Trump news – live: Ex-president’s top aides may face criminal referrals as DoJ urges contempt for his team
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The committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is considering criminal referrals for at least four of former President Donald Trump’s associates, according to reports.
The four individuals potentially in line for criminal referrals are former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer John Eastman, former Trump lawyer and New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, sources told CNN.
It comes as Department of Justice prosecutors are also urging a judge to hold Mr Trump’s team in contempt of court for not fully complying with a subpoena to return all of the documents at the centre of the scandal earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has hit out at the hostage swap deal that saw WNBA star Brittney Griner returned from Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
These latest developments come in a week of political and legal blows for Mr Trump, who has seen his company found guilty of tax fraud; the likelihood of a criminal referral surface over the Capitol riot; further classified documents show up in his possession; and his Georgia Senate candidate losing in the runoff election.
Key points
More classified documents found in search of Trump storage unit, report says
What happened during Tuesday’s terrible day for Donald Trump?
No plan for Trump team to appeal Mar-a-Lago special master ruling to Supreme Court
DoJ urges judge to hold Trump team in contempt of court over Mar-a-Lago papers case
Kentucky governor criticises Trump, distances self from Biden
05:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, of Kentucky, criticised former President Donald Trump for dining with a white nationalist and gently distanced himself from current President Joe Biden as he tries to make his own way in his 2023 bid for reelection in his Republican-dominated state.
Read on:
Kentucky Gov. Beshear criticizes Trump, gently knocks Biden
Flynn testifies in Georgia election probe
04:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was at a downtown Atlanta courthouse Thursday to testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
Flynn, a retired lieutenant general, had tried to get out of appearing before the panel.
Read on:
Michael Flynn testifies in Georgia election probe
Here’s why Paul Whelan is detained in Russia
03:35 , Oliver O'Connell
President Joe Biden said his administration would “never give up” trying to free other Americans who have been wrongfully detained by Russia, including former US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since he was arrested just after Christmas in 2018 on what American officials have described as bogus spying charges.
Joe Sommerlad explains what Mr Whelan is accused of doing.
Why is US Marine Paul Whelan detained in Russia?
Trump, who ignored Paul Whelan for two years, calls Griner deal ‘stupid’
02:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Two years after his term in the White House ended without him mentioning his name, Donald Trump is now claiming the Biden administration’s prisoner swap to return wrongfully detained WNBA star Brittney Griner home is a “stupid” and “totally one-side transaction” because it did not include US Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Donald Trump slams Brittney Griner deal after ignoring Paul Whelan for two years
Ex-anti-abortion lobbyist tells House committee of ‘stealth missionaries’ at Supreme Court
01:35 , Oliver O'Connell
An Evangelical minister and former longtime anti-abortion activist told members of Congress that he helped recruit wealthy conservative donors to serve as “stealth missionaries” at the US Supreme Court, where they developed friendships with conservative justices that aligned with the group’s “social and religious” views.
Alex Woodward reports.
Minister testifies to Congress about ‘stealth’ campaign to influence Supreme Court
ICYMI: Trump Organization found guilty of criminal tax fraud
00:35 , Oliver O'Connell
A New York City jury has convicted two subsidiaries of former president Donald Trump’s eponymous real estate and licensing company, the Trump Organization, on charges stemming from what prosecutors described as a sweeping, multi-decade scheme to avoid paying payroll taxes by compensating top executives with untaxed benefits such as housing and automobiles.
Jurors rendered a guilty verdict on all of the charges included in an indictment filed last year against the Trump Corporation, the Trump Payroll Corporation, and the Trump Organization’s long-time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Andrew Feinberg reports on the verdict.
Trump Organization found guilty on criminal tax fraud charges
Will Trump still hold sway over GOP primaries?
Thursday 8 December 2022 23:35 , Oliver O'Connell
With Donald Trump facing blame for some of the Republican Party’s midterm shortcomings, former Senate candidate David McCormick, who lost his primary in Pennsylvania to Trump-backed Dr Mehmet Oz, is considering running again.
Going forward, will the former president be able to hold sway over candidate selections in primaries the way he has in this past election cycle?
Trump blowback could carry less bite in 2024 for some in GOP
Jim Jordan challenged over ‘Kanye. Elon. Trump.’ tweet
Thursday 8 December 2022 23:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Eric Swalwell called out Jim Jordan during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, asking him whether he will denounce Trump’s meeting with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes.
