Trump news – live: Trump pleads for political donations from Mar-A-Lago as Florida in ruins

A court filing by Donald Trump’s legal team has revealed that the former president hoarded some 200,000 pages of federal documents upon leaving office, spread between the 11,000 documents already mentioned following the search of Mar-a-Lago.

In the filing, which contains Mr Trump’s objections to an accelerated review schedule laid out by special master US District Judge Raymond Dearie, his lawyers argue that an early October deadline for scanning and reviewing the documents is unrealistic because they cannot be processed quickly enough.

The former president’s team also claims that Judge Dearie is overstepping his authority by asking them to confirm the inventory of what was seized. They argue only the Justice Department can do so.

As Florida reeled from the impact of Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Mr Trump pleaded on social media for donations... to his political campaign ahead of a fundraising deadline. Rescue and recovery efforts had yet begun.

Having postponed Wednesday’s final public hearing because of the storm, the January 6 House select committee is instead interviewing conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, about her actions after the 2020 election.

Key points

• Trump begs for donations from Mar-a-Lago amid Florida hurricane destruction

• Court filing shows Trump hoarded 200,000 pages of federal records

• Trump pushes back on special master authority over Mar-a-Lago papers inventory

• Ginni Thomas dodges questions as she arrives for Jan 6 interview

• Trump threatened to sue Congress over first impeachment, new book claims

Biden commerce secretary labels UK economic strategy ‘cautionary tale’

19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The UK government’s radical economic strategy is a “cautionary tale”, said a senior member of Joe Biden’s cabinet in scathing remarks about prime minister Liz Truss’s plan.

US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said cutting taxes and deregulation was a “failed economic theory” that would lead to lower growth and greater inequality.

Ms Raimondo said it was “hard to see” how Ms Truss’s new government was taking inflation seriously, and insisted that the US was talking a quite different approach.

Adam Forrest reports.

UK economic strategy is ‘cautionary tale’, says top Joe Biden official

Trump begs for donations from Mar-a-Lago amid Florida hurricane destruction

19:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump turned to social media to plead for donations to his political campaign as parts of Florida began rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Ian.

Speaking in a video on Wednesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, southern Florida, the former president pleaded for donations to his Save America PAC ahead of a fundraising deadline.

“We have a major fundraising deadline coming up and there’s never been a time like this,” said Mr Trump, who claimed America had “never been so disrespected” by the world.

Gino Spocchia reports on the former president’s pleas as early reports indicate the storm could have been the deadliest to ever hit Florida.

Trump begs for donations from Mar-a-Lago amid Hurricane Ian

What is seditious conspiracy and how does it apply to the Oath Keepers case?

18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The founder of the Oath Keepers and four associates are on trial in the Capitol attack on charges that include seditious conspiracy — a rarely used Civil War-era accusation that strikes to the heart of what prosecutors say happened that day.

Stewart Rhodes and his followers are the first Jan. 6 defendants to stand trial on such a charge for what prosecutors say was not a suddenly ignited riot but a coordinated plot to stop the transfer of presidential power.

EXPLAINER: Rare sedition charge at center of Jan. 6 trial

Court filing shows Trump hoarded 200,000 pages of federal records

18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The more than 11,000 government-owned documents which former president Donald Trump hoarded at his Palm Beach, Florida property amount to more than 200,000 pages of records, according to a new court filing by the ex-president’s legal team.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump hoarded 200,000 pages of federal records, court filing shows

ICYMI: Giuliani put in charge of Trump legal team because no one else would help overturn election

17:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump reportedly tapped Rudy Giuliani to lead his legal team because nobody else wanted to go as far to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book about the former president.

The revelation is the latest piece of news to come out from Ms Haberman’s book Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.

Eric Garcia reports.

Giuliani led Trump’s legal team because no one else would overturn election:

Trump plotted transphobic response for 2016 debate, book reveals

17:04 , Oliver O'Connell

During his preparations to debate Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump’s response to a mock debate question about whether transgender teens should be permitted to use the restroom of their choice at school was so bizarre that it left his aides shocked.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump plotted transphobic response during 2016 debate prep, book reveals

Trump pushes back on special master authority over Mar-a-Lago papers inventory

16:23 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN reports that former President Donald Trump is pushing back against a plan from the special master overseeing the review of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago that would require him to declare in court if the Department of Justice’s inventory from the search is accurate.

