fraud trial in New York.

Cohen, the former president’s onetime attorney and “fixer”, took the witness stand and testified he had been instructed to fraudulently increase valuations of key Trump assets.

The day ended with a series of heated exchanges as Trump attorney Alina Habba cross-examined the one-time Trump Organization insider.

Shortly after the day in court concluded in New York, news broke that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has spoken with special counsel Jack Smith's team multiple times this year, including once before a federal grand jury about 2020 election interference, after he was granted immunity to testify under oath, ABC News reported.

Mr Meadows is said to have informed prosecutors that he repeatedly told Mr Trump after the presidential election that allegations of significant voting fraud were baseless.

Meanwhile, in the latest developments out of Fulton County, Georgia, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis became the fourth co-defendant of the former president to strike a plea deal with prosecutors. In a tearful statement to the court, she expressed “deep remorse” for her involvement.

Key Points

• Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

• Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

• Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

• Sidney Powell and Ken Chesebro plead guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’

08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump suggested his supporters don’t have to vote and compared himself to Nelson Mandela on Monday during an outlandish campaign speech in New Hampshire.

As the former president repeated familiar, baseless claims about previous elections being rigged and stolen from him, he told attendees in Derry they should monitor other voters instead of casting their own ballots.

“So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there and you got to watch those voters,” Mr Trump said. “You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch.”

The comments prompted criticism from a member of the Ron DeSantis campaign.

“This is the type of talk that loses elections,” press secretary Bryan Griffin wrote on X.

Continued...

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’ at New Hampshire rally

Series of bids filed to have Trump election interference case thrown out

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyers fired a shotgun blast of legal motions overnight aimed at seeing the Justice Department’s case against him for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election thrown out of court or significantly reduced in scope.

In four motions filed to Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Trump legal team made a smattering of arguments aimed at hindering or thwarting his prosecution entirely. His attorneys put forth arguments on the grounds of prosecutorial bias, insufficient evidence, improper procedure and even double jeopardy.

The motions were filed on a day that saw yet another blow to the former president’s legal defence efforts: A fourth guilty plea, and the third from a member of his legal team, in Georgia where a state-run prosecution of the Trump campaign’s efforts to alter the election results is well underway.

John Bowden has the story.

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

What did Trump say about Tom Emmer?

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump voiced his unhappiness with the result of the latest ballot to decide who would be the Republican Party nominee for Speaker of the House.

As the lunch break drew to a close at his civil trial for fraud in New York, the former president posted on Truth Social, attacking Minnesota Rep Tom Emmer as a “Globalist RINO”.

Mr Trump wrote: “I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Continued...

Could new documentary about wrestling abuse be ‘game changer’ for Jim Jordan?

03:00 , Bevan Hurley

A major documentary on the Ohio State University (OSU) sexual abuse scandal that is expected to renew attention on then-OSU coach and now Republican Congressman Jim Jordan is currently in the middle of production.

The untitled Max (HBO) film, produced by George Clooney and directed by Academy Award-winner Eva Orner, will tell the story of decades of abuse by former OSU sports doctor Richard Strauss through the eyes of victims “including All American wrestlers and football players, many of whom have not spoken out until now”, the streaming site said in a statement last year.

A staffer at Clooney’s production house Smokehouse Pictures told The Independent they were “still thick in production on it”.

Attention on the scandal intensified in recent weeks as Jordan began his ill-fated run for House Speaker, only to be cast aside by the same chaotic forces he helped to foster within the party. Mr Jordan has denied any knowledge of the abuse by Strauss, despite numerous witnesses stating they discussed it with him directly.

Several victims have since gone on record to say that Mr Jordan’s alleged participation in the culture of silence that enabled Strauss’ abuse to go unpunished should have disqualified him from the speakership.

New doc on the wrestling abuse that dogged Jim Jordan’s Speaker run

Christie lashes out at House GOP over speaker chaos ‘embarrassment’

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Chris Christie berated members of his own party for their failure to elect a Speaker of the House on Monday as the GOP enters its fourth week of chaos in the lower chamber.

The GOP presidential candidate appeared on MSNBC where he urged the chamber to pick a Republican and unify around them before the essential functions of government were threatened by the stalemate.

As of Tuesday, the Republicans seemed no closer to selecting a leader. GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer was nominated by his caucus in a closed-door session only to see his bid begin dissolving minutes later, with more than two dozen holdouts materialising against him. Potentially his greatest opponent: Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, who denounced Mr Emmer in a social media posting on Tuesday.

Mr Christie, who has hinged his bid for the Republican nomination on a total repudiation of the far right and Donald Trump, took aim at that chaos the evening prior.

Continued...

Christie lashes out at House GOP ‘embarrassment’ over speaker chaos

Only Jesus Christ could get the votes for House speaker, says Trump

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has suggested that the only candidate able to receive the required number of votes to become speaker of the House would be Jesus Christ, possibly in an attempt to lock down evangelical Christian votes ahead of the 2024 Republican primary.

The former president was speaking to the press on Monday while filing to run in the New Hampshire primary, noting that only being able to lose four votes within the GOP House conference to become speaker makes it a difficult hurdle regardless of the candidate.

“That four threshold is very tough. It’s a very tough thing, no matter who it is. There’s only one person that can do it all the way. Do you know who that is? Jesus Christ,” Mr Trump said.

“If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be Speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it,” he added.

Mr Trump didn’t endorse any specific candidate, having spoken to several of them over the weekend.

Read more...

ICYMI: Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters in the afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounded by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump filed his name as a candidate in the 2024 election on Monday ahead of a rally in Derry, New Hampshire, where he is likely to address his ongoing legal battles as well as, potentially, some of his GOP rivals for the nomination. But he has largely depicted the 2024 Republican primary as decided, even going as far as refusing to attend debates with candidates who significantly trail him in the polls.

John Bowden reports.

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’

Tuesday 24 October 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump suggested his supporters don’t have to vote and compared himself to Nelson Mandela on Monday during an outlandish campaign speech in New Hampshire.

As the former president repeated familiar, baseless claims about previous elections being rigged and stolen from him, he told attendees in Derry they should monitor other voters instead of casting their own ballots.

“So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there and you got to watch those voters,” Mr Trump said. “You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch.”

The comments prompted criticism from a member of the Ron DeSantis campaign.

“This is the type of talk that loses elections,” press secretary Bryan Griffin wrote on X.

Continued...

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’ at New Hampshire rally

Today in court: Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:43 , Oliver O'Connell

On his first day on the witness stand in his former employer’s blockbuster fraud trial, Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen ended his testimony with a heated exchange with the former president’s attorneys determined to undermine Mr Trump’s one-time “fixer” and now star witness in the sprawling case against him.

Trump attorney Alina Habba, pacing the front of a lower Manhattan courtroom with a series of direct questions on 24 October, pressed Cohen to admit he previously lied to a federal judge and asked him whether his wife knew he committed tax crimes – an exchange that drew thunderous objections from Cohen and counsel with the office of New York Attorney General, whose lawsuit threatens to blow up Mr Trump’s business empire.

“Your honour, this witness is completely out of control,” Trump attorney Christopher Kise said.

Alex Woodward filed this full report from the courthouse:

Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

ICYMI: Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump bemoaned the fact that he was never described as “genius” after revealing to his followers that he had recently realised that the word “us” was spelled the same as “US”.