Mr Jordan said of Trump that “there’s no way this guy’s antisemitic” and claimed he is “the most pro-Israel president in history.”
When asked about the House Judiciary GOP Twitter post (“Kanye. Elon. Trump”), Mr Jordan claimed “that tweet was not our account and that tweet has been deleted.”
Swalwell: Do you denounce your tweet praising Kanye West?
Jordan: That tweet was not our account and that tweet has been removed pic.twitter.com/78tN13cf7t— Acyn (@Acyn) December 8, 2022
Mar-a-Lago papers: ‘Outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Thursday 8 December 2022 22:50 , Oliver O'Connell
A search of former president Donald Trump’s properties by a third-party firm retained by his legal team reportedly discovered at least two documents bearing classification markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida used by the twice-impeached ex-president.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties — including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents — after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
DoJ asks judge to hold Trump’s team in contempt over classified documents
Thursday 8 December 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The Department of Justice has asked a judge to hold Donald Trump’s team in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena to return classified documents, according to a report.
Graeme Massie has the story.
Justice Department asks judge to hold Trump’s team in contempt over documents
‘Greed and cheating’ and expanding criminal probes target former president
Thursday 8 December 2022 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has spent decades trying to avoid criminal attachments, accusing his political enemies of launching spurious investigations despite a growing list of credible accusations of wrongdoing.
Are the former president’s actions finally catching up with him?
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump faces ‘greed and cheating’ convictions and expanding criminal probes
DoJ urges judge to hold Trump lawyers in contempt over Mar-a-Lago papers case
Thursday 8 December 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Justice Department lawyers have urged a federal judge to hold Donald Trump’s legal team in contempt of court for not fully complying with a May subpoena to return all classified documents in his possession, The Washington Post reports citing people familiar with the matter.
The paper says it is a sign of how contentious the private talks between the two sides have become over whether the former president still holds any secret papers.
Prosecutors have put the request to US District Court Judge Beryl Howell, who had not yet held a hearing or ruled on it.
No plan for Trump team to appeal Mar-a-Lago special master ruling to Supreme Court
Thursday 8 December 2022 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell
CNN reports that former President Donald Trump does not plan to appeal to the Supreme Court a lower court order that put an end to the special master review of the documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The network cites a source familiar with the matter.
A week ago a federal appeals court ended an independent review of the classified materials by the special master, which the Justice Department said was delaying its criminal investigation into the matter.
Mr Trump’s legal team had until today to appeal the decision to the nation’s highest court.
The Justice Department should now be able to proceed with its investigation.
Trump, who ignored Whelan for two years, says deal to return Griner to US was ‘stupid’
Thursday 8 December 2022 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell
Two years after his term in the White House ended without him mentioning his name, Donald Trump is now claiming the Biden administration’s prisoner swap to return wrongfully detained WNBA star Brittney Griner home is a ‘stupid’ and ‘totally one-side transaction’ because it did not include US Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan.
Andrew Feinberg has the full story.
Donald Trump slams Brittney Griner deal after ignoring Paul Whelan for two years
Conservatives angered by continued Whelan detention as Biden negotiates Griner release
Thursday 8 December 2022 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Russia has agreed to release former WNBA player Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap with the US. While Griner’s fans and loved ones are celebrating, there are some people who are upset by the developments, and they all just so happen to ideologically oppose Joe Biden.
Republicans — both lawmakers and media figures — took to social media to explain why Griner’s release was either unfair or a grave mistake.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Conservatives blast Biden over Brittney Griner release
Latest polling has DeSantis closing on Trump, but Biden holding up in one-on-one
Thursday 8 December 2022 20:49 , Oliver O'Connell
The latest YouGov/Yahoo 2024 Republican Party primary test of nine prospective candidates is out with polling percentages as follows:
Trump — 35
DeSantis — 30
Not sure — 12
Haley — 5
Pence — 5
Youngkin, Christie, Cheney, Pompeo — 2
Hogan — 1
In a head-to-head against President Joe Biden, the incumbent beats Trump 45 per cent to 42 per cent and ties with DeSantis.
The survey was conducted between 1-5 December and 1,635 adults were questioned.
Full results of the poll can be seen here.
Flynn testifies in Georgia election probe
Thursday 8 December 2022 20:28 , Oliver O'Connell
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn appeared at a downtown Atlanta courthouse today to testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in the state of Georgia.