This would force the former president to go on record and legally say whether he really believed the FBI had planted evidence during the 8 August search of the Florida property, the network reports.

Court papers filed on Wednesday night by Trump lawyers confirmed the objection that had already been noted by the Justice Department in an earlier submission to special master US District Judge Raymond Dearie.

Trump’s team argued the court order appointing Mr Dearie made mention only of a declaration from a government official to verify the DoJ’s search inventory, and that there was no mention of the Trump side having to do so.

They argue that being asked to verify the accuracy of the inventory goes beyond the authority granted to the special master by the District Court.

Ginni Thomas dodges questions as she arrives for Jan 6 interview

16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, arrived to testify before the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot on Thursday.

Ms Thomas arrived to testify virtually but did not answer questions from reporters.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

Ginni Thomas dodges questions as she arrives for her Jan 6 committee interview

Marjorie Taylor Greene praises husband as he files for divorce

15:40 , Oliver O'Connell

In a statement to The Independent regarding her divorce, Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote:

“Together, Perry and I formed our family and raised three great kids. He gave me the best job title you can ever earn: Mom. I’ll always be grateful for how great of a dad he is to our children. This is a private and personal matter and I ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrates husband after he files for divorce

Capitol rioter’s family called Michael Fanone a ‘piece of s***t’ after sentencing

15:10 , Oliver O'Connell

A Washington DC police officer who was tasered as he defended the US Capitol on January 6 has said the mother of the rioter involved in the attack called him a “piece of s***” after her son was sentenced.

Speaking on CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight after Kyle Young was sentenced on Tuesday, Michael Fanone recounted how he was insulted by the rioter’s mother when leaving the court.

Andrea Blanco has the story.

Family of Jan 6 rioter called DC police officer a ‘piece of s***t’ at sentencing

Ginni Thomas arrives for interview with January 6 committee

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has arrived for an interview with the January 6 committee.

Here are three key questions Ms Thomas must answer:

Three key questions Ginni Thomas must answer in January 6 panel interview

Romance novel model pleads guilty to helping Jan 6 crowd brutally assault DC police officer

14:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A bodybuilder and romance novel cover model has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement agents with a dangerous weapon during January 6 riots at the US Capitol.

Logan James Barnhart, 41, of Holt, Michigan, was part of the mob that broke into the archway leading into the Capitol building from the lower west terrace where a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer was being attacked with a baton by a fellow rioter.

He is accused of grabbing the neck of the officer’s ballistic vest and then dragging the officer down the steps in the prone position, taking him into the crowd where he was assaulted by other rioters with weapons, including a flagpole and a baton, according to the US attorney’s office.

Shweta Sharma reports.

Romance novel model pleads guilty to dragging DC officer into Jan 6 crowd assault

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s husband files for divorce

14:10 , Johanna Chisholm

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband Perry are reportedly getting a divorce.

According to court documents obtained by the New Yorker, Mr Greene is the one initiating the split, with a Wednesday legal filing describing the marriage as “irretrievably broken.”

“Together, Perry and I formed our family and raised three great kids. He gave me the best job title you can ever earn: Mom,” Ms Greene wrote in a statement to The Independent.

“I’ll always be grateful for how great of a dad he is to our children. This is a private and personal matter and I ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.”

Josh Marcus reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and husband getting divorced 10 years after alleged affairs

Trump moves to end rape accuser’s defamation suit

13:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump is seeking a quick end to the defamation lawsuit by an author who accused the former president of raping her over 25 years ago.

A lawyer for Mr Trump asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to substitute the United States as the defendant in E Jean Carroll’s lawsuit, according to Reuters.

The move could end the lawsuit given the government cannot be sued for defamation.

The request comes a day after the Circuit Court of Appeals said Mr Trump was a federal employee when he branded Carroll a liar.

