Trump news - live: Ex-president may face legal complaint after accused of raising illegal funds for 2024 run

Namita Singh,John Bowden and Shweta Sharma
·19 min read

A Democratic Party fundraising committee said it will hold Donald Trump accountable by filing a formal complaint against him after he was accused of illegally spending political donations on campaigning for president without registering as a candidate.

American Bridge, a Democrat-aligned political action committee (PAC), said late Monday that it has already submitted a complaint to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) about Mr Trump’s conduct.

“We’re holding him accountable for dodging the law,” the group said.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump boasted to his supporters that contrary to reports he failed to deter Vladimir Putin’s ambitions in the post-Soviet sphere, “no one was tougher on Russia” than him – and that “my personality is what kept us out of war”.

He also speculated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “could lead to World War III”, adding that his successor Joe Biden can still “end this tragedy without getting Americans snared into a gruesome and very bloody war.”

Key points

  • Democratic PAC to go ahead with legal complaint against Trump

  • Jan 6 documents reveal detailed plan to storm government buildings

  • Trump warns against third world war

  • ‘Trump’s Ukraine phone call central to impeachment may have emboldened Putin’

  • ‘Dealing with Trump and his allies like wrestling an alligator’

Democratic PAC accuses Donald Trump of illegally raising funds for undeclared 2024 presidential run

05:39 , Shweta Sharma

A Democratic Party fundraising committee says it is filing a formal complaint against Donald Trump, accusing him of illegally spending political donations on campaigning for president without registering as a candidate.

American Bridge, a Democrat-aligned political action committee (PAC), said on Monday that it had submitted a complaint to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) about Mr Trump’s conduct.

Read Io Dodds’ detailed report

Democratic PAC accuses Donald Trump of illegally raising cash for undeclared 2024 run

Jan 6 panel documents reveal detailed plan to storm government buildings

05:04 , Shweta Sharma

A document that was found in the possession of a far-right leader by federal prosecutors has revealed that there was a detailed plan to storm the government buildings around Capitol on 6 January 2021, people familiar with the document said.

The former head of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was charged with conspiracy and was found in possession of a nine-page document, according to the New York Times.

The document which was titled “1776 Returns” was cited by prosecutors when they charged him last week.

The document is expected to explain why prosecutors chose to charge Mr Tarrio, who was not at the Capitol during the attack.

It does not specifically mention the attack on the Capitol building but suggests that once the buildings are “full and ready to go” the “leads and seconds” should enter and open doors for others to go in and “causing trouble” to distract the security staff.

And in case the crowds are not able to gain entrance to the buildings quickly, it suggests they pull fire alarms at nearby stores, hotels and museums in a bid to distract police and guards, sources told The Times.

GOP lawmaker denies to to attend Tucker Carlson's show ‘full of Russian propaganda’

04:32 , Shweta Sharma

Republican representative Adam Kinzinger ripped into Tucker Carlson after the Fox News host invited him to appear on his show.

In a video posted on Twitter Monday, Mr Kinzinger said he “will not validate his show by making an appearance” while calling his rhetoric of the West investigating the Russian leader as “evil”.

“I got an invitation to do Tucker Carlson’s show tonight. And there’s no way I’ll go on his show, for a number of reasons,” he said.

“But first, let me state that his insistence that the West was provoking war with Putin, his spreading lies about bio-labs, and his continued spewing of conspiracy theories are nothing but complete evil,” he added.

“His show is full of Russian propaganda and not news, and I will not validate his show by making an appearance. I do not want to be associated with it in any way,” Mr Kinzinger said.

He then urged the viewers to consider donating to the “Stand with Ukraine” fund.

Pro-Trump ‘vigilante’ group posed as county workers, says New Mexico official

04:09 , Shweta Sharma

As supporters of former president Donald Trump continue to peddle their baseless theories of voters’ fraud in the 2020 election, a right-wing group in New Mexico impersonated city workers to get information in a Republican majority county.

The New Mexico state auditor said that some members of a far-right Telegram group were going door to door in Otero County to get information about the resident’s vote, reported DailyBeast.

Otero County, which has more than 60 per cent of residents voting for Mr Trump in 2020, has already spent $50,000 on an “audit” to find evidence of election fraud.

However, it turns out the audit company the county hired contracted “New Mexico Audit Force” or NMAF, a Telegram group, that has been promoting conspiracy theories.