The former president questioned whether anybody else had ever thought to make the connection before, as he addressed supporters in New Hampshire on Monday, amid several ongoing criminal investigations into his conduct during his time in office.

During his rambling speech, Mr Trump compared himself to Nelson Mandela and later backed Jesus Christ to be the next Speaker of the House.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Mark Meadows, the ex-North Carolina congressman who served as Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff during his last year in office, has told prosecutors that he personally warned Mr Trump that claims of fraud tainting the 2020 election had no basis in reality.

According to ABC News, Mr Meadows admitted that the then-president had been “dishonest” with the American public when he began floating the outrageous allegations in the wake of his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden during one of several sessions with prosecutors — including sworn testimony before a federal grand jury”.

The former top White House aide reportedly told prosecutors: “Obviously we didn’t win”.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Mark Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

Voices: Tom Emmer was doomed before his speaker bid even began

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:07 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Good evening and welcome to the 21st day of the House Republican speaker thunderdome!

The latest victim: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

The Minnesota Republican barely got to enjoy the fact he emerged out of a nine-man (and only men ran for the office) Royal Rumble to win the House GOP conference’s nomination to be speaker of the House before he ultimately ended his bid. This came three weeks to the day since Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) turned the House of Representatives into Mojo Dojo Casa House and booted Kevin McCarthy.

After an all-night candidate forum on Monday and a process of elimination ballot in the Longworth House Office Building, Mr Emmer emerged as the winner.

On paper, he should be a perfect choice for the gavel.

Read the full article.

Emmer drops speaker bid after just four hours and one Trump attack

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s speaker bid lasted only four hours before he dropped out in the face of steadfast opposition from a number of rightwing members of the House Republican conference.

Mr Emmer won the nomination on Tuesday for speaker after five rounds of internal voting, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn’t reach the 217 votes needed on the floor of the House.

Mr Emmer and Rep Mike Johnson were the final two in the internal ballot after Rep Kevin Hern was booted in the fourth round and Rep Byron Donalds dropped out voluntarily.

Gustaf Kilander and Eric Garcia report from Washington, DC.

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer drops speaker bid after four hours

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

We end today with a pretty heated series of exchanges.

Habba is trying to undermine Cohen’s earlier testimony, showing that he has previously lied under oath, including in a case tied to financial documents (his taxes), in addition to his false testimony to Congress.

She cuts Cohen off when he tries to explain how he took the plea deal but didn’t necessarily agree with the charges against him.

“You’re not on Mea Culpa, you’re not on your podcast and you’re not on CNN. You’re here with me.”

Groans from the Attorney General’s table.

Habba’s cross-exam of Cohen will continue tomorrow.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba asked whether Cohen ever told his wife that “you were committing tax evasion.”

Cohen fired back, objecting to the question.

“Did your wife sign these returns?” she asked.

“So you lied to Judge Pauley, which we now established, but I’m supposed to [believe] you’re not going to lie to me now.”

Asked, again, if he lied under oath, Cohen said: “Asked and answered.”

Kise rises. “Your honour, this witness is out of control.”

Watch: Trump says he knows nothing about Ellis plea deal and says Emmer nomination looks ‘finished'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba takes Cohen through his various convictions and guilty pleas and showing a transcript from his 2018 plea hearing and court filings stating that he “used power and influence for deceptive ends”.

“Deception is a form of lying, is it not Mr Cohen?” she asked.

On the stand under questioning from Ms Habba, he admitted to committing perjury in that case.

Cross-examination of Cohen begins

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Alina Habba begins Team Trump’s cross-examination of Michael Cohen, former fixer for the former president.

Habba intends to ask only yes or no questions.

Her first is whether Cohen has any medical issues that would prevent him from testifying truthfully.

“Asked and answered,” he said.

“You are fully prepared to testify to me today?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“Under oath?”

“Yes.”

“And you understand what under oath means, right Mr Cohen?”

“I do.”

Cohen direct examination concludes

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Faherty says the evidence here displays a “pattern and practise” of fraudulent activity, with a “plethora of reasons why this evidence” is related to the NYAG’s complaint.

Kise continues to object.

Judge Engoron already determined that a trial isn’t necessary to prove fraud, and he’s extremely sceptical of the dubious claim that Trump was worth $8bn at any point, saying that it’s fair game to question that figure.

“Do you agree that Trump’s net worth was $8bn at the time?” he asked Faherty.

She laughed out a “no”.

And with that, the NY AG finishes its direct examination of Cohen.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Christopher Kise, once again objecting, said the documents shown relating to the bid for the Bills are irrelevant to the case; there was no transaction, and he’s not sure what the AG’s office is trying to prove or what fact is being established, pointing to the “danger” of presenting hypotheticals.

“They need to be moored, connected, to some actual cause of action,” he said.

Judge Engoron notes that Trump Organization comptroller Jeffrey McConney, who is a defendant, signed off on an attached statement of Trump’s financial condition.

Court resumes with more discussion of the failed Buffalo Bills purchase

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes for the final session of the day and NY AG counsel Colleen Faherty appears to be using the communications and documents from Trump et al surrounding the attempted purchase of the Buffalo Bills as an example of how Michael Cohen and others would pass financial statements to one another as well as other parties involved with the sale.

In this case, that’s Morgan Stanley, which compiled bids on behalf of the team. In one letter, Trump told Morgan Stanley: “I have a net worth in excess of Eight Billion Dollars”.

A July 2014 letter from Deutsche Bank to Morgan Stanley indicates that Trump put in a $1bn bid for the Bills sale, and that “based on our preliminary review” and his “current financial information … it is our assessment that [Mr Trump] would have the financial wherewithal” to make the purchase.

Cohen said Deutsche Bank would have made that assessment based on Trump’s allegedly fraudulent statement of financial condition, amended under Trump’s direction.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Christopher Kise says he has no idea why the AG’s office is asking about the Buffalo Bills non-sale.

Colleen Faherty with the AG’s office, who has been questioning Cohen, says her questions are well within the scope of the AG’s complaint, detailing how Trump and others pressed financial institutions for financing based on fraudulent documents.

“I think we can all agree that Mr Trump never owned the Buffalo Bills,” Judge Engoron said.

Court takes its afternoon break.

More on the attempted purchase of the Buffalo Bills

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Cohen is being asked about Trump’s 2014 attempt to buy the Buffalo Bills.

Earlier today, he mentioned relying on those inflated statements of financial condition “in order to demonstrate his ability to purchase the team.”

(Former Deutsche Bank executive Nicholas Haigh previously testified that the financial institution “was not willing to increase its credit exposure to Donald Trump at that time”.)

The deal, or the attempt of a deal, was arranged with Mr Trump, Weisselberg, Cohen, and Jason Greenblatt

“We had a meeting in Mr Trump’s office with members of Deutsche Bank’s team for the purpose of securing a loan that would be predicated off his assets, so that we could acquire or at least put in a bid,” Cohen said.

Trump attorney Christopher Kise objects, saying that Cohen is not “an expert on NFL acquisitions.”

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen tells NY AG counsel Colleen Faherty that worked on the statement of financial condition for a number of years with Allen Weisselberg and he being asked to boost asset values by Mr Trump.