In a letter to district judge Lewis Kaplan, Mr Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said the decision meant the government “must be substituted as a defendant.”

She also asked to put the case on hold, saying it would be “highly prejudicial” for Trump to spend time and money preparing for trial if the Washington court ruled in his favour.

Trump dodges deposition by hunkering down in Mar-a-Lago in midst of hurricane, court letter says

13:00 , Johanna Chisholm

A lawsuit that has ensnared Donald Trump, his three eldest children and the family’s Trump Organization has been put on the backburners after the former president boarded a plane to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night, hours before a Category 4 hurricane was set to make landfall on the southwestern coast.

CNN reported that a court filing from lawyer John Quinn, who is representing a group of people who accuse Trump of fraud for allegedly promoting a scam business, said that the attorneys had been trying to schedule a deposition with the one-term president, but he insisted on scheduling the questioning at his Florida beach resort in the midst of Hurricane Ian.

Trump’s lawyer Clifford Robert reportedly called Mr Quinn on Tuesday to inform him of the group’s plans to fly down to Palm Beach this week, and there the former president would be ready to testify.

In the letter, Mr Quinn writes that Mr Robert called him on Tuesday to alert his team of Mr Trump’s plans, saying: “to tell me that he and his colleague were boarding a flight to Palm Beach. I expressed some surprise—I believe I used the word ‘walloped’—but Mr. Robert indicated they were flying down anyway.”

“We reached out to Mr. Robert and his colleague again this afternoon, both by phone and by email, but were not able to get in touch with them,” Mr Quinn told the judge. “Accordingly, the last we heard is that Defendants insist the deposition go forward at Mar-a-Lago and on Friday. With all respect, we do not believe that is prudent or safe.”

Trump threatened to sue Congress over first impeachment, new book claims

12:40 , Johanna Chisholm

After the House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump in 2019, the former president, who has always had a penchant for legal combat, responded in the only way he perhaps knew how: threatening to sue Congress.

According to an upcoming book by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, the one-term president who transferred his love for legal combat from his private business to the presidency called for legal action after an inquiry revealed that Mr Trump has pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden.

“I’ll just sue Congress. They can’t do this to me,” Mr Trump said, according to excerpts from Haberman’s book.

Trump ‘objects’ to verifying list of property seized from Mar-a-Lago

12:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump’s lawyers are resisting a federal judge’s instruction to submit a sworn declaration on whether they believe the government’s list of property seized from the former president’s Florida estate is accurate.

The former president’s legal team told judge Raymond Dearie, who is reviewing the materials taken in the federal raid of the Florida property, that they don’t believe the judge has the authority to require them to make such a filing, according to a letter filed by Mr Trump’s lawyers.

The letter claims that the order by another federal judge appointing judge Dearie to conduct the review of the seized materials only requires that the government file a declaration on the accuracy, and not Mr Trump.

The lawyers added that they couldn’t verify the accuracy of the materials because they do not have access to information taken in the raid that was marked as classified.

Trump mocked RBG’s health during cancer treatment, according to new book

12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump mocked the health of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before her death, a new book from The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman claims.

Excerpts of Confidence Man, Haberman’s upcoming book on Mr Trump and his administration, details multiple occurrences of the former president feigning concern about the cancer-stricken judge’s health while asking aides about her current condition. The revelations were published by CNN on Wednesday.

According to Haberman, the president would clasp his hands in fake prayer, exclaiming before aides or guests: “Please God. Please watch over her. Every life is precious.”

“How’s she doing?” he’d then ask an aide, “almost winking”, according to Haberman.

John Bowden has the story.

Trump mocked Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s health during cancer treatment, new book claims

White House requested to keep the USS John McCain out of sight when Trump visited Japan, report says

11:44 , Johanna Chisholm

When then-President Donald Trump visited Japan in 2019 on a state visit, rumours began swirling that he’d requested that the USS John S McCain be “out of sight” so as not to upset Mr Trump, who had a pugilistic relationship with the Arizona Senator until his death in 2018.

“I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t involved. I would not have done that,” the 45th president told reporters outside the White House at the time the reports began to emerge.