Michael Flynn testifies in Georgia election probe
Trump hits out at ‘stupid’ and ‘unpatriotic’ Griner prisoner swap
Thursday 8 December 2022 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Former President Donald Trump has lashed out at the prisoner swap agreement that saw WNBA star Brittney Griner released from Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Mr Trump posted: “What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as “The Merchant of Death,” who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries. Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a “stupid” and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!”
Mr Whelan was accused of spying and arrested in Russia in December 2018. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 — during the Trump administration.
Unlike her brothers and father, Ivanka Trump’s finances no longer under court supervision
Thursday 8 December 2022 20:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s eldest daughter will no longer have her professional finances overseen by the court-appointed monitor assigned to prevent the Trump Organization from lying to banks or insurance companies or from hiding assets from New York State Attorney General Letitia James while her fraud lawsuit against the ex-president’s eponymous company is before the courts.
According to court documents, Ivanka Trump is now exempt from a 4 November court order enjoining the former president, his family, and his companies from “selling, transferring, or otherwise disposing of any non-cash assets” listed on the “statements of financial condition” that have been a focus of Ms James’ investigation and requiring a court-appointed monitor to ensure that any financial statements or valuations of assets submitted by the company are accurate.
Andrew Feinberg has the details.
Ivanka Trump no longer being supervised by monitor overseeing Trump Organization
Watch: Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Thursday 8 December 2022 19:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Jan 6 committee to meet on Sunday about criminal referrals
Thursday 8 December 2022 19:16 , Oliver O'Connell
January 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson says the panel plans to meet on Sunday to discuss criminal referrals.
There will be no announcement regarding who will be the subject of the referrals until the next hearing when they release their final report.
Jan. 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson says the panel plans to meet Sunday at 1pm to decide on criminal referrals, but the announcement will wait until the hearing where they release the final report.
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) December 8, 2022
After Warnock win, Georgia becomes a 2024 battleground
Thursday 8 December 2022 19:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Fresh off Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff victory, Georgia Democrats are embracing — and Republicans are reluctantly accepting — the state’s transition from GOP stronghold to a premier battleground as the political calendar turns to the 2024 presidential cycle.
Read more:
Warnock win makes it official: Georgia is a '24 battleground
ICYMI: Rep Gosar deletes tweet endorsing Trump’s call to terminate Constitution
Thursday 8 December 2022 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Far-right Republican lawmaker Paul Gosar has deleted a tweet indicating his support for former President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States terminate its constitution.
Mr Gosar was initially supportive of Mr Trump’s insistence that the Constitution be terminated because Twitter limited the reach of the Hunter Biden “scandal” during the closing stretch of the 2020 presidential election campaign.
Abe Asher reports on how the lawmaker then appeared to change his mind.
Far-right Rep Paul Gosar deletes tweet backing Trump’s call to terminate Constitution
Don Jr launches attack on Biden over Brittney Griner release
Thursday 8 December 2022 18:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump Jr whined about the deal to swap WNBA star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in a series of posts on Twitter on Thursday morning, repeating some of his father Donald Trump’s favourite talking points about Mr Biden’s negotiating skills.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Donald Trump Jr launches frenzied attack on Biden over Brittney Griner release
What the Georgia Senate result means for Trump
Thursday 8 December 2022 17:35 , Oliver O'Connell
As another Trump pick for the Senate fails to win, Sean O’Grady looks at what this might mean for the former president going forward.
What the Georgia Senate result means for the Democrats – and Donald Trump
Trump lawyer confirms she’ll represent him in rape lawsuit
Thursday 8 December 2022 16:58 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump is facing a new lawsuit from E. Jean Carroll, a writer who has long accused him of assaulting and raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, as well as of defaming her by claiming she is a “con job” who has made the allegation up.
With court proceedings on the way, a judge warned Mr Trump and his legal team that they needed to clarify which of his motley crew of variously well-known attorneys would actually be representing him in the case. And now, at last, it’s clear who will be stepping up to the plate: Alina Habba, who has become a key figure in the Mar-a-Lago documents saga thanks to her many public statements about the Department of Justice’s investigation into Mr Trump’s hoarding of documents.
In a recent hearing, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba told a federal judge she didn't know who would represent the former president in E. Jean Carroll's latest lawsuit.
Now, Habba confirms: She will. pic.twitter.com/YQoucK0JZX— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) December 8, 2022
While the statute of limitations on the alleged incident has expired, a new law in effect in New York state means that people who did not or could not file lawsuits over alleged abuse now have a chance to do so whenever they say it occurred. Ms Carroll availed herself of the law as soon as it kicked in.
