Trump news - live: Republicans unleash on Trump, say he could have stopped Jan 6 attack earlier

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As the investigation into the attack on the US Capitol steadily yields more information about the events leading up to the 6 January attack, a new memo has been released detailing a new angle on the Trump team’s efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election.

The memo, written by attorney Kenneth Chesebro, spells out a contorted multi-day plan to have Mike Pence take control of the electoral certification in the Senate, something the vice president ultimately refused to do despite intense pressure from the then-president.

Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, a member of the House 6 January committee, has said that Donald Trump will “get his comeuppance” over the attack on the US Capitol.

Suggesting that criminal charges may soon be brought against the former president, Mr Raskin labelled Mr Trump “guilty as sin” and called him a “one-man crime wave” in an interview with Salon.

The select committee is set to begin its public hearings this month.

Key Points

  • Trump ‘will get his comeuppance’ for Jan 6 attack, says Raskin

  • Trump ally Peter Navarro subpoenaed by January 6 grand jury

  • Trump calls legal system 'CORRUPT' after Sussmann verdict

Republicans unleash on Trump, say he could have stopped Jan 6 attack earlier

18:43 , John Bowden

Republicans who were in contact with the White House during the deadly January 6 attack on Congress are standing by their statements calling for the president to take charge and call off his supporters, telling CNN that the ex-president was “derelict” in his duty to act in that moment.

The stunning condemnations come as many of the party’s most prominent leaders, like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, remain loyal to the former president.

"I thought there was only one person who could stop it and that was the President," one lawmaker described by CNN only as a “senior Republican” told the network. "I don't know that I can think of another situation that was as grave for the nation, or as affecting for the nation, where the President didn't say something."

Read more at CNN:

Biden rolls back some Trump Cuba policies

18:08 , John Bowden

The Biden administration has ended the Trump-era ban on US direct travel to Cuba, a move first announced last month that is part of a readjustment of the US’s policies towards Cuba, the socialst Caribbean nation.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the action was taken "in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States". Cuba’s foreign ministry responded by condemning the ongoing US trade embargo, which is responsible for Cuba’s inabilty to import many goods from abroad.

Read more in The Independent from Alisha Rahaman Sarkar:

US finally lifts Cuba flight ban introduced by Trump

ICYMI: Trump brands deadly January 6 attack a ‘hoax'

17:08 , John Bowden

Donald Trump unleashed his latest attack against Liz Cheney on Saturday, telling a crowd in Jasper, Wyoming to vote for her primary challenger Harriet Hageman.

While doing so, he condemned the congresswoman for her service on the January 6 commission, the House select committee investigating the deadly attack on the United States Congress.

“As one of the nation’s leading proponents of the insurrection hoax, Liz Cheney has pushed a grotesquely false, fabricated, hysterical partisan narrative,” Mr Trump protested to his followers.

Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

Trump calls January 6 insurrection a ‘hoax’ in attack on Liz Cheney at Wyoming rally

Chris Murphy calls for gun control action in op-ed for Fox News

16:08 , Johanna Chisholm

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote an op-ed in Fox News calling for action on gun violence as he begins bipartisan negotiations with Republican senators.

Mr Murphy, who was sworn in weeks after the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, is the most outspoken Democratic senator when it comes to gun safety. Last week, after Salvador Ramos shot and killed 21 people in Uvalde, Texas, Mr Murphy gave a floor speech imploring the Senate to act.

I believe that the Second Amendment protects a citizen’s right to buy and own firearms. But I also believe that like every constitutional right, there are limits. I don’t believe the Constitution protects the right of criminals or people with serious mental illness to own weapons. And while all of us might draw the line in a different place, I think we all agree that the Constitution allows Congress to decide which weapons are so dangerous as to be kept exclusively in the hands of the military.

Senator Chris Murphy, writing for Fox News

Continue reading the fully story from Eric Garcia below.

What the US Supreme Court could come for next

15:08 , Johanna Chisholm

Last month, Justice Samuel Alito caused shockwaves when his draft ruling overturning Roe v Wade was leaked to Politico. Giving the majority’s opinion on a Mississippi law that had sought to restrict abortion, in a case known as Dobbs v Jackson, he wrote that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start” and that the right to abortion was not “deeply rooted” in American history.

Such a ruling would reverse nearly 50 years of precedent and allow Republican state governments to effectively outlaw abortion across a broad swath of the US, curtailing the rights of tens of millions of women. Yet legal scholars and civil rights pioneers say Alito’s arguments could also allow the Supreme Court to strike down major LGBT+ rights such as the right to gay marriage, the right of gay spouses to government benefits and recognition, and even the right to gay sex.