Late Wednesday night, investigative reporter Jason Leopold revealed a Freedom of Information Act request that he’d received, made three years earlier, which provided the receipts to show that the USS John S McCain had in fact been requested to be moved out of sight during the one-term president’s visit to the Asian nation.

“Remember when Trump took a trip to Japan back in 2019 and reports surfaced that the WH requested the move the USS John McCain out of view so it wouldn’t upset Trump? Well, I #FOIA‘d the military for docs about this & 3 yrs later they just arrived,” he tweeted.

In the largely redacted emails, which exclude the names of the senders and receivers of most of the correspondence, a timeline is laid out that explains what needs to be done before Mr Trump’s arrival in Japan. Three requests in the initial email included are listed, with the third being the cause for some later consternation: “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.”

“I could see that becoming a tweet...,” writes one of the redacted senders in the email chain. “This makes me sad,” wrote another redacted person in the thread.

Tucker Carlson suggests US blew up Nord Stream pipeline – and lists possible Russian ‘retaliations’

11:35 , Johanna Chisholm

A Tucker Carlson segment focused on the purported “sabotage” of the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Europe, which the Fox News anchor appeared to blame on the US.

Speaking following reports of leaks in the Nord Stream pipeline on Tuesday, Mr Carlson suggested that the Biden administration was behind the “sabotage” and act of “environmental terrorism” and warned of a Russian counter-response.

“Blow up the Nord Stream pipelines? OK, we’ve entered a new phase, one in which the United States is directly at war with the largest nuclear power in the world,” said the Fox News anchor.

Gino Spocchia has more here:

Tucker Carlson suggests US blew up Nord Stream pipeline

‘Go wild’: Giuliani put in charge of Trump legal team as only person willing to overturn election

11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump reportedly tapped Rudy Giuliani to lead his legal team because nobody else wanted to go as far to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book about the former president.

Eric Garcia reports.

Giuliani led Trump’s legal team because no one else would overturn election:

Trump mistook ‘diverse’ congressional staffers for waitstaff

10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

One of Donald Trump’s first White House dinners attended by leaders of Congress turned into an awkward affair with the president insulting a group of congressional staffers and clashing publicly with Nancy Pelosi, according to a new book.

John Bowden reports on a bizarre evening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Trump mistook ‘diverse’ congressional staffers for waitstaff at White House gala

Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former President Donald Trump, known for having a flare for the dramatics when it came to dismissing employees in his administration, reportedly came close to firing his own kin via Twitter.

According to an early copy of New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book obtained by CNN, the then-president was seconds away from firing off a tweet that would’ve alerted his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, that they were no longer employed in the White House.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Donald Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

New poll: Biden’s approval rating dips five points in a week

09:00 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden’s approval rating has taken a five-point dip from his high water mark for the year of 2022, according to a new poll.

The survey, from Politico and Morning Consult, found that 41 per cent of registered voters either strongly approved or somewhat approved of Mr Biden’s job performance.

Eric Garcia reports.

Biden’s approval rating dips five points over past week, new poll shows

Democrat believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist, book claims

08:35 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former president Donald Trump may have called a Democratic politician while posing as a reporter, a new book claims.

In her book Confidence Man, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman details how Michigan Democratic representative Debbie Dingell received a call from someone claiming to be a reporter, but who she believes was actually Mr Trump.

“When she answered, the man on the other end identified himself as a Washington Post reporter, and said he knew her husband from his investigations in Congress. The name he gave was not one she recognised,” Haberman wrote.

Graig Graziosi has more.

Democrat believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist, book claims

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin

08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump offered up his services to “head up a group” to help international leaders resolve the geopolitical quagmire that has opened after the discovery of gas leaks in major Russian gas pipelines to Europe.

Johanna Chisholm has the details.

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin in response to Nord Stream leaks

Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

06:55 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump was seconds away from firing off a tweet that would’ve alerted his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, that they were no longer employed in the White House, according to an early copy of New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book obtained by CNN.

Both Ivanka and Kushner were working as senior White House aides and the former president - who reportedly grew tired of his son-in-law’s presence and described him as sounding “like a child” - only decided not to fire them from the fury of his thumbs because his then-chief of staff John Kelly and then-White House counsel Don McGahn warned against it.