Read more on Ms Carroll’s court action below.
E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under NY’s Adult Survivors Act
Date of final Jan 6 report revealed
Thursday 8 December 2022 16:35 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump and his allies will receive an unhappy Christmas gift in the form of the January 6 committee’s final report, which chair Bennie Thompson has confirmed will be released on 21 December.
Mr Thompson’s committee colleague Zoe Lofgren recently confirmed that the panel will be releasing “everything”, meaning transcripts of its 1,000-plus witness interviews as well as other evidence, and that in the interests of transparency and public trust, it will be doing so at the same time as it transmits that evidence to the Department of Justice.
1/6 cmte chair Thompson says to expect final report on Capitol riot on December 21.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 8, 2022
Read more:
January 6 panel to release all evidence and transcripts alongside final report
ICYMI: Trump hosts QAnon influencer at Mar-a-Lago
Thursday 8 December 2022 15:59 , Andrew Naughtie
A prominent QAnon influencer and Pizzagate conspiracy theorist posed for photos with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort following an event at the former president’s Florida compound
Liz Crokin continues to amplify a baseless conspiracy theory that emerged during the 2016 presidential election accusing Democratic officials and other figures of child sexual abuse, a vast online-driven conspiracy movement that fuelled the broader QAnon delusion.
“Tonight I had the privilege and honor to speak at America’s Future fundraiser to combat child trafficking at Mar-A-Lago,” Ms Crokin wrote in a post on her social media platforms with photos and videos of the event.
She said she discussed “Pizzagate, Balenciaga and what President Trump’s Administration did to combat human trafficking” during the event.
Read more from Alex Woodward.
Trump appears at Mar-a-Lago event with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist
Twitter reinstates notorious racist with Trumpworld ties
Thursday 8 December 2022 15:20 , Andrew Naughtie
Elon Musk’s Twitter continues to reopen its doors to some of the most notorious bigots who’ve previously been locked out of the platform, and the latest to be permitted back into their account is Laura Loomer, an Islamophobic extremist known for campaigning via attention-grabbing public stunts such as interrupting a congressional hearing.
But as writer Arieh Kovler points out, Ms Loomer is more than just a garden-variety troll: as well as being an associate of Nick Fuentes, whom Kanye West recently took to dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, she has also modulated her views to keep pace with the shifting obsessions of the far right.
Twitter has just unbanned Laura Loomer. Known primarily as an Islamophobic activist, Loomer once chained herself to Twitter HQ in an attempt to get unbanned. Loomer, despite being Jewish, is close to Nicolas Fuentes and called Kanye West during last week's Alex Jones appearance. pic.twitter.com/VcfX4lXdf8
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) December 8, 2022
Loomer's restored feed of 2018 tweets shows how the hard MAGA Right has changed. It's all Sharia, Islamification, calling her opponents antisemitic and homophobic. She was a big Netanyahu fan.
Now she's best buds with Kanye and Fuentes and supports Christian Nationalism pic.twitter.com/25ZcCoEPf6— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) December 8, 2022
Ms Loomer’s return comes just as Roger Stone, one of the most infamous figures on the American right, has also been allowed back on the platform. Josh Marcus reports.
Roger Stone claims he’s a ‘different man’ as Elon Musk welcomes him back to Twitter
Cheney calls out McCarthy on Gosar tweet
Thursday 8 December 2022 14:50 , Andrew Naughtie
After Donald Trump suggested suspending the constitution to allow the overturning of the 2020 election, he received a supportive tweet from extremist Congressman Paul Gosar, who is notorious for various things, including a video depicting him decapitating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Mr Gosar deleted the tweet, but not before timely screenshots began circulating. And yet, as Liz Cheney points out, he has yet to be sanctioned by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy.
.@GOPLeader - Did you see this tweet before @RepGosar deleted it? Time to condemn Trump yet? pic.twitter.com/sMyHwxwyZU
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) December 7, 2022
With only a five-vote majority in the overall House, Mr McCarthy has an extremely narrow margin to work with as he lines himself up to become speaker. Mr Gosar has not said he will decline to back Mr McCarthy in January’s floor vote, but the leader cannot afford to lose a single further vote from his conference.
Catch up: Trump investigators find more classified documents
Thursday 8 December 2022 14:20 , Andrew Naughtie
Just three days into an already disastrous week, Donald Trump suffered another blow yesterday when it emerged that an “outside firm” hired by his lawyers had found at least two more documents with classification markings in his possession, specifically at a storage unit in West Palm Beach.