This stopped in 2016 as Trump ran for the White House. Said Cohen: “I was busy doing other things.”

Asked how the statements were used, Cohen says in 2013 he used one for a meeting with a journalist from the New York real estate publication The Real Deal for a story on Trump’s net worth. He says he allowed her to see the document and take notes but not to make a copy.

Recalling another occasion in which it was used, he said: “When Mr Trump was interested in putting in a bid for the Buffalo Bills, we used that statement in order to demonstrate his ability to purchase the team.”

He adds that this was done at Trump’s direction.

Earlier: Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Jenna Ellis, one of the group of attorneys charged as a co-defendant of Donald Trump in the sprawling Georgia election subversion indictment, broke down in tears in court as she took a plea deal.

She became the fourth of 19 defendants in the case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to plead guilty, and a third member of the former president’s inner circle of attorneys to turn into a cooperating witness.

A new charging document filed by the clerk of the Fulton County Superior Court on 24 October charges her with one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.

Continued...

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Cohen asked which assets he inflated in value

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen testifies that Donald Trump’s adult children were involved in the valuations of the properties on projects they headed — thought when pressed by Judge Engoron accepts he did not personally see that.

Asked which properties he did inflate the valuations of, he responds that among other assets were “possibly” Trump Tower, Trump Park Avenue, The Trump World Tower UN, 100 Central Park South, the Mansion at Seven Springs, and the Miss Universe Pageants.

Trump hush money lawyer joins Eric Trump for Cohen testimony

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Todd Blanche, who represents Donald Trump on most of his criminal cases, has come to court to watch Michael Cohen’s testimony.

Mr Cohen will almost certainly be a witness in the Stormy Daniels hush money case when that comes to trial.

Meanwhile, back in court...

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen describes how Donald Trump would order him and Allen Weisselberg to manipulate the value of assets to meet the net-worth that he wanted to see in his statements of financial condition.

He described how he would receive a phone call from Mr Trump’s executive assistant telling him “Mr Trump would like to see you,” and he then would meet with him and Weisselberg at his office.

The topic was his statement of financial condition. They would look at his assets, and Trump would say “I’m actually not worth $4.5bn, I’m actually worth six,” and he would then “direct Allen and I to go to Allen’s office and not return until we achieved the desired goal.”

Trump slams ‘Globalist RINO’ Tom Emmer as GOP Majority Whip wins party speaker nomination

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is not happy about who came out on top of the latest Republican Party speaker nominee battle, attacking the Minnesota rep as a “Globalist RINO”.

Here’s what the former president had to say:

I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He fought me all the way, and actually spent more time defending Ilhan Omar, than he did me—He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters. I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win? The Republican Party cannot take that chance, because that’s not where the America First Voters are. Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!

There has now been no Speaker of the House for three weeks and Mr Emmer will likely struggle to turn those against him to “yes” votes.

Mr Trump’s own pick, Ohio Rep Jim Jordan, failed to secure the number of votes needed on the floor of the House and then lost the party’s nomination in a closed-door secret ballot last week.

Mr Emmer voted to certify the 2020 election results showing Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency.

Just yesterday the former president said he was staying out of the speaker fight and that he had “always gotten on well” with Mr Emmer.

What a difference a day makes.

Court about to resume

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

There was a definite vibe shift when Michael Cohen was sworn in. He spoke loudly and deliberately, pausing frequently to choose his words precisely. The only other sounds were an occasional creaky seat and reporters’ hammering at their keyboards to capture his testimony.

Trump has mostly been sitting upright with his arms crossed, occasionally leaning forward, but he spent the first part of Cohen’s testimony staring at him intently.

Trump suggests Kim Jong-Un has been in contact with him about Biden

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appeared to suggest that he was still in contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that the North Korean dictator had criticised the presidency of Joe Biden with him.

The former president, addressing supporters in New Hampshire, said Mr Kim was “getting very anxious again” and had called Mr Biden “a very bad word”.

At the rally on Monday, Mr Trump spoke about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, telling those gathered that “everybody felt safe when I was president”.

Read more...

Trump suggests Kim Jong-un has been in contact with him to criticise Biden

Trump attacks judge, AG and ‘her thugs, many of whom now have Covid'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:40 , Oliver O'Connell

As the court broke for lunch, not only did Donald Trump grab his chance to speak to the cameras in the hallway of the courthouse, but he also took to Truth Social to bash the “Radio Left Democrat” judge and New York Attorney General “Letitia James and her Thugs, many of whom now have Covid”.

Here’s the former president’s full post:

In the courtroom of the Biden inspired A.G. case in Lower Manhattan - Election Interference. If we had any other Judge, this case would have been thrown out years ago. He is a Radical Left Democrat who is totally controlled by Letitia James and her Thugs, many of whom now have Covid, but did not tell any of us who were dealing with them in the close confines of Court. In fact, they lost another Thug to Covid today. Judge would not delay this SCAM, Election Interference, No Jury Case. Judicial and Prosecutorial Misconduct!

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyers fired a shotgun blast of legal motions overnight aimed at seeing the Justice Department’s case against him for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election thrown out of court or significantly reduced in scope.

In four motions filed to Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Trump legal team made a smattering of arguments aimed at hindering or thwarting his prosecution entirely. His attorneys put forth arguments on the grounds of prosecutorial bias, insufficient evidence, improper procedure and even double jeopardy.

The motions were filed on a day that saw yet another blow to the former president’s legal defence efforts: A fourth guilty plea, and the third from a member of his legal team, in Georgia where a state-run prosecution of the Trump campaign’s efforts to alter the election results is well underway.

John Bowden has the latest from Washington, DC.

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

As Cohen testifies, Trump’s truth social account posts flattering quotes from former fixer

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:05 , Oliver O'Connell

As Michael Cohen testifies against his former boss, flattering statements made by him about Donald Trump have been posted to the former president’s Truth Social account:

“Trump lawyer Michael Cohen told The Huffington Post that Trump is worth ‘a lot … substantially more than what’s recorded in Forbes.’ ‘They don’t take into account the value of the Trump brand, of the mark, one of the most valuable marks that’s ever been created,’ Cohen said. ‘He has very little debt, triple-A assets.’” (HuffPost, April 2011)

“Mr. Trump is more than just a boss to those of us who have been fortunate enough to be close to him, both professionally and personally,” he said in an interview. “He’s more like a patriarch, a mentor. These qualities make him very endearing to me, which is why I am so fiercely loyal to him and committed to protecting him at all costs.” (Interview with The New York Times, December 2016)

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:56 , Oliver O'Connell

The court is shown a 30 June 2011 statement of financial condition which Cohen says he recognises.

“I was tasked by Mr Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected and my responsibility along with Allen Weisselberg, predominantly, was to reverse engineer the various different asset classes, increase those assets, in order to achieve the number that Mr Trump had tasked us with,” he said.

What number was that? counsel asked.

“Whatever number Mr Trump told us to,” he replied.

The court breaks for lunch.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen confirms he was involved in the potential acquisition of the Buffalo Bills NFL team and the Miami Doral property.

He is shown statements of financial condition from several years.

They appear on screens on either side of the court as well as on screen in front of the AG counsel and defence.

Trump appears to be looking straight ahead.