Johanna Chisholm has more.

Donald Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

Why was the final Jan 6 committee hearing postponed?

06:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The House January 6 select committee postponed the hearing scheduled for Wednesday on account of Hurricane Ian, The Independent learned on Tuesday.

A source with knowledge of the panel’s internal deliberations said the postponement of what would be the committee’s ninth public session will allow one of the nine select committee members, Representative Stephanie Murphy, to tend to any matters that arise in her Florida district due to the approaching storm.

Why the final Jan 6 committee hearing was postponed

Golf magazine trolled for naming Trump the best presidential golfer

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A golf magazine was mocked for awarding the top position to Donald Trump in a list ranking American presidents by their handicap.

Golf Digest awarded the 45th president the top score of 2.8, while allotting current president Joe Biden the number two slot with a 6.7 score.

John F Kennedy bagged third place with a score of 7 and 27th American president William Howard Taft was left with the lowest number of 20, according to a tweet by the magazine.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports on the reaction to the rankings.

Golf magazine trolled for naming Trump the best presidential golfer

McConnell: GOP has ‘50:50 shot' of taking Senate

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that he believes his party now has a “50-50 shot” of getting the chamber back less than six weeks away from the midterm elections.

“We are in a bunch of close races,” McConnell told reporters during a press conference. “It’s going to be really, really close either way, in my view.”

McConnell suggests higher odds of Republicans taking Senate

Doug Mastriano calls for 40 days of fasting to save flailing campaign

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Doug Mastriano, the Trump-endorsed Republican gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, called for 40 days of fasting and prayer as his campaign significantly lags behind Democratic nominee Josh Shaprio.

The call comes after Mr Mastriano’s rally in Harrisburg was poorly attended and his campaign fails to gain traction, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Eric Garcia reports.

Pennsylvania Republican calls for 40 days of fasting to save his campaign

Gavin Newsom believes Democrats have failed to make clear GOP states have worse gun crime

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in the midst of a re-election campaign and reportedly weighing a future run for president, again hit out at fellow Democrats over what he claims is a messaging failure on the party’s handling of crime.

Abe Asher has the story.

Newsom hits out at Dem failure to make clear that GOP-run states have worse gun crime

Tucker Carlson suggests US blew up Nord Stream pipeline

Thursday 29 September 2022 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Tucker Carlson segment focused on the purported “sabotage” of the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Europe, which the Fox News anchor appeared to blame on the US.

Speaking following reports of leaks in the Nord Stream pipeline on Tuesday, Mr Carlson suggested that the Biden administration was behind the “sabotage” and act of “environmental terrorism” and warned of a Russian counter-response.

Gin Spocchia reports on why the Fox News opinion host believes the US is now at war with Russia.

Tucker Carlson suggests US blew up Nord Stream pipeline

Lara Trump sparks anger after sharing video of son driving toy car outside in hurricane

Wednesday 28 September 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lara Trump has sparked anger and concern after posting a video of her five-year-old son driving his toy car outside in the midst of heavy rain from Hurricane Ian.

The 39-year-old TV producer, who lives in Florida with her husband Eric Trump, shared the video to her Instagram on Wednesday of the couple’s son Eric Luke Trump. Trump and her spouse also share three-year-old daughter Carolina Dorothy Trump.

Amber Raiken reports.

Lara Trump sparks anger after sharing video of son outside during Hurricane Ian

Democrat believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist after insulting her dead husband

Wednesday 28 September 2022 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Another bizarre tale about the former president from Maggie Haberman’s latest book involves him allegedly calling a Democratic lawmaker while pretending to be a journalist...

Graig Graziosi reports.

Democrat believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist, book claims

Top takeaways from new book on Jan 6 probe

Wednesday 28 September 2022 22:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Virginia GOP congressman Denver Riggleman appeared on CBS News’ 60 Minutes this week to promote his book on the January 6 select committee investigation.