The search was conducted months after the dramatic FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, which turned up more than 100 documents bearing markings indicating that the information contained in the documents was classified at levels as high as “top secret”.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties – including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents – after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Jan 6 rioter’s mother says he has changed his ways
Thursday 8 December 2022 13:50 , Andrew Naughtie
The hundreds of January 6 rioters who’ve appeared for sentencing have made myriad excuses as they argued for lenient sentencing, with claims of having gotten unintentionally caught up in the moment probably the most popular defence. More than a few have brought in friends and family members to write to the courts to try and get their penalties limited – and Troy Sergent, who claims he did not in fact know Congress was meeting in the Capitol, is getting the help of his mother – who describes him essentially as a now-reformed conspiracy theorist:
Jan. 6 defendant Troy Sargent told the FBI "that he did not know Congress was meeting in the Capitol; instead, he said that he thought Congress was meeting at the Supreme Court." pic.twitter.com/M8diTog56p
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) December 8, 2022
"now, you know, I’m wrapped up in an insurrection.”
DOJ seeking a bit over two years in this assault case.https://t.co/0ATaBsPWuN pic.twitter.com/86grb49Yab— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) December 8, 2022
"Troy now sees that his beliefs about Trump were off base, and that while he supported Trump, Trump did not support him at all. He was used along with many, many others..." -- Troy Sargent's mom pic.twitter.com/F5qHjDBGzr
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) December 8, 2022
Ivanka Trump exempted from monitoring of Trump Organization finances
Thursday 8 December 2022 13:20 , Andrew Naughtie
Ivanka Trump will no longer have her professional finances overseen by the court-appointed monitor assigned to prevent the Trump Organization from lying to banks or insurance companies or from hiding assets from New York State’s Attorney General.
It is seen by some as the latest example of Ms Trump distancing herself from her father.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Ivanka Trump no longer being supervised by monitor overseeing Trump Organization
How much do Republicans blame Trump for Senate flop?
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:50 , Rachel Sharp
Eric Garcia investigates after the Georgia runoff rounds out a painful midterms season for Senate Republicans.
Republicans ‘disappointed’ after Georgia Senate flop but most won’t blame Trump
‘Ketchup on the walls’: Internet reacts to Trump’s disastrous day
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:20 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump was ridiculed ruthlessly on social media after he suffered three major blows in one disaster of a day.
Social media was rife with jokes about “ketchup on the walls” and the hashtag #ketchup started trending online on Tuesday as a series of political and legal issues took a bad turn for the former president.
Maroosha Muzaffar took a look at what was being said online.
Donald Trump ridiculed after suffering three major blows in one disaster day
Meanwhile at Mar-a-Lago...
Thursday 8 December 2022 12:10 , Rachel Sharp
A prominent QAnon influencer and Pizzagate conspiracy theorist posed for photos with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort following an event at the former president’s Florida compound
Alex Woodward has the story.
Trump appears at Mar-a-Lago event with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist
ICYMI: Trump Organization found guilty of criminal tax fraud
Thursday 8 December 2022 11:50 , Rachel Sharp
A New York City jury has convicted two subsidiaries of former president Donald Trump’s eponymous real estate and licensing company, the Trump Organization, on charges stemming from what prosecutors described as a sweeping, multi-decade scheme to avoid paying payroll taxes by compensating top executives with untaxed benefits such as housing and automobiles.
Jurors rendered a guilty verdict on all of the charges included in an indictment filed last year against the Trump Corporation, the Trump Payroll Corporation, and the Trump Organization’s long-time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Andrew Feinberg has the details.
Trump Organization found guilty on criminal tax fraud charges
‘Outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Thursday 8 December 2022 11:20 , Andrew Naughtie
A search of former president Donald Trump’s properties by a third-party firm retained by his legal team reportedly discovered at least two documents bearing classification markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida used by the twice-impeached ex-president.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties — including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents — after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Cawthorn cleared of inappropriate relationship with congressional staffer but fined over crypto
Thursday 8 December 2022 10:50 , Rachel Sharp
Madison Cawthorn has been cleared of having an improper relationship with a member of his congressional staff after he became embroiled in a string of scandals in the run-up to his primary election earlier this year.
The right-wing Republican congressman, who lost his re-election bid, was cleared of the improper relationship and of claims of nepotism by the House Ethics Committee.
Graeme Massie reports.