“I’m terrified and people should be terrified,” says Jim Obergefell, whose lawsuit against the state of Ohio led to the Supreme Court ruling that gay marriage was protected by the US Constitution.

Keep reading the full report from The Independent’s Io Dodd’s below.

‘People should be terrified’: What the Supreme Court could come for after Roe v Wade

Trump election probe grand jury to hear from Raffensperger

14:19 , Johanna Chisholm

Georgia‘s top elections official was expected to appear Thursday before a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to meddle in the 2020 election in the state.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was summoned to the Fulton County courthouse where the special grand jury has been meeting, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Other subpoenas seek documents and testimony from five other people in his office.

Trump directed his ire at Raffensperger after the fellow Republican refused to bend to pressure to overturn the votes that gave Democrat Joe Biden’ a narrow presidential election victory in Georgia. Raffensperger defeated a Trump-endorsed challenger in the Republican primary as he seeks reelection.

Continue reading the full story below.

Trump election probe grand jury to hear from Raffensperger

US lifts Cuba flight ban introduced by Trump administration

13:21 , Johanna Chisholm

A series of Trump-era restrictions were lifted by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, including a ban that prevented US airlines and chartered flights from going to Cuban cities, excluding Havana.

The US transportation department issued the order after secretary of state Antony Blinken sent a letter asking it to revoke the restrictions.

“Scheduled and charter air services between the United States and Cuban airports may resume effective immediately,” Mr Blinken said in a statement.

Read more from The Independent’s Alisha Rahaman Sarkar below.

US finally lifts Cuba flight ban introduced by Trump

Donald Trump Jr celebrates Johnny Depp’s trial win

12:21 , Johanna Chisholm

Conservatives are celebrating Wednesday’s verdict in the highly publicised defamation lawsuit between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, in which Mr Depp won $15m in damages.

“Believe all women... except Amber Heard,” wrote Donald Trump Jr, on social media.

The former president’s son said he hoped the defamation verdict against the “terrible” actress would “end the effective rabid femminist notion that all men are guilty before being proven innocent that we’ve seen as of late.”

Continue reading the full story from The Independent’s Josh Marcus below.

Donald Trump Jr boasts Johnny Depp win is end to ‘rabid feminist’ MeToo movement

J6 rioter: ‘Pelosi’s Capitol Police force that day was out for blood’

11:08 , Johanna Chisholm

Edward Jacob Lang, a 25-year-old Capitol rioter from upstate New York charged with assaulting a police officer with a bat, made a call from jail to the right-wing network Real America’s Voice recently to continue to air his gripes about the charges being brought against him and other insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on 6 January in what they viewed as a protest against the 2020 presidential election results.

“The politicians that we elected, that inherently derive their power from the will of the people ... if a million people are outside Congress, protesting, saying, you know we want a recount of the election,” the 25-year-old said during a call from jail.

“The people that day just felt totally disenfranchised by the politicians that we elected,” he said, adding, “as we were peacefully protesting, we were assaulted and ambushed and Nancy Pelosi’s Capitol police force that day was out for blood.”

Listen to the full clip below.

Abortion providers sue Florida over state’s 15-week ban

10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Abortion providers and pro-choice advocates in Florida have filed a lawsuit in state court challenging the state’s ban on abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The state constitutional challenge comes as Americans wait for a decision from the US supreme court in a case involving a similar Mississippi law following a leaked draft opinion to overturn abortion protections from Roe v Wade.

A group of civil rights and reproductive health groups in Florida filed the lawsuit on behalf of Planned Parenthood organisations and clinics in the state. The lawsuit argues that House Bill 5, which Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed into law in April, violates a state constitutional provision guaranteeing a right to privacy, “including the right to abortion”.

Alex Woodward has more.

Abortion providers and advocates sue Florida over state’s 15-week ban

Republicans begin backpedaling on gun control

08:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Republican opposition to legislation combatting gun violence began in earnest on Wednesday, a week after an 18-year-old went on a shooting spree at an elementary school in Texas, killing 21.

In Texas, governor Greg Abbott sent a letter asking the state legislature to form a committee to review steps and determine what actions could be taken to prevent another mass shooting. “As leaders, we must come together at this time to provide solutions to protect all Texans,” he said.

But the letter did not list gun control measures, but rather “school safety,” “mental health,” “social media,” “police training” and “firearm safety”.