Mr Riggleman, who served as a staffer for the probe but left its employ in April, wrote The Breach prior to the committee drawing together its findings. Nevertheless, he observed how the investigation functioned.

Andrew Feinberg has three key takeaways from the book:

Top takeaways from Denver Riggleman’s book on the January 6 investigation

Family of Capitol rioter called DC police office attacked on Jan 6 a ‘piece of s***t’

Wednesday 28 September 2022 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A Washington DC police officer who was tasered as he defended the US Capitol on January 6 has said the mother of the rioter involved in the attack called him a “piece of s***” after her son was sentenced.

Speaking on CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight after Kyle Young was sentenced on Tuesday, Michael Fanone recounted how he was insulted by the rioter’s mother when leaving the court.

Andrea Blanco reports.

Family of Jan 6 rioter called DC police officer a ‘piece of s***t’ at sentencing

White House struggles to explain why Biden called on deceased congresswoman at event

Wednesday 28 September 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House struggled to respond on Wednesday after Joe Biden committed an embarrassing error at an anti-hunger event on Wednesday and appeared to forget the recent death of an Indiana congresswoman.

The president was speaking at the White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health when he called out the name of Jackie Walorski, a Republican member of the House who died in a car crash earlier this year. Speaking as if he was searching for her in the was in the room, Mr Biden then suggested that she must have missed the event.

John Bowden reports on the cringeworthy gaffe.

White House struggles to explain why Biden called out for deceased congresswoman

Florida official appointed by DeSantis resigns after KKK costume photo emerges

Wednesday 28 September 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A county commissioner in Florida appointed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has abruptly resigned following the circulation of a photograph allegedly showing him wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood.

Jeffery Moore was appointed to the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners in July, serving as the only Republican on the five-member board in the state’s only predominantly Black county for less than two months before his resignation last week.

He also has ended his campaign for the position in the lead up to November’s general election.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Florida official abruptly resigns after KKK costume photo emerges

Trump meeting with PM May included an odd hypothetical question

Wednesday 28 September 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump’s initial meeting with then-UK prime minister Theresa May included a bizarre query about how Ms May would react if her daughter were to be violated by multiple assailants who sported body art.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Trump asked Theresa May about hypothetical rape of her daughter, book reveals

‘Go wild’: Trump put Giuliani in charge of his legal team because no one else would help overturn election

Wednesday 28 September 2022 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump reportedly tapped Rudy Giuliani to lead his legal team because nobody else wanted to go as far to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book about the former president.

Eric Garcia reports.

Giuliani led Trump’s legal team because no one else would overturn election:

Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for helicopter hog hunting contest

Wednesday 28 September 2022 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s latest eyebrow raising campaign video features the Georgia congresswoman discussing the threat of invasive hogs in Texas while also seeming to compare the feral animals attacking farmers’ fields to Democrats.

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Greene mocked for hog hunting contest as she’s seen slaying animals with rifle

Capitol rioter sentenced to seven years in prison for role in taser attack on Michael Fanone

Wednesday 28 September 2022 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A January 6 rioter who supplied the taser used to attack a police officer during the Capitol attack will spend years behind bars.

Kyle Young, 38, was sentenced to seven years in prison during a tense hearing on Tuesday. Young, who brought his 16-year-old son to Washington DC from Redfield, Iowa, for the insurrection, had pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers in May.

Andrea Blanco reports on Young’s actions that day and what happened in court.

Jan 6 rioter sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting officer

Trump one step closer to dodging E Jean Carroll rape lawsuit

Wednesday 28 September 2022 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal appeals has tipped the balance in Donald Trump’s favour in a long-running defamation suit from writer E Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of raping her in a New York department store in the 1990s.

On Tuesday, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in a split decision that Mr Trump was a government employee when denied the rape accusation and accused Ms Carroll of inventing it to sell books, a determination that’s key to his claim that he’s protected under federal law shielding government employees from liability related to their duties of office.

Josh Marcus has the details.

Trump moves one step closer to dodging E Jean Carroll rape lawsuit with court ruling

Why was the final Jan 6 committee hearing postponed?