Cohen explains reporting lines of Trump Organization

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump all held the title of senior vice president, development and acquisitions, all the top level of the Trump Organization hierarchy and reported directly to their father, Cohen said.

Convicted former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg handled “every financial transaction went through his office”.

“If there was an invoice, that came to me, I would be required to approve that invoice … and that would then get presented to Allen,” Cohen said.

Cohen confirmed he had seen and worked on Trump’s statements of financial condition, the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case.

“It was to be used for purposes of demonstrating net worth, for acquisitions, for insurance purposes.”

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill...

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer has won the Republican nomination for speaker after five rounds of internal voting.

Only Mr Emmer and Rep Mike Johnson remained in the speaker’s race after Rep Kevin Hern was booted on the fourth round of internal voting and Rep Byron Donalds dropped out voluntarily.

Mr Emmer won the first round of voting for the speaker nomination receiving 78 votes, with Rep Mike Johnson coming in second with 34 votes.

Mr Emmer’s lead grew in the second round, gaining 12 votes. Mr Johnson remained in second, gaining three votes. In the third ballot, Mr Emmer got 100 votes, 107 on the fourth, and finally 117 on the fifth.

The GOP spent hours behind closed doors in a candidate forum on Monday night.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer wins Republican speaker nomination

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen says his “special counsel” title meant that he was just working for Donald Trump and not the Trump Organization as a whole.

"He would bring to me, whatever he needed resolved,” Cohen said explaining that his role existed outside the legal department.

"When I started, Jason Greenblatt was general counsel, alongside George Ross."

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen is being questioned by Colleen Faherty of the NYAG’s office concerning the various charges of which he was convicted.

Mr Cohen’s charge for lying to Congress concerned the number of times that he stated to the Senate permanent select committee on intelligence about the failed Trump Tower Moscow project.

“I had stated three. The true answer was 10. I did that at the direction of, in concert with, and for the benefit of Mr Trump,” he said

For each crime, he answers that they were performed while working under the Trump Organization for “Donald J Trump.”

Concerning his employment history, he said he started working for Mr Trump in 2007 when he became an executive vice president and special counsel to him and the Trump Organization.

“After Mr Trump, there were a dozen-plus … including three children, and others were vice presidents. … It was basically a title of standing.”

Full story: Michael Cohen takes stand in front of Donald Trump in New York fraud trial

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:22 , Oliver O'Connell

A civil fraud trial stemming from a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Donald Trump entered its fourth week with an appearance from one of his own former longtime attorneys, now a star witness against him in a case that could see his business empire in New York collapse.

It has been five years since Mr Trump’s one-time “fixer” Michael Cohen has been in the same room with Mr Trump. On 24 October, he was called to the witness stand to testify against him inside a courtroom in lower Manhattan just several feet away from the former president.

Alex Woodward reports for The Independent from inside the courtroom.

Michael Cohen testifies in front of Donald Trump in New York fraud trial

New witness: Michael Cohen, former Trump attorney and ‘fixer'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen enters the courtroom and takes the witness stand for this testimony in former boss Donald Trump’s civil fraud case in New York.

Mr Trump is sated upright with his arms crossed staring at Mr Cohen on the witness stand.

Beginning his testimony, Mr Cohen reviews the federal convictions against him after pleading guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of misrepresentation to a financial institution, two counts of campaign finance violations, and a count of misrepresentation to Congress in 2018.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports from the courtroom:

Things are getting heated and Donald Trump does not look thrilled. Counsel with the attorney general’s office interrupted Suarez after he kept framing questions with a long preamble. The judge is getting angry with Suarez for failing to ask questions and instead using his time to give speeches.

“This is the kind of harassment I’ve had to deal with, you’ve had to deal with,” Suarez said.

Judge Engoron told Suarez to move along.

Christopher Kise interrupts: “You’re not serious about the clock, are you… This never happened during their (time with witness).”

There wasn’t any question from Suarez in the middle of that, after all. They were ostensibly discussing whether Mazars ever found “material discrepancies” in their review of financial documents.

“Let’s get the next witness,” Judge Engoron says.

Court resumes after morning break

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:09 , Oliver O'Connell

After a 10-minute break that actually lasted 15 minutes, much to Judge Engoron’s annoyance, court resumes and the cross-examination of Mr Kelly continues.

Suarez says he only has another 15 minutes to go with the witness, meaning Michael Cohen might be on the stand before lunch.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 16:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

So far, the defence strategy has been to blame the accountants (if anything is considered fraud).

Bill Kelly, an attorney for former Trump accounting firm Mazars USA, testified that, when Mazars received documents to perform a review of financial condition, the firm relied on a number of other reviews and investigations, other than talking to Trump about it.

"After all of these years, 30 years with Mazars....when the New York attorney general files a claim, you take them at their word and never once consult with your...client?” Trump attorney Jesus Suarez asked. “You just kicked him to the curb, right?”

“We did not kick him to the curb,” Kelly replied.

As the court breaks for 10 minutes, Justice Arthur Engoron asked Mr Trump’s lawyers about speeding things up.

Christopher Kise complains the judge never asks the Attorney General’s side to move things along.

Justice Engoron says he doesn’t accept that representation.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 16:21 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, Bill Kelly of Mazars is pressed about the work of Donald Bender, who testified in the first week of the trial, and whether he had confidence in his approach to the financial statements of the Trump Organization.

Mr Kelly says he had no concerns over Mr Bender’s work. In his earlier testimony, Mr Bender claimed the Trump Organization withheld records from him.

The defence is using Mr Kelly to try to undermine previous testimony from Mr Bender, who implicated Trump and his chief associates across several days of testimony in the former president’s allegedly fraudulent statements of financial condition, the documents at the centre of the case.

Only Jesus Christ could get the votes for House speaker, says Trump

Tuesday 24 October 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has suggested that the only candidate able to receive the required number of votes to become speaker of the House would be Jesus Christ, possibly in an attempt to lock down evangelical Christian votes ahead of the 2024 Republican primary.

The former president was speaking to the press on Monday while filing to run in the New Hampshire primary, noting that only being able to lose four votes within the GOP House conference to become speaker makes it a difficult hurdle regardless of the candidate.

“That four threshold is very tough. It’s a very tough thing, no matter who it is. There’s only one person that can do it all the way. Do you know who that is? Jesus Christ,” Mr Trump said.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump claims only Jesus Christ could get the votes for House speaker

Trump allies frame Tom Emmer as ‘anti-Trump’ speaker candidate

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Allies of former president Donald Trump have begun working to take down the speakership bid of House GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Those close to Mr Trump began sniping at the Minnesota lawmaker in the media on Friday, with far-right outlet Real America’s Voice declaring that Mr Emmer is “Nancy Pelosi in a suit”.

Mr Emmer has frantically been trying to quash the narrative that he’s not supportive of former president Donald Trump.

Mr Emmer and his staff worked overtime over the weekend making calls, including one to Mr Trump. The call between Mr Trump and Mr Emmer has been described as cordial, even as Mr Trump has been telling associates that he doesn’t want Mr Emmer as speaker, bothered by his vote to certify the 2020 election and believing that he hasn’t been sufficiently defending him in public amidst his broadening legal woes.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

Trump allies are railing against ‘anti-Trump’ Tom Emmer for speaker

Court hears on end of Mazars' relationship with Trump

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Kelly talked about his role in Mazars’ compilation of Donald Trump’s annual statements of financial condition.