Madison Cawthorn cleared of inappropriate relationship with congressional staffer
‘There’s probably stuff shoved in his sock drawer,’ says MSNBC host
Thursday 8 December 2022 10:30 , Rachel Sharp
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace suggested that Donald Trump may even have classified documents “shoved in his sock drawer” after it emerged that even more secret papers had been found on the former president’s property.
On Wednesday, it emerged that a third-party firm retained by Mr Trump’s own legal team had discovered at least two documents bearing classification markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida used by the twice-impeached ex-president.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties — including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents — after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
The search comes after FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on 8 August, coming away with more than 10,000 government-owned presidential records and more than 100 documents bearing markings indicating that the information contained in the documents was classified at levels as high as “top secret”.
Speaking about the latest discovery on MSNBC, Ms Wallace said it was harldly surprising to learn that the former president had taken other documents from his time as president.
“Of course, there’s more. There’s probably stuff shoved in his sock drawer, too,” said Ms Wallace on Wednesday.
Nicolle Wallace on the discovery of more classified documents stolen by Trump, "Of course, there's more. There's probably stuff shoved in his sock drawer, too. " #DeadlineWH pic.twitter.com/2qoAGbWnIM
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 7, 2022
Kathy Griffin speaks out about incident where she posed with replica of Trump’s bloodied head
Thursday 8 December 2022 10:10 , Rachel Sharp
Kathy Griffin has spoken out about the controversial incident where she posed with a replica of Donald Trump’s bloodied head.
In 2017, the comedian and actress posed for a photo with a mask of the former president’s severed head covered in ketchup.
She instantly faced backlash, including being investigated by the Secret Service and placed on a “no fly” list as well as seeing her career opportunities plummet.
Ms Griffin addressed the incident in an op-ed for Newsweek on Wednesday, revealing that several celebrity guests came to her home that night the photo was posted online.
“The night of the Trump photo, I happened to have planned a dinner at my house with Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson and Kris Jenner. I’d quite literally had the worst day of my career and the three of them showed up looking a million dollars and I was in my PJs,” she wrote.
“It turned out that they were quite wonderful to talk to that night. So much so I wondered: Might it all just stop tonight?”
But the backlash continued to escalate, she said.
“The hatred from the right was more intense than I could have thought, but not that surprising. But the left wing being so taken by this campaign against me was hard. It was just too much for me,” she said, adding that “I learned that my old friends weren’t coming back”.
Donald Trump’s devastating day
Thursday 8 December 2022 09:50 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump has spent decades trying to avoid criminal attachments, accusing his political enemies of launching spurious investigations despite a growing list of credible accusations of wrongdoing.
Are things starting to catch up with the former president?
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump faces ‘greed and cheating’ convictions and expanding criminal probes
Giuliani testifies for 11 hours in ethics probe over false Trump election claims
Thursday 8 December 2022 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani testified for 11 hours to defend his role in former president Donald Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, as the Washington DC Bar has called for his law license to be revoked.
Eric Garcia reports.
Giuliani testifies over false Trump election claims with his law license on the line
Watch: Trump Organization found guilty of tax fraud
Thursday 8 December 2022 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump Organization found guilty of tax fraud by New York jury
Donald Trump and the many investigations
Thursday 8 December 2022 08:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump is under several congressional, civil and criminal investigations, which range from his business interests and allegations of tax fraud to his efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election and fuel violence at the US Capitol.
The former president, his family business, real estate interests and political allies are under scrutiny from federal investigators, state attorneys and members of Congress.
Alex Woodward has put together a list of the key probes into Mr Trump.
Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing
Jan 6 committee plots next moves as criminal referrals expected
Thursday 8 December 2022 07:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Andrew Buncombe looks at what comes next for the committee after its hearings became this year’s must-watch event.
Jan 6 hearings revealed stunning details of Trump’s attempted ‘coup’
Watch: Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Thursday 8 December 2022 05:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Proud Boys sedition case roiled by fight over officer testimony
Thursday 8 December 2022 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell
A legal fight has erupted over a Washington D.C. police officer who was communicating with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack that could shape the outcome of the upcoming trial of Tarrio and other far-right extremists.
Here’s the latest from the case.
Fight over officer testimony roils Proud Boys sedition case
DoJ subpoenas four states for Trump communications connected to Jan 6 attack
Thursday 8 December 2022 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell
The recently appointed special counsel at the US Department of Justice has issued subpoenas for documents in four states that were central to former president Donald Trump’s attempt to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election
Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed officials in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for communications with the former president, his campaign and others within his circle.