Wednesday 28 September 2022 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The House January 6 select committee will postpone the hearing scheduled for Wednesday on account of Hurricane Ian, The Independent has learned.

A source with knowledge of the panel’s internal deliberations said the postponement of what would be the committee’s ninth public session will allow one of the nine select committee members, Representative Stephanie Murphy, to tend to any matters that arise in her Florida district due to the approaching storm.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Why the final Jan 6 committee hearing was postponed

Chelsea Clinton says her family was ‘reason that Fox News was created’

Wednesday 28 September 2022 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton says her famed political family was “the reason” why Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News was created.

She made the statement in an interview with Variety.

Chelsea Clinton says her family is ‘the reason that Fox News was created’

Trump wanted to bomb Mexican drug labs, according to new book

Wednesday 28 September 2022 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump seriously weighed the idea of having drug labs in Mexico bombed after one of his top health officials suggested they be controlled by putting “lead to target” on the facilities to stem the flow of the substances across the southern border.

The one-term president reportedly floated the idea “several times” to high-ranking officials in his White House, according to New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman’s new book, Confidence Man, The Washington Post first reported.

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Trump repeatedly asked to bomb Mexican drug labs, new book reveals

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin

Wednesday 28 September 2022 16:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump offered up his services to “head up a group” to help international leaders resolve the geopolitical quagmire that has opened after the discovery of gas leaks in major Russian gas pipelines to Europe.

On Tuesday, Sweden’s Maritime Authority said it had issued a warning after the learning of leaks on the Russian-owned Nord Stream 1 pipeline in Swedish and Danish waters, shortly after another one was found on the nearby Nord Stream 2 project.

Joanna Chisholm reports.

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin in response to Nord Stream leaks

Trump mistook ‘diverse’ congressional staffers for waitstaff

Wednesday 28 September 2022 16:14 , Oliver O'Connell

One of Donald Trump’s first White House dinners attended by leaders of Congress turned into an awkward affair with the president insulting a group of congressional staffers and clashing publicly with Nancy Pelosi, according to a new book.

The revelations come from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman in her upcoming look into the Trump White House, Confidence Man. The book releases 4 October; exerpts detailing this incident were obtained and published Wednesday by Rolling Stone.

John Bowden reports.

Trump mistook ‘diverse’ congressional staffers for waitstaff at White House gala

Can the January 6 committee close out with a bang?

Wednesday 28 September 2022 15:54 , Oliver O'Connell

With today’s public hearing postponed as Hurricane Ian approached Florida, how will the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack pull together all of its stunning revelations in a rescheduled finale?

Jan 6 hearings revealed details of Trump ‘coup’. Can committee close out with a bang?

Oath Keepers lawyer had contact with Trump aide Andrew Giuliani prior to Jan 6

Wednesday 28 September 2022 15:35 , Oliver O'Connell

A member of the Oath Keepers extremist organisation, who served as the group’s lawyer and is facing charges related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, had contact with a then-TrumpWhite House aide in the weeks leading up to the attack.

According to The Breach, a new book by ex-GOP congressman turned January 6 select committee staffer Denver Riggleman, Oath Keepers attorney Kelly SoRelle exchanged text messages with Andrew Giuliani, a Trump White House official, in the days between the November 2020 election and the pro-Trump riot on January 6.

The book also claims that Ms SoRelle unsuccessfully attempted to text a landline phone number belonging to the White House switchboard in late December 2020.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Oath Keepers lawyer had contact with Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani

Golf magazine trolled after ranking Trump as best presidential golfer

Wednesday 28 September 2022 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A golf magazine was mocked for awarding the top position to Donald Trump in a list ranking American presidents by their handicap.

Golf Digest awarded the 45th president the top score of 2.8, while allotting current president Joe Biden the number two slot with a 6.7 score.

John F Kennedy bagged third place with a score of 7 and 27th American president William Howard Taft was left with the lowest number of 20, according to a tweet by the magazine.

The ratings trigged backlash against the magazine, with people on social media claiming the handicap numbers were “fake”.