He says his involvement began in 2019 and was to deal with the subpoenas the firm received from various government bodies investigating Mr Trump and his businesses, including Congress, the Manhattan District Attorney, and the New York Attorney General.

Mr Kelly says Mazars decided to stop working for the Trump Organization in May 2021.

“We received information, and circumstances had changed as such that we made the decision to discontinue services to the Trump Organization,” he says, adding that the decision came about in connection with a subpoena from the Manhattan DA regarding CFO Allen Weisselberg’s activity at the Trump Organization.

“[Weisselberg] was our main contact at the Trump Organization for… providing us financial information,” Mr Kelly says. "If his representations to us...[were] compromised, we could no longer rely on him as CFO and we could no longer perform our engagements.”

The court was shown a subsequent letter from Mazars to Weisselberg, saying that Trump’s statements of financial condition from 2011 to 2020, which the firm helped prepare, should no longer be relied upon.

Watch: Jenna Ellis tears up delivering statement to court

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:23 , Oliver O'Connell

“I failed to do my due diligence. I believe in and I value election integrity,” says Ellis. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges. I look back on this whole experience with deep remorse.”

New witness: William Kelly, general counsel, Mazars

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:21 , Oliver O'Connell

First up on the witness stand is William (Bill) Kelly, the general counsel for Donald Trump’s former outside accounting firm Mazars.

Mr Kelly is testifying pursuant to a subpoena.

Watch: Trump says Cohen ‘is a proven liar’ and ‘a felon'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:14 , Oliver O'Connell

“[Michael Cohen] is a proven liar ... a felon, served a lot of time as a liar ... He's a liar trying to get a better deal for himself, but it's not going to work,” says Donald Trump on his way into the courtroom.

Proceedings begin with complaint about Covid-19 precautions

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Christopher Kise begins proceedings by saying that four members of the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s team had tested positive for Covid [hence no court yesterday], and no precautions were taken until the weekend.

He says they likely exposed Trump’s team, the court staff and others in the courtroom.

“It seems … that nothing else matters except pursuing President Trump. … Frankly, it’s irresponsible,” said Kise.

“We have the leading candidate for the president of the United States in this courtroom. Exposing that risk… If I had not notified the court of some risk, the attorney general would be up in arms.”

They argue that there is no reason to proceed under these circumstances, but counsel for the Attorney General’s office says they’ve been following all CDC guidelines.

Judge Arthur Engoron says: “Masks are available. I’m going to proceed.”

Former Trump fixer Cohen arrives at courthouse

Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen has arrived at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan for his highly anticipated testimony in the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump.

He is not the first witness on the stand today.

Former president Trump, wearing a blue tie and blue shirt, is seated at the defence table between lawyers Christopher Kise and Alina Habba.

Trump New York fraud trial about to resume in Lower Manhattan

Tuesday 24 October 2023 14:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports from inside the courtroom:

A civil fraud trial stemming from a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Donald Trump begins its fourth week with testimony from one of his own former longtime attorneys, now a star witness against him in a case that could see his business empire in New York collapse.

New York County’s Supreme Court in lower Manhattan was busier than usual on Tuesday morning, as a crowd of reporters and photographers snaked their way through two security checkpoints into Judge Arthur Engoron’s courtroom, where the former president is expected to sit across from one-time “fixer” Michael Cohen when he takes the witness stand.

Judge Engoron has already determined that a trial isn’t necessary to prove Attorney General Letitia James’s allegations that Mr Trump, his adult sons and chief business associates fraudulently inflated his net worth and assets over a decade to obtain favourable financial benefits.

He determined that a court-appointed monitor would oversee the dissolution of his businesses in the state, though a state appeals court has blocked that decision for now.

Cohen – who was imprisoned after pleading guilty in 2018 to tax and campaign finance violations and lying to Congress – also was involved with the alleged hush-money payments at the centre of a separate criminal case in New York charging Mr Trump with falsifying business records to snuff out compromising stories of his affairs in the leadup to the 2016 election.

Earlier this month, the former president dropped his own $500m lawsuit against his former attorney accusing him of causing “vast reputational harm” for speaking about the hush-money payments.

Mr Trump’s expected return to court on Tuesday also marks his first appearance at the trial – which he is not obligated to attend – since he was hit with a $5,000 fine for violating a gag order that prohibits any party in the case from disparaging court staff.

The former president has repeatedly lashed out at Ms James and Judge Engoron, and he posted false claims about the judge’s chief clerk on his Truth Social, which drew the gag order in the first place. A version of the post remained on his website, prompting the judge to hit him with a fine with a warning that he could face severe consequences if he breached the order again.

Breaking: Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

Tuesday 24 October 2023 14:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Jenna Ellis, one of the group of attorneys charged as a co-defendant of Donald Trump in the sprawling Georgia election subversion indictment, is taking a plea deal.

She becomes the fourth of 19 defendants in the case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to plead guilty.

A new charging document was filed by the clerk of the Fulton County Superior Court with one count listed, that of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.

This is a developing story...

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Watch: DeSantis campaign creates Trump blooper reel from New Hampshire speech

Tuesday 24 October 2023 14:40 , Oliver O'Connell

...and it was retweeted by the Biden-Harris campaign.

Liz Cheney keeps 2024 rumours alive in CNN interview

Tuesday 24 October 2023 14:15 , John Bowden

One of the GOP’s most prominent Trump critics could enter the race against him for the Republican nomination in 2024.

In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, she described Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, as “the single most dangerous threat that we face” and pledged to spend the next year “helping to elect serious people, helping to elect sane people” from both parties. And she wouldn’t rule out running against him.

WATCH LIVE: Trump expected to appear as fraud case continues in New York

Tuesday 24 October 2023 13:56 , Rachel Sharp

WATCH: Trump compares himself to Nelson Mandela

Tuesday 24 October 2023 13:45 , Rachel Sharp

Liz Cheney: Trump and his supporters are fuelling domestic threats against lawmakers during House Speaker chaos

Tuesday 24 October 2023 13:15 , John Bowden

While Republican lawmakers scramble to vote for a new House Speaker three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy and repeatedly failing to rally around a successor, Liz Cheney is pinning the blame on the former speaker.

Mr McCarthy was “looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan,” she told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Mr Jordan was among the most prolific and vocal Republican lawmakers supporting efforts to overturn 2020 election results. He repeatedly failed this week to rally support among his GOP colleagues for House Speaker.

Domestic threats against lawmakers during the chaos are “absolutely being driven by Donald Trump and, unfortunately, some of his supporters,” she told CBS Face the Nation.

WATCH: Trump claims he is 'genius' for realising 'us' is spelled the same as 'US'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 12:45 , Rachel Sharp

Rolling Stone: Trump planning US withdrawal from NATO if he wins in 2024

Tuesday 24 October 2023 12:15 , John Bowden

A new report from Rolling Stone has revealed that Donald Trump is already working with allies on the far right on plans to withdraw the US from Nato should he be elected president in 2024.