Alex Woodward reports.
Justice Department subpoenas four states for Trump communications connected to Jan 6
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents
Thursday 8 December 2022 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell
A search of former president Donald Trump’s properties by a third-party firm retained by his legal team reportedly discovered at least two documents bearing classification markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida used by the twice-impeached ex-president.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties — including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents — after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
Andrew Feinberg has more details.
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Premium: What the Georgia Senate result means for the Democrats – and Donald Trump
Thursday 8 December 2022 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Sean O’Grady writes:
Despite the attempts at voter suppression, despite all the money expended by the Republicans, despite (or possibly because of) Donald Trump’s approval of his candidature, Herschel Walker failed to take incumbent Raphael Warnock’s Georgia Senate seat.
What the Georgia Senate result means for the Democrats – and Donald Trump
How long will Republicans be stuck answering for Trump?
Thursday 8 December 2022 01:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
He holds no office and his popularity is waning. But Republicans are stuck with his candidates and having to answer for his every word.
Read on:
Trump saddles GOP with all of his baggage and none of his benefits
Here’s the truth about Twitter’s role in the Hunter Biden laptop story
Thursday 8 December 2022 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Recently minted Twitter owner Elon Musk says the company’s prior management team’s work liaising with political campaigns and the US government amounted to an egregious violation of the US Constitution’s freedom of speech guarantees.
Former president Donald Trump says the company’s October 2020 decision to temporarily restrict sharing of an unflattering story about Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden proves the last presidential election (which he lost) was tainted by “massive and widespread fraud and deception” that should be remedied by “termination” of the US Constitution and reinstating him as president.
But national security experts and former social media executives who spoke to The Independent in the days following Mr Musk’s leaking of internal company documents to a sympathetic former Rolling Stone journalist say the limited excerpts of the documents revealed in a lengthy Twitter thread late Friday show nothing out of the ordinary — and nothing even close to what Mr Musk alleges.
Read on:
The truth of Twitter’s role in Hunter Biden laptop story and it’s not what you think
How much do Republicans blame Trump for Senate flop?
Wednesday 7 December 2022 23:50 , Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia investigates after the Georgia runoff rounds out a painful midterms season for Senate Republicans.
Republicans ‘disappointed’ after Georgia Senate flop but most won’t blame Trump
After Lara Trump loses contract has Trump lost Fox News as an ally?
Wednesday 7 December 2022 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump lamented losing Fox News as an ally on his Truth Social social media platform after his daughter-in-law was dropped by the network.
Maroosha Muzaffar reports.
Trump laments losing Fox News as an ally after network ends Lara Trump’s contract
Meanwhile at Mar-a-Lago...
Wednesday 7 December 2022 23:05 , Oliver O'Connell
A prominent QAnon influencer and Pizzagate conspiracy theorist posed for photos with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort following an event at the former president’s Florida compound
Alex Woodward has the story.
Trump appears at Mar-a-Lago event with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist
Trump failed to disclose $19.8m loan
Wednesday 7 December 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump did not disclose a $19.8m loan from a South Korean conglomerate with links to North Korea when he was the president, according to a new report.
The documents obtained by the New York attorney general showed an unreported liability Mr Trump owed to South Korean company Daewoo, reported Forbes.
Shweta Sharma has the story.
Donald Trump failed to disclose $19.8m loan while he was president, report says
Watch: Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Wednesday 7 December 2022 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell
Trevor Noah pokes fun at Donald Trump’s ‘genius’ running of Trump Organization
Gosar deletes tweet supporting Trump’s call to do away with parts of Constitution
Wednesday 7 December 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Here's the deleted @RepGosar tweet. pic.twitter.com/dycqPDtf7x
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) December 7, 2022
‘A huge, huge, huge blow'
Wednesday 7 December 2022 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Maggie Haberman of The New York Times was asked by CNN’s Poppy Harlow what the impact of the Trump Organization verdict would be on Donald Trump himself as well as the actual company.
Here’s her response (via Mediaite)
I don’t think this is good for the Trump Organization. I think it raises questions, among other things, Poppy, about what new business they’re going to be able to attract. Although to be fair, it’s not as if partners in business that they might have been engaging with weren’t aware that there was this whiff of corruption around them in terms of allegations from the Manhattan district attorney, I think it is going to make things very hard.