The state officials said NMAF is “falsely representing its members as county employees” during its “canvas” of local households and raised potential civil rights concerns.

“Our investigation appears to have found that commissioners may have put their own personal interest ahead of the public interest,” Brian Colón, New Mexico’s state auditor, said.

His office has now issued a letter to Otero County’s three commissioners, citing “potential violations” around the audit.

Joe Biden attends first in-person fundraiser since pandemic

03:36 , Shweta Sharma

Joe Biden on Monday attended the first in-person fundraiser since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, marking a return to a traditional form of politics.

The Washington event, which was attended by two dozen wealthy donors focused on climate change, raised at least $3 million for the Democratic National Committee, an adviser for the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Focusing his address on climate change, the president tied the issue to other problems such as inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that has caused the oil markets to become volatile.

"There are three things we can deal with at the same time," Mr Biden said. "The climate crisis, consumer costs and national security — they’re not at odds with one another. If you look at them the right way, they’re compatible."

With the onset of the pandemic, Democrats were forced to take a sharply different track than Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who has hosted in-person fundraisers at his Mar-a-Lago resort for months.

Trump accused of campaign finance violation

03:00 , John Bowden

A left-leaning group is going after Donald Trump and arguing that the former president is campaigning for president again without officially filing his intent to run.

American Bridge argued in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission that Mr Trump’s campaign-style rallies which he has hosted since leaving office should be viewed as part of a 2024 presidential bid that has already begun.

Read more from the Associated Press:

Trump accused of breaking campaign laws by teasing 2024 run

News site accuses key Trump ally of copyright infringement

02:00 , John Bowden

Politico is demanding that Sen Josh Hawley, a top ally of Donald Trump in the GOP’s Senate caucus, stop using a photo one of the company’s photographers took of the senator giving an encouraging fist pump to protesters ahead of the deadly Capitol riot.

“We did not authorize [the photo’s] use by the Hawley campaign for the purpose of political fundraising,” a spokesperson for Politico said.

Read more from The Independent’s Nathan Place:

Politico tells Josh Hawley to stop using Capitol riot photo on campaign merchandise

Tulsi Gabbard to Romney: Provide evidence that what I said is untrue and treasonous or resign

01:00 , John Bowden

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard issued a stern response to Sen Mitt Romney on Monday after the Utah senator accused her of spreading “treasonous lies”.

The Hawaiian ex-lawmaker released a video claiming that US-funded biolabs around the world were “dangerous” and should be shut down. She also claimed there was a significant risk of such labs releasing pathogens in Ukraine as a result of ongoing warfare there, despite Ukraine’s government ordering such facilities to destroy any dangerous samples.

Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

Gabbard to Romney: Provide evidence what I said is untrue and treasonous or resign

Trump ally faces backlash for sharp criticism of Ukraine and Zelensky

00:00 , John Bowden

Rep Madison Cawthorn was condemned in a local newspaper this week after he was seen on video insulting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky by calling him a “thug”.

The far-right conservative and supporter of Donald Trump was labeled “North Carolina’s gift to Crazytown” in an editorial by the Winston-Salem Journal, a major newspaper in the state.

Read more from The Independent’s Andrew Naughtie:

Madison Cawthorn’s local paper slams him for calling Zelensky a ‘thug’

Fox News correspondent hospitalised after being injured in Kyiv

Monday 14 March 2022 23:00 , John Bowden

A Fox News correspondent who has clashed with the views of some of the network’s opinion hosts on the issue of Ukraine was hospitalised on Monday after being injured in the country.

Few details are known yet, but explore what we do know with The Independent’s Rachel Sharp:

Fox News correspondent hospitalised after being injured in Kyiv

Trump lashes out at Time Warner for canceling his favourite network OAN: ‘Far more popular than anyone knows’

Monday 14 March 2022 22:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump lashed out in a statement at Time Warner on Monday after the cable TV provider announced that it would drop right-leaning One America News, a home for conspiracies about the election and other issues, from its list of available networks.

The blow is serious for the channel, which features programming aligned with Mr Trump’s politics.

“I believe the people of this Country should protest the decision to eliminate OAN, a very important voice,” the former president said in a statement on Monday. “Demand that OAN be allowed to stay on the air. It is far bigger and more popular than anyone knows, and importantly, it represents the voice of a very large group of people!”