Read the full report from Alisha Rahaman Sarkar here:

Golf magazine trolled after ranking Trump as best presidential golfer

Congresswoman claims Trump called pretending to be reporter, new book claims

Wednesday 28 September 2022 14:59 , Johanna Chisholm

Rep Debbie Dingell, whose widow, John Dingell, served in her Michigan congressional seat before her and holds the record as the longest-serving member of Congress, claims that Donald Trump once tried to call her under the guise of a Washington Post reporter.

The allegation was first reported by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who shared an excerpt of her reporting from her upcoming book with The Washington Post and described the incident as such:

“Rep. Debbie Dingell got a call on her cell phone after she said she was voting to impeach Trump in 2019. Trump excoriated her recently deceased, popular husband at a rally, and she condemned it,” tweeted Ms Haberman, while sharing a link to the Post story.

“The next day, she got a call on her cell from someone claiming to be a Washington Post reporter whose name she didn’t know. The more he talked, she couldn’t shake the sense that it was President Trump. The quotes never appeared in a story,” she closes.

Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

Wednesday 28 September 2022 14:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump, known for having a flare for the dramatics when it came to dismissing employees working in his administration, reportedly nearly fired his own blood via his previously preferred social media platform of choice: Twitter.

According to CNN, who received an early copy of New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book, the then-president was seconds away from firing off a tweet that would’ve alerted his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, that they were no longer employed in the White House.

Joanna Chisholm has the story.

Donald Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet

What has Trump said about Jan 6?

Wednesday 28 September 2022 14:20 , Oliver O'Connell

What Donald Trump has said about the January 6 riot

Donald Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared via tweet, new book reveals

Wednesday 28 September 2022 14:00 , Johanna Chisholm

Former President Donald Trump, known for having a flare for the dramatics when it came to dismissing employees working in his administration, reportedly nearly fired his own blood via his previously preferred social media platform of choice: Twitter.

According to CNN, who received an early copy of New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s new book, the then-president was seconds away from firing off a tweet that would’ve alerted his daugter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, that they were no longer employed in the White House.

Both Ivanka and Kushner were working as senior White House aides and the former president - who reportedly grew tired of his son-in-law’s presence and described him as sounding “like a child” - only decided not to fire them from the fury of his thumbs because his then-chief of staff John Kelly and then-White House counsel Don McGahn warned against it.

Mr Kelly reportedly stopped the president from firing off a tweet that would’ve promptly signalled the departure of the couple from Trump’s White House, warning that the news would be best delivered through an in-person conversation.

That conversation, Ms Haberman writes, never happened. Ivanka and Mr Kushner remained employed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue until their boss and relative departed in 2021.

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin in response to Nord Stream leaks

Wednesday 28 September 2022 13:45 , Johanna Chisholm

Donald Trump offered up his services to “head up a group” to help international leaders resolve the geopolitical quagmire that has opened after the discovery of gas leaks in major Russian gas pipelines to Europe.

On Tuesday, Sweden’s Maritime Authority said it had issued a warning after the learning of leaks on the Russian-owned Nord Stream 1 pipeline in Swedish and Danish waters, shortly after another one was found on the nearby Nord Stream 2 project.

While the cause of the leaks remains unexplained, European leaders began floating the idea that Russian interference could be to blame.

The former US president took those accusations one step further and predicted that the knock-on effects of the natural gas leaks could lead to “war” and later offered up his own expertise to negotiate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and European leaders so as to prevent any unnecessary ratcheting up.

Read the full report from The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm here:

Trump asks to head up group to negotiate with Putin in response to Nord Stream leaks

DeSantis privately calls Trump a ‘moron’

Wednesday 28 September 2022 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has privately vented to staffers that Donald Trump, a likely contender for the Republican presidential ticket in 2024, is a “moron” and has no business running for the Oval Office for a second time.

The revelations about the inside murmurings from the Republican governor arrive from a deeply reported Vanity Fair profile, which tracks the firebrand Florida politician’s rise from a controversial figure in the GOP to a likely challenger in the 2024 presidential election.

Though the governor has been mum publicly about any animus he holds towards the former president, behind closed doors it’s apparently a different story.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

DeSantis privately calls Trump a ‘moron’ and vents about him running for president