I think there’s a question about how long they stay a New York company, do they try to relocate to Florida, which is where Trump is and where most of his family is?
But this is the company that was the launch pad for Donald Trump. It helped him, you know, establish himself as a businessman and then sort of create this hype around himself that was not always met by reality. And this is a huge, huge, huge blow. Even though he was not charged personally here, this is very problematic for him.
Trump campaign update
Wednesday 7 December 2022 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell
NBC News senior Capitol Hill correspondent notes that on day 22 of the Trump 2024 campaign, while he rages against the fake news, he is yet to hold a campaign event outside of his own home.
On day 22 of his presidential campaign, today Donald Trump has sent eight emails (so far) about media company layoffs, from CNN to Gannett to AMC, as part of a lengthy attack on "fake news." He has yet to hold a campaign event outside Mar a Lago.
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) December 7, 2022
Capitol Police know where they stand now
Wednesday 7 December 2022 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Masada Siegel interviews officers who were at the US Capitol on January 6 about Trump, the death of their colleague Brian Sicknick, and what they think of people who still sympathise with the insurrectionists.
‘Trump running again — it’s unreal’: Capitol Police know where they stand now
DoJ subpoenas three states for Trump communications connected to Jan 6 attack
Wednesday 7 December 2022 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The recently appointed special counsel at the US Department of Justice has issued subpoenas for documents in three states that were central to former president Donald Trump’s attempt to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election
Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed officials in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin for communications with the former president, his campaign, and others within his circle.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Justice Department subpoenas four states for Trump communications connected to Jan 6
What is Donald Trump being investigated for?
Wednesday 7 December 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Where to start?
Alex Woodward has compiled a partial list of the many legal troubles facing the former president.
Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing
Prominent QAnon influencer meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Wednesday 7 December 2022 19:52 , Alex Woodward
QAnon influencer and prominent Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Liz Crokin posed for photos with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night following an event at the former president’s Florida compound.
“Tonight I had the privilege and honor to speak at America’s Future fundraiser to combat child trafficking at Mar-A-Lago,” she wrote in a post on Telegram alongside photos of her speaking at the event, along with videos and a photo of Mr Trump.
She said she discussed “Pizzagate, Balenciaga and what President Trump’s Administration did to combat human trafficking” during the event.
Her appearance alongside the former president comes just two weeks after white nationalist Nick Fuentes joined Kanye West at a dinner with Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
What happened during Tuesday’s terrible day for Donald Trump?
Wednesday 7 December 2022 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has spent decades trying to avoid criminal attachments, accusing his political enemies of launching spurious investigations despite a growing list of credible accusations of wrongdoing.
Alex Woodward looks at whether things are finally catching up with the former president.
Trump faces ‘greed and cheating’ convictions and expanding criminal probes
More classified documents found in search of Trump storage unit, report says
Wednesday 7 December 2022 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell
A search of former president Donald Trump’s properties by a third-party firm retained by his legal team reportedly discovered at least two documents bearing classification markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida used by the twice-impeached ex-president.
According to The Washington Post, Mr Trump’s team engaged the outside firm to search the ex-president’s properties — including his New Jersey and Manhattan residences for classified documents — after a federal judge ordered them to certify that he had complied with a grand jury subpoena to produce any such material in his possession.
Andrew Feinberg has the latest.
Search by ‘outside firm’ found more classified documents in Trump storage unit
Ivanka Trump exempted from court-ordered monitoring of Trump Organization finances
Wednesday 7 December 2022 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Ivanka Trump will no longer have her professional finances overseen by the court-appointed monitor assigned to prevent the Trump Organization from lying to banks or insurance companies or from hiding assets.
Ivanka Trump retained her own legal team and filed a separate appeal to other family members.
Andrew Feinberg has the latest.
Ivanka Trump no longer being supervised by monitor overseeing Trump Organization
Sitting US congressman expresses support Trump’s remarks on Constitution
Wednesday 7 December 2022 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell
As many in the Republican Party make efforts to distance themselves from former President Donald Trump’s remarks about terminating parts of the Constitution, Rep Paul Gosar of Arizona goes out of his way to endorse them...
With his law license on the line, Giuliani testifies for 11 hours in ethics probe
Wednesday 7 December 2022 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani testified for 11 hours to defend his role in former president Donald Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, as the Washington DC Bar has called for his law license to be revoked.
Mr Giuliani testified before the DC Board on Professional Responsibility of the DC Bar.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington.
Giuliani testifies over false Trump election claims with his law license on the line