Read more from The Independent’s Nathan Place:

Trump lashes out at Time Warner for canceling his favourite network OAN

Ginni Thomas attended Jan 6 Trump rally before Capitol riot

Monday 14 March 2022 21:28 , John Bowden

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, activist Ginni Thomas, confirmed in a new interview on Monday that she attended the “Stop the Steal”-themed rally at the White House on January 6 before the capital was attacked.

But according to Ms Thomas, she didn’t actually participate in the riot: She got cold and went home.

Read more from The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg:

Ginni Thomas attended Jan 6 Trump rally before Capitol riot

Don Jr claims nothing ‘controversial’ in father’s 2020 election rant that got kicked off YouTube

Monday 14 March 2022 19:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump Jr has responded to the decision by YouTube’s policy team to take down an interview with former President Donald Trump in which the ex-president once again pushed falsehoods about the 2020 election.

“There was nothing really controversial spoken about in this thing," Mr Trump Jr claimed in his own video on Monday.

He went on to claim that the “narrative” pushed by big tech companies was being exposed by his father.

Zelensky to speak to Congress

Monday 14 March 2022 18:14 , John Bowden

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to Congress this week as his pleas for more western assistance in Ukraine’s defence against a Russian invasion continue.

Mr Zelensky will speak before US lawmakers on Wednesday.

“We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelensky’s address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to colleagues on Monday.

Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

Pelosi and Schumer invites Zelensky to give a virtual address to Congress

ICYMI: Trump proposes making all executive branch employees fireable by POTUS

Monday 14 March 2022 17:35 , Andrew Naughtie

In one of the wilder pronouncements issued at his Saturday rally, Donald Trump called for all employees of the executive branch of the government to serve directly at the pleasure of the president, allowing him or her to fire them at will.

Mr Trump’s threats to dispatch various government figures repeatedly landed him in serious trouble while he was president, so if the rules were changed after his re-election he would be far more free to behave as he liked.

Congressman defeated by AOC says Trump paved the way for her victory

Monday 14 March 2022 17:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shot to national fame when she defeated establishment Democrat Joe Crowley in a congressional primary in 2018 – and speaking on a podcast this week, Mr Crowley attributed her victory in part to the rise of Donald Trump.

“I have a better, real clear understanding of just how powerful the election of Donald Trump was,” he said on Pro Politics with Zac McCary. “In many respects, it lit the fire onto the base of our party, and I think that’s a good thing in many respects, you know. Maybe personally, it didn’t work out for me, but I think he created the energy we needed to oust him as president in four years.”

Read more:

Hunting Trump on British soil

Monday 14 March 2022 16:44 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump spends most of his time safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, but that didn’t stop an intoxicated driver in Suffolk, England rolling up outside RAF Mildenhall – which is used by the US Air Force – and demanding to speak to him.

Drunk driving suspect arrested at US airbase ‘looking for Donald Trump’

“Lay down your lives”: Trump in context

Monday 14 March 2022 16:16 , Andrew Naughtie

Journalist Jay Bookman makes a chilling point about one of Donald Trump’s standout lines at his South Carolina rally this weekend...

It’s worth noting that Mr Trump was apparently reading from a teleprompter when he said this, rather than speaking off the cuff.

Supreme Court justice’s wife denies helping plan 6 January rally

Monday 14 March 2022 15:49 , Andrew Naughtie

Ginni Thomas, the controversial right-wing activist and wife of arch-conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has spoken to the Washington Free Beacon to deny reports that she helped organise the White House rally on 6 January 2021 that preceded the riot at the US Capitol.

Ms Thomas’s activism has become increasingly controversial since the 2020 election, in whose aftermath she played a part in conservative efforts to overturn the result in favour of Donald Trump.

ICYMI: Former Ukraine ambassador on Trump’s infamous phone call to Zelensky

Monday 14 March 2022 15:01 , Andrew Naughtie

Former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch yesterday told NBC’s Meet the Press that contrary to his claims to have been “tough on Russia”, Donald Trump in fact emboldened Vladimir Putin in his machinations against his neighbouring country.

Recounting that “Putin saw how Trump viewed Ukraine... as a pawn”, Ms Yovanovitch described the impact of Mr Trump’s effort to effectively extort Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating the Biden family’s business interests.

“The release of that transcript showed the world that we had an administration that was willing to trade our national security for personal and political gain,” she said of the call that ended up leading to Mr Trump’s first impeachment.