Long thought to be a goal of Mr Trump’s, a US withdrawal from the anti-Russia alliance would be a massive blow to regional security across Europe and to some extent in the Middle East and Africa as well. It would also empower both Russia and China at a time when the two eastern powers are competing with the US on a number of strategic and economic issues.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

Michael Cohen vows to speak ‘truth to power’ ahead of testimony in Trump civil trial

Tuesday 24 October 2023 11:45 , Rachel Sharp

“I will continue to speak truth to power…no matter Donald’s continued smear and harassment campaign against me,” Cohen posted on X on Monday.

Voices: For Trump, power means getting away with crimes – and boasting about it

Tuesday 24 October 2023 11:15 , John Bowden

“The latest revelations from an Australian businessman reflect once again what the former president really cares about – the power to commit crimes and hurt people and never be held accountable,” writes Noah Berlatsky for The Independent.

For Trump, power means getting away with crimes – and boasting about it

From fixer to foe: Trump and Cohen’s backstory

Tuesday 24 October 2023 10:45 , Rachel Sharp

Cohen spent time in jail over his work for Mr Trump before he became the so-called star witness in the first criminal case brought against the former president.

In the lead-up to the 2016 election, Cohen – then Mr Trump’s attorney and fixer – made hush money payments on behalf of Mr Trump to silence women about the alleged affairs they had with him.

Cohen was later convicted of tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison.

This April, Mr Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over the hush money payments.

According to the indictment, the “catch and kill” campaign allegedly involved Mr Trump and Cohen making hush money payments during the 2016 run to suppress negative information about him by silencing individuals over alleged affairs he had with women.

Three specific alleged affairs and hush money payments were mentioned in the charging documents – a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, a $150,000 to former playboy model Karen McDougal and a $30,000 payment to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed he had information that Mr Trump had fathered a child with a woman while married to Melania Trump.

Mr Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” the charging documents read.

Prior to Mr Trump’s indictment and arrest, Cohen had testified to the grand jury in the case and was said to be the “star witness”.

Mr Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the criminal case and has denied having affairs.

While there has been no love lost between the two men for some time, they are now poised to come face-to-face with one another again over a different case in New York.

Mr Trump attended the first three days of the trial, repeatedly railing against the case to reporters in the courtroom corridors in between the court sessions.

This week, Mr Trump’s longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg took the stand in the trial.

Weisselberg – who has recently been released from prison after he was convicted of tax fraud at the Trump Organization – was grilled about his credibility, suggesting that a $2m severance package was payment for protecting the former president.

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

Tuesday 24 October 2023 10:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters this afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounding by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Watch the moment here:

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

Trump and Michael Cohen prepare for showdown in New York court

Tuesday 24 October 2023 09:47 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump is expected to come face to face with Michael Cohen for the first time in years at his $250m civil fraud trial in New York.

Cohen, the former president’s onetime attorney and “fixer”, is expected to take the witness stand to testify in the case on Tuesday.

Mr Trump is also expected to be in court for a long-anticipated showdown between the two men.

“It’s been 5 years since we have seen one another. I look forward to the reunion. I hope Donald does as well,” Cohen said in a text message to the AP earlier this month.

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit back in September 2022 accusing Mr Trump, his adult sons Don Jr and Eric, the Trump Organization and several executives of widespread business fraud including overinflating the company’s value for years.

Mr Trump has already been found liable for fraud – in a bombshell ruling from the judge just days before the case was headed to trial.

Judge Engoron ruled that Mr Trump, his adult sons, businesses and some of their executives “grossly and materially inflated” the value of the Trump Organization’s assets for more than a decade.

By deceiving banks, insurers and others by exaggerating the value of assets, the company was able to secure more favourable business deals and loans, the judge found.

Now, the judge will determine what penalties Mr Trump should face.

AG James is seeking $250m in penalties from Mr Trump and for him to be banned from doing business in New York – something that would be a major blow to his business empire and see his namesake buildings like Trump Tower shutter.

Trump initiates feud with Australian billionaire over leaked audio

Tuesday 24 October 2023 08:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump branded Australian businessman Anthony Pratt “a red haired weirdo” in a Truth Social posting late Sunday evening after news outlets including The New York Times obtained audio of Mr Pratt making bold claims about his conversations with the former president.

In the audio, published over the weekend, Mr Pratt describes how the former president supposedly shared with him sensitive information including details about US nuclear submarine capabilities, candid descriptions of his calls with foreign leaders, and other secrets. It’s far from the first time Mr Trump has been credibly accused of having done so.

“The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden “Political Opponent Abuser” DOJ, about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News,” wrote Mr Trump in response.

Read more:

Trump brands Anthony Pratt ‘a red haired weirdo’ over leaked audio

Key revelations from leaked audio of Australian billionaire bragging about what Trump told him

Tuesday 24 October 2023 07:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is once again at the centre of explosive leaked audio — this time after an Australian billionaire and member of his Mar-a-Lago club gabbed about his extensive conversations with the former president.

Anthony Pratt, a businessman and chairman of Visy Industries, was heard on the tapes describing how Mr Trump would objectify his own wife and brag about his access to world leaders and US national security secrets as he sought to impress his friends and colleagues in the business world. Audio of Mr Pratt making those remarks was published by 60 Minutes Australia over the weekend.

Take a look at what Mr Pratt is alleging:

Key revelations from leaked audio of Australian billionaire bragging about Trump talk

Rolling Stone: Trump planning US withdrawal from NATO if he wins in 2024

Tuesday 24 October 2023 06:15 , John Bowden

A new report from Rolling Stone has revealed that Donald Trump is already working with allies on the far right on plans to withdraw the US from Nato should he be elected president in 2024.

Long thought to be a goal of Mr Trump’s, a US withdrawal from the anti-Russia alliance would be a massive blow to regional security across Europe and to some extent in the Middle East and Africa as well. It would also empower both Russia and China at a time when the two eastern powers are competing with the US on a number of strategic and economic issues.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

Trump wanted Melania to don bikini in Mar-a-Lago for his friends, leaked audio reveals

Tuesday 24 October 2023 05:15 , John Bowden

A newly leaked audio clip has revealed that Donald Trump allegedly told Melania to walk around Mar-a-Lago in a bikini to show his friends “what they were missing”.

It’s part of the explosive claims being made by Anthony Pratt, an Australian businessman and Mar-a-Lago club member, in new audio obtained by 60 Minutes Australia and The New York Times.

Read more:

Trump allegedly wanted Melania to don bikini in Mar-a-Lago for friends

ICYMI: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Tuesday 24 October 2023 03:15 , John Bowden

The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has agreed to temporarily lift a narrow gag order on the former president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan had put the order in place to limit Mr Trump’s public statements about the federal criminal case, in which he is accused of illegally attempting to undo his 2020 loss.

The Friday ruling allows Mr Trump’s lawyers time to prove why his comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has more:

Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

Tuesday 24 October 2023 02:15 , John Bowden

Sidney Powell is the latest Trumpworld figure to be publicly rejected by Donald Trump after she pleaded guilty to election interference charges in Georgia in a case with the former president at its centre.

This week’s surprise guilty pleas from Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro – the architect of a fraudulent scheme to replace state electors with Trump loyalists – appeared to have caught the former president off-guard, as two of the biggest names yet from his former inner circle agreed to cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors and testify in upcoming trials.

