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

Donald Trump avoids fraud lawsuit deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian strikes

06:43 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has avoided a deposition for a fraud lawsuit by remaining in Florida as Hurricane Ian bore down.

The former president had been due to be deposed in a civil class action lawsuit first filed in 2018. It accuses Mr Trump, his children, and the Trump Organisation, of committing deception and fraud.

Read Andrew Buncombe’s report.

Trump avoids fraud deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian hits

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Biden a ‘mob boss’ for helping Ukraine defend itself

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Right-wing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia compared President Joe Biden to a mob boss for sending aid to Ukraine to combat Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country.

Ms Greene made the remarks on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s show on Real America’s voice as Mr Biden has requested additional aid to Ukraine.

Her opposition to helping Ukraine has been consistent since the beginning of the Russian invasion. She is now framing it as a cover for money laundering.

Eric Garcia reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Biden a ‘mob boss’ for helping Ukraine

Republican-run states sue Biden administration over student loan plan

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Six Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration in an effort to halt its plan to forgive student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans, accusing it of overstepping its executive powers.

It’s at least the second legal challenge this week to the sweeping proposal laid out by President Joe Biden in late August, when he said his administration would cancel up to $20,000 in education debt for huge numbers of borrowers.

GOP states sue Biden administration over student loan plan

O’Rourke and Abbott face off in Texas governor’s debate Friday

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Beto O’Rourke spent his 50th birthday this week behind the wheel of his pickup in Texas, fast approaching a big moment in his uphill climb for governor.

While a road trip through college campuses showed how the Democrat continues to draw big crowds — a photo line at the University of Texas snaked across an outdoor plaza in 90-degree heat — O’Rourke is still trying to close in on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott with six weeks until Election Day, Nov. 8.

That raises the stakes for O’Rourke on Friday night in his only debate against Abbott, who has tried to refocus the race to his hard-line immigration measures on the U.S.-Mexico border as anger in Texas over a new abortion ban and the Uvalde school massacre continues flaring.

High stakes for O'Rourke in Texas governor's debate Friday

Marjorie Taylor Greene praises husband after he files for divorce

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia praised her husband Perry after news emerged that the pair were 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.”

Josh Marcus reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrates husband after he files for divorce

Family of Jan 6 rioter called DC police officer he helped attack a ‘piece of s***t’

03:00 , 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

Three takeaways from Denver Riggleman’s January 6 probe book

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg took a look at the former Virginia congressman’s book The Breach due to be published soon.

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

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

01:30 , 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 Inquirerreported.

Eric Garcia reports.

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

Democrat lawmaker believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist

Friday 30 September 2022 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

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.

The excerpt was first reported in The Washington Post.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Democrat believes Trump called her impersonating a journalist, book claims

Newsom hits out at party’s failure to show GOP-run states have worse gun crime

Friday 30 September 2022 00:00 , 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.

“We allow these culture wars to take shape, and we are consistently on the back end of them,” Mr Newsom said in an interview with MSNBC. “Eight of the top 10 states with the highest murder rates all are Republican states. How do Democrats not know that?”

Abe Asher reports.

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

Mitch McConnell suggests higher odds of GOP taking Senate

Thursday 29 September 2022 23:15 , 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

Case against source for Trump dossier advances... but only just

Thursday 29 September 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A judge is allowing prosecutors to move forward with their criminal case against an analyst who provided key details for a flawed dossier on ex-President Donald Trump, although the judge called his decision “an extremely close call.”

Lawyers for Igor Danchenko asked a judge Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to dismiss all five charges against him. He’s accused of lying to the FBI about how he obtained the information that ultimately made its way into the “Steele dossier,” a report that purported to detail connections between Trump and Russian intelligence and helped fuel a full-fledged FBI investigation called “Crossfire Hurricane” in the months leading up to the 2016 election.

The dossier famously suggested that Russians had compromising information on Trump regarding salacious sexual activity he allegedly engaged in at a Moscow hotel.

Read more...

Case against source for Trump dossier advances, barely

Voices: Some lessons and predictions for the midterms

Thursday 29 September 2022 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

The midterm elections are officially 40 days away. As of right now, most prognosticators guess that Republicans are likely to win back the majority in the House of Representatives, while the poor candidate quality of some Republican nominees for Senate has led others to believe Democrats might hold onto the upper chamber.

Despite the fact that inflation and the economy remain at the top of the mind of most voters, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade energized Democratic voters in an unprecendented way. Usually, when a Democrat occupies the White House with a blue majority in the House and Senate, we don’t see so much urgency on the part of Democratic voters.

Here are four lessons The Independent has learned about the midterm election so far.

Some lessons and predictions for the midterms

Promoter of paid Trump speeches reportedly facing bankruptcy

Thursday 29 September 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The company that signed a multi-million-dollar deal to promote paid appearances by former president Donald Trump is reportedly struggling to keep the lights on and continue to pay vendors, employees and investors.

According to The Washington Post, the American Freedom Tour has now called off events previously scheduled in several locations because it has not been able to pay its bills. Citing sources familiar with the company and documents it obtained, the Post said the company’s founder and owner has recently sought bankruptcy protection.

One of the few people who has reportedly seen a payday from association with the American Freedom Tour is Mr Trump, according to people close with the twice-impeached ex-president.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Promoter of paid Trump speeches reportedly facing bankruptcy

The biggest revelations from Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming Trump book

Thursday 29 September 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

No journalist has followed Donald Trump more closely than Maggie Haberman. From his time as a subject of senationalistic New York talbloid headlines, to his presidential campaign, to his tenure at the White House and his time since leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Ms Haberman has chronicled every step.

Her proclivity for giving America an inside look into Mr Trump’s world has culminated in Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, due to hit shelves on 4 October.

The book has already made a lot of news. Here are some of the biggest revelations so far.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia have reviewed some of the biggest revelations gathered so far.

The biggest revelations from from Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book on Trump

Tensions flare over Trump special master process

Thursday 29 September 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The parallel “special master” process spawned by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has slowed the Justice Department‘s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president.

The probe into the presence of top-secret government information at Mar-a-Lago continues. But barbed comments in the past week’s court filings have laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work And the filings have made clear that a process the Trump team initially sought has not been playing to the president’s advantage.

Here a look at where things stand:

Tensions flare over special master process in Trump hoarded documents case

Georgia election officials discuss breach

Thursday 29 September 2022 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The Georgia State Election Board held a meeting on Wednesday meant to reassure board members and the general public that the state’s elections remain secure following the revelation of a breach of voting equipment in one county.

The meeting included a presentation on state election law, an explanation of how the state’s voting machines work and a description of post-election audits. It also included a report on the criminal investigation into the breach of voting equipment in rural Coffee County.

Read more:

Georgia election officials discuss breach, security measures

Biden commerce secretary labels UK economic strategy ‘cautionary tale’

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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?

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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

Thursday 29 September 2022 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.”