Read more:

Trump’s Ukraine phone call may have emboldened Putin, former ambassador says

Whitmer kidnap plot trial held up by Covid-19

Monday 14 March 2022 14:33 , Andrew Naughtie

The trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap and possibly murder Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has already hit bumpy road thanks to confusion over the role of an FBI informant – and now there’s another spanner in the works in the form of a positive Covid-19 test among one of the trial’s essential participants.

Ms Whitmer became a top target of Mr Trump’s during the early Covid-19 pandemic as she imposed tough restrictions on her state in an attempt to slow the virus’s spread. At one point, the then-president tweeted the words “Liberate Michigan!” – and when the violent plot against her was intercepted and the men arrested, Ms Whitmer herself blamed Mr Trump and others’ rhetoric for inspiring violence against her and other Democratic politicians.

Read more on the trial below.

COVID-19 delays trial in plot to abduct Mich. Gov. Whitmer

Anti-Trump Republican puts pressure on colleagues

Monday 14 March 2022 14:05 , Andrew Naughtie

Joe Walsh, a former Tea Party congressman turned intense critic of Donald Trump, had this to say to Mitt Romney after he called out Tulsi Gabbard on her sympathy for Kremlin talking points...

Far-right activist and candidate arrested in Idaho

Monday 14 March 2022 13:37 , Andrew Naughtie

Ammon Bundy, the rancher and far-right agitator known for his role in various armed standoffs over cattle grazing on public land, was arrested on Friday for trespassing at a hospital where a malnourished child had been taken away from their parents.

Mr Bundy, who enjoys a following on the extreme anti-government right and who has been arrested several times over the past two years, is a candidate for governor of Idaho, where he will be challenging a Republican incumbent as an independent.

Read more:

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy arrested by Idaho police

DeSantis-Trump matchup in Florida still looks one-sided

Monday 14 March 2022 13:00 , Andrew Naughtie

For all the talk of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis challenging Donald Trump in a 2024 Republican primary, NBC’s Mark Caputo writes that there is currently no contest between the two men in Mr DeSantis’s home state:

Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a strong position to win Florida again, but he could get crushed in a presidential primary if he faces Donald Trump, according to a poll of voters in Miami-Dade, the largest and most diverse county in the state, released Monday.

In a hypothetical primary matchup between Trump and DeSantis, the former president leads his former protégé 55-32 percent among Republicans in the county, the new poll from Bendixen & Amandi International suggests.

Among Hispanic voters in the county, Trump’s support was even stronger: those of Cuban descent backed him over DeSantis by 62-32 percent and non-Cuban Latinos supported the former president by 63-22 percent over the governor, according to the poll.

Read the story below.

How Trump paved the way for right-wing embrace of Putin

Monday 14 March 2022 12:25 , Andrew Naughtie

The Bulwark’s Amanda Carpenter, a thought-leader in the centre-right Trump critic community, offers up this analysis of how Donald Trump gave many in the GOP and on the right in general the confidence to publicly sympathise with Putin’s Russia.

It’s not a coincidence that two major scandals of the Trump era–the Mueller investigation and Trump’s first impeachment–involved Russian interference and Ukraine. Or that Trump went on to pardon members of his inner circle ensnared in the Russia probe, such as his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Mike Flynn. All of these characters belong to the same story.

Flynn is now on Telegram, pushing the predictable party line: “I was told that biolabs in Ukraine was a conspiracy theory yet here we are. They are now admitting it openly.”

Fellow Trump pardonee-turned-podcaster Steve Bannon, ever the political entrepreneur, is channeling the conspiracy into direct political action. His demand: “No Republican should vote for any money on Ukraine, zero dollars until we know exactly what is going on with the labs.”

None of this goes to say these men, or the others parroting similar lines, bear any responsibility for Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine. But it’s ghastly how eager they are to latch on to Putin’s version of events to score cheap points against Democrats and advance their own interests.

Read more below.

GOP pushback against “actual Russian propaganda” continues

Monday 14 March 2022 11:54 , Andrew Naughtie

Mainstream Republicans – anti-Trumpers in particular – have been pushing back on narratives coming from some quarters of US politics that echo Kremlin talking points on Ukraine. Here, Mitt Romney and Adam Kinzinger go after Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate who recently addressed right-wing Republicans at CPAC.

Read more:

Mitt Romney accuses Tulsi Gabbard of ‘treasonous lies’ about Russia’s invasion