Their new roles as cooperating witnesses in Georgia’s sweeping criminal case targeting Mr Trump and a dozen others could pose a significant legal threat to the former president as he enters several criminal and civil proceedings while he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination.

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

Trump, GOP candidates and Republican lawmakers don’t want Gaza refugees in the US

Tuesday 24 October 2023 01:15 , John Bowden

House Republicans and GOP candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination want the US to deny entry to Palestinians fleeing the crisis in Gaza, but decades-long international agreements have already complicated the resettlement process for many Palestinians, and the US does not intend to change course.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and are sheltering in the south of Gaza while others are stranded in its north following a barrage of Israeli strikes and a “complete siege” that has cut off food, water and fuel.

A group of House Republicans have introduced legislation to block them from coming into the US, and Donald Trump and other candidates for the Republican nomination in 2024 have pledge to reject them.

Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates reject Gaza refugees

ICYMI: Trump’s fraud trial will resume on Tuesday

Tuesday 24 October 2023 00:28 , John Bowden

The fourth week of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will be delayed by at least one day due to Covid-19 exposures. The trial will resume on Tuesday at the earliest, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The court is expected to hear testimony this week from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, a star witness for Ms James’s team. His testimony was delayed last week following an unrelated medical procedure.

Last week, Mr Trump was fined $5,000 for violating Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order that blocked all parties from disparaging court staff. Though he deleted a post on his Truth Social insulting a court clerk, which initially prompted the gag order, Mr Trump had kept a copy of the post on his website.

‘I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela’, Trump declares

Tuesday 24 October 2023 00:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump compared himself to South African civil rights hero Nelson Mandela on Monday as his legal woes deepened with the guilty pleas of two of his former attorneys.

The ex-president was speaking in Derry, New Hampshire, after officially registering for the state’s GOP primary.

Trump backs Jesus Christ for House Speaker

Monday 23 October 2023 23:50 , Mike Bedigan

Liz Cheney: Trump and his supporters are fuelling domestic threats against lawmakers during House Speaker chaos

Monday 23 October 2023 22:26 , John Bowden

While Republican lawmakers scramble to vote for a new House Speaker three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy and repeatedly failing to rally around a successor, Liz Cheney is pinning the blame on the former speaker.

Mr McCarthy was “looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan,” she told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Mr Jordan was among the most prolific and vocal Republican lawmakers supporting efforts to overturn 2020 election results. He repeatedly failed this week to rally support among his GOP colleagues for House Speaker.

Domestic threats against lawmakers during the chaos are “absolutely being driven by Donald Trump and, unfortunately, some of his supporters,” she told CBS Face the Nation.

Rolling Stone: Trump planning US withdrawal from NATO if he wins in 2024

Monday 23 October 2023 22:11 , John Bowden

A new report from Rolling Stone has revealed that Donald Trump is already working with allies on the far right on plans to withdraw the US from Nato should he be elected president in 2024.

Long thought to be a goal of Mr Trump’s, a US withdrawal from the anti-Russia alliance would be a massive blow to regional security across Europe and to some extent in the Middle East and Africa as well. It would also empower both Russia and China at a time when the two eastern powers are competing with the US on a number of strategic and economic issues.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

Key revelations from leaked audio of Australian billionaire bragging about what Trump told him

Monday 23 October 2023 21:32 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is once again at the centre of explosive leaked audio — this time after an Australian billionaire and member of his Mar-a-Lago club gabbed about his extensive conversations with the former president.

Anthony Pratt, a businessman and chairman of Visy Industries, was heard on the tapes describing how Mr Trump would objectify his own wife and brag about his access to world leaders and US national security secrets as he sought to impress his friends and colleagues in the business world. Audio of Mr Pratt making those remarks was published by 60 Minutes Australia over the weekend.

Take a look at what Mr Pratt is alleging:

Key revelations from leaked audio of Australian billionaire bragging about Trump talk

Voices: For Trump, power means getting away with crimes – and boasting about it

Monday 23 October 2023 21:16 , John Bowden

“The latest revelations from an Australian businessman reflect once again what the former president really cares about – the power to commit crimes and hurt people and never be held accountable,” writes Noah Berlatsky for The Independent.

For Trump, power means getting away with crimes – and boasting about it

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

Monday 23 October 2023 20:32 , John Bowden

Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters this afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounding by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Watch the moment here:

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

ICYMI: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Monday 23 October 2023 18:51 , John Bowden

The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has agreed to temporarily lift a narrow gag order on the former president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan had put the order in place to limit Mr Trump’s public statements about the federal criminal case, in which he is accused of illegally attempting to undo his 2020 loss.

The Friday ruling allows Mr Trump’s lawyers time to prove why his comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has more:

Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Liz Cheney keeps 2024 rumours alive in CNN interview

Monday 23 October 2023 18:31 , John Bowden

One of the GOP’s most prominent Trump critics could enter the race against him for the Republican nomination in 2024.

In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, she described Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, as “the single most dangerous threat that we face” and pledged to spend the next year “helping to elect serious people, helping to elect sane people” from both parties. And she wouldn’t rule out running against him.

Who is Anthony Pratt? Trump alleged to have told Australian sensitive information

Monday 23 October 2023 17:53 , John Bowden

Who is this Mar-a-Lago club member claiming that Donald Trump blabbed about US state secrets?

Mr Trump claims that he never disclosed highly classified information about American nuclear-powered submarines and their weaponry to Anthony Pratt, the wealthy Australian whose leaked audio sparked a firestorm over the weekend.

Get to know the latest ally of the former president whose remarks make him the latest in a growing list of people who have said that Mr Trump was careless with sensitive information.

Who is Anthony Pratt? Trump alleged to have told Australian sensitive information

Trumpworld rallies behind Byron Donalds

Monday 23 October 2023 17:08 , John Bowden

Supporters of Donald Trump are mobilising behind Rep Byron Donalds, a second-term member of the House, as he runs for the speakership this week.

Republicans are now in their third week of total disfunction and chaos as their caucus, which controls the chamber through a single-digit majority, seems unable to settle on a candidate for Speaker of the House. Democrats remain united behind Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of their caucus.

Over the weekend, Mr Donalds’s candidacy was endorsed by fellow Florida Republicans such as Carlos Gimenez and Cory Mills.

But he faces numerous rivals also seeking the nomination, including Tom Emmer, the House Majority Whip whose candidacy is supported by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The Republican caucus is meeting today for a candidate forum as they prepare for a third attempt at finding a replacement for Mr McCarthy who can reach 218 votes — the magic number needed to vote in a Speaker given the current standings of the GOP and Democrats in the lower chamber.

Trump wanted Melania to don bikini in Mar-a-Lago for his friends, leaked audio reveals

Monday 23 October 2023 16:48 , John Bowden

A newly leaked audio clip has revealed that Donald Trump allegedly told Melania to walk around Mar-a-Lago in a bikini to show his friends “what they were missing”.

It’s part of the explosive claims being made by Anthony Pratt, an Australian businessman and Mar-a-Lago club member, in new audio obtained by 60 Minutes Australia and The New York Times.

Read more:

Trump allegedly wanted Melania to don bikini in Mar-a-Lago for friends

Trump to make New Hampshire appearance today

Monday 23 October 2023 15:57 , John Bowden

Donald Trump will be in New Hampshire today as he officially files to run in the state’s GOP primary.

He is set to host a rally this afternoon in Derry after submitting his filing at the state house. He is the far-and-away favourite to win the state’s primary election as of today, with his closest rivals trailing him by significant margins in all available polling.

Trump initiates feud with Australian billionaire over leaked audio

Monday 23 October 2023 15:34 , John Bowden

Donald Trump branded Australian businessman Anthony Pratt “a red haired weirdo” in a Truth Social posting late Sunday evening after news outlets including The New York Times obtained audio of Mr Pratt making bold claims about his conversations with the former president.

In the audio, published over the weekend, Mr Pratt describes how the former president supposedly shared with him sensitive information including details about US nuclear submarine capabilities, candid descriptions of his calls with foreign leaders, and other secrets. It’s far from the first time Mr Trump has been credibly accused of having done so.

“The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden “Political Opponent Abuser” DOJ, about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News,” wrote Mr Trump in response.

Read more:

Trump brands Anthony Pratt ‘a red haired weirdo’ over leaked audio

ICYMI: Trump’s fraud trial will resume on Tuesday

Monday 23 October 2023 14:00 , Alex Woodward

The fourth week of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will be delayed by at least one day due to Covid-19 exposures. The trial will pause on Monday and resume on Tuesday at the earliest, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The trial is expected to hear testimony this week from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, a star witness for Ms James’s team. His testimony was delayed last week following an unrelated medical procedure.

Last week, Mr Trump was fined $5,000 for violating Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order that blocked all parties from disparaging court staff. Though he deleted a post on his Truth Social insulting a court clerk, which initially prompted the gag order, Mr Trump had kept a copy of the post on his website.

Liz Cheney: Trump and his supporters are fuelling domestic threats against lawmakers during House Speaker chaos

Monday 23 October 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward

While Republican lawmakers scramble to vote for a new House Speaker three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy and repeatedly failing to rally around a successor, Liz Cheney is pinning the blame on the former speaker.

Mr McCarthy was “looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan,” she told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Mr Jordan was among the most prolific and vocal Republican lawmakers supporting efforts to overturn 2020 election results. He repeatedly failed this week to rally support among his GOP colleagues for House Speaker.

Domestic threats against lawmakers during the chaos are “absolutely being driven by Donald Trump and, unfortunately, some of his supporters,” she told CBS Face the Nation.

Trump, GOP candidates and Republican lawmakers don’t want Gaza refugees in the US

Monday 23 October 2023 12:00 , Alex Woodward

House Republicans and GOP candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination want the US to deny entry to Palestinians fleeing the crisis in Gaza, but decades-long international agreements have already complicated the resettlement process for many Palestinians, and the US does not intend to change course.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and are sheltering in the south of Gaza while others are stranded in its north following a barrage of Israeli strikes and a “complete siege” that has cut off food, water and fuel.

A group of House Republicans have introduced legislation to block them from coming into the US, and Donald Trump and other candidates for the Republican nomination in 2024 have pledge to reject them.

Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates reject Gaza refugees

Liz Cheney could enter the race against Trump

Monday 23 October 2023 11:00 , Alex Woodward

One of the GOP’s most prominent Trump critics could enter the race against him for the Republican nomination in 2024.

In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on 22 October, she described Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, as “the single most dangerous threat that we face” and pledged to spend the next year “helping to elect serious people, helping to elect sane people” from both parties.

She said she has not ruled out entering the race.

Liz Cheney admits she has not ruled out running for president

ICYMI: Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

Monday 23 October 2023 09:00 , Alex Woodward

Sidney Powell is the latest Trumpworld figure to be publicly rejected by Donald Trump after she pleaded guilty to election interference charges in Georgia in a case with the former president at its centre.

This week’s surprise guilty pleas from Ms Powell and Kenneth Chesebro – the architect of a fraudulent scheme to replace state electors with Trump loyalists – appeared to have caught the former president off-guard, as two of the biggest names yet from his former inner circle agreed to cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors and testify in upcoming trials.

Their new roles as cooperating witnesses in Georgia’s sweeping criminal case targeting Mr Trump and a dozen others could pose a significant legal threat to the former president as he enters several criminal and civil proceedings while he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination.

More on Trump’s latest legal peril:

Trump distances himself from Sidney Powell after guilty pleas in Georgia

ICYMI: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

Monday 23 October 2023 07:00 , Alex Woodward

The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has agreed to temporarily lift a narrow gag order on the former president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan had put the order in place to limit Mr Trump’s public statements about the federal criminal case, in which he is accused of illegally attempting to undo his 2020 loss.

The Friday ruling allows Mr Trump’s lawyers time to prove why his comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has more:

Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case

GOP scrambles for House speaker as candidate deadline passes: ‘I don’t care, just pick someone’

Monday 23 October 2023 03:00 , Alex Woodward

A fresh batch of Republicans in the House of Representatives put themselves forward for speaker as the noon deadline to enter the race passed on Sunday.

Frustrations are growing, even among leading Republicans, as the branch of Congress enters its third week without a Speaker of the House and in a state of legislative paralysis.

The Independent’s Ariana Baio has more on the chaos, just weeks away from another government shutdown:

GOP scrambles for House speaker as candidate deadline passes

Liz Cheney: Trump and his supporters are fuelling domestic threats against lawmakers during House Speaker chaos

Monday 23 October 2023 02:00 , Alex Woodward

While Republican lawmakers scramble to vote for a new House Speaker three weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy and repeatedly failing to rally around a successor, Liz Cheney is pinning the blame on the former speaker.

Mr McCarthy was “looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan,” she told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Mr Jordan was among the most prolific and vocal Republican lawmakers supporting efforts to overturn 2020 election results. He repeatedly failed this week to rally support among his GOP colleagues for House Speaker.

Domestic threats against lawmakers during the chaos are “absolutely being driven by Donald Trump and, unfortunately, some of his supporters,” she told CBS Face the Nation.

Trump, GOP candidates and Republican lawmakers don’t want Gaza refugees in the US

Monday 23 October 2023 00:00 , Alex Woodward

House Republicans and GOP candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination want the US to deny entry to Palestinians fleeing the crisis in Gaza, but decades-long international agreements have already complicated the resettlement process for many Palestinians, and the US does not intend to change course.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and are sheltering in the south of Gaza while others are stranded in its north following a barrage of Israeli strikes and a “complete siege” that has cut off food, water and fuel.

A group of House Republicans have introduced legislation to block them from coming into the US, and Donald Trump and other candidates for the Republican nomination in 2024 have pledge to reject them.

Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates reject Gaza refugees

Just in: Trump’s fraud trial faces one-day delay

Sunday 22 October 2023 23:08 , Alex Woodward

The fourth week of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will be delayed by at least one day due to Covid-19 exposures. The trial will pause on Monday and resume on Tuesday, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The trial is expected to hear testimony this week from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, a star witness for Ms James’s team. His testimony was delayed last week following an unrelated medical procedure.

Last week, Mr Trump was fined $5,000 for violating Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order that blocked all parties from disparaging court staff. Though he deleted a post on his Truth Social insulting a court clerk, which initially prompted the gag order, Mr Trump had kept a copy of the post on his website.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website