Congressional Republicans also appear to be diverting rhetoric away from gun legislation. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell spoke to reporters in Kentucky on Wednesday and mentioned two major problems that cause school shootings – without mentioning the weapons behind the attacks.“

It seems to me there are two broad categories that underscore the problem: mental illness and school safety,” Mr McConnell said. “So hopefully we can find a way to come together and make some progress.”

Eric Garcia reports.

Republicans begin backpedaling on gun control after Uvalde school shooting massacre

House to consider bill on assault weapons ban, says Pelosi

07:33 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said next week she will bring forward legislation to ban military-style assault weapons in the wake of the Texas school mass shooting.

Ms Pelosi said, “we will be having a hearing and marking up the assault weapon ban” as soon as the House addresses several pieces of legislation.

Earlier speaking at a rally against gun violence in San Francisco, Ms Pelosi said, “We just are trying to hit it in every possible way,” to try and curb mass shootings.

“Of course we want the Senate to pass the background check legislation, which will save more lives than any of the initiatives we have,” she was quoted by CNN as saying.

House Judiciary Republicans account celebrates Johnny Depp verdict

07:13 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The House Judiciary Committee’s Republicans’ Twitter account celebrated a jury in Virginia’s verdict that decided in actor Johnny Depp’s favour on Wednesday.

The account tweeted out a GIF of Mr Depp’s character Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Trump to ‘fight even harder’ after Sussmann acquittal

06:44 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former president Donald Trump said the revelations out of the trial of former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann and his acquittal make him “want to fight even harder”, hinting at the 2024 presidential run.

A District of Columbia jury on Tuesday acquitted attorney Sussmann on charges that he’d lied to FBI agents while tipping them off about allegations that a computer server in Mr Trump’s eponymous skyscraper was communicating with a computer belonging to a Russian bank during the 2016 presidential campaign.

When asked if the verdict had any effect on his future political plans, Mr Trump told Fox News Digital: “If anything, it makes me want to fight even harder.”

“If we don’t win, our country is ruined. We have bad borders, bad elections, and a court system not functioning properly. Our country is being systematically destroyed,” the 45th president added.

“They spied on my campaign. They got caught. If a Republican would have done that, and the obvious steps forward, it would be a virtual death penalty.”

GOP planning ‘army’ of poll watchers

06:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Republican operatives are working to recruit an “army” of poll watchers, legal experts and other volunteers to flood Democratic-leaning communities in Michigan.

The effort is centred in a major swing state where Joe Biden narrowly won over Donald Trump in 2020, prompting cries of fraud from the Trump campaign that were never backed up with any hard evidence.

According to operatives who spoke to Politico, Republican organisations aligned with the national party are working to close what they see as a gap between election workers aligned with Democrats and those aligned with their own party.

John Bowden reports.

GOP planning ‘army’ of poll watchers and lawyers to descend on blue districts

Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for saying Canada’s new gun laws could spark Russian invasion

05:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that Canada’s proposed new gun control legislation could spark a Russian invasion in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Trudeau foolishly completely ignores how taking guns away from his people makes his country weak and vulnerable to being invaded and easily taken over by another stronger country,” the US congresswoman opined on Twitter.

“Like, perhaps Russia, who is very angry at America right now.”Ms Greene argued that without guns in the hands of its citizens, Canada would be powerless to stop Russian invaders.

“Canada has an incredibly weak military & now with Trudeau’s gun grab, his people are left defenceless not only by a criminal attacker, but also defenceless against another country’s military invasion,” the Republican tweeted.

Nathan Place brings you more on it.

Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for saying Canada gun laws could spark Russian invasion

Zelensky shuts down claim Trump would have stopped Russian invasion

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the suggestion that Donald Trump could have stopped Russia from invading his country.

Speaking on Tuesday with Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt, the Ukrainian leader said he “cannot predict” what would have happened if Mr Trump was still US president.

Schmitt asked: “There are many Americans that believe that if somebody like Donald Trump was still in the White House that this invasion would not have happened. What is your position?”

“I am sorry if I’ll be saying something that you don’t like but for us as the country in war, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Democrats or Republicans,” Mr Zelensky replied. “It’s the people of the United States that support us.”

Gino Spocchia reports.

Zelensky shuts down interviewer’s claim Trump would have stopped Russian invasion

Trump Jr boasts Johnny Depp win is end to ‘rabid feminist’ MeToo movement

05:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The eldest son of former president Donald Trump is celebrating Wednesday’s verdict in the highly publicised defamation lawsuit between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, in which Mr Depp won $15m in damages.

“Believe all women... except Amber Heard,” wrote Donald Trump Jr, on social media.

The former president’s son said he hoped the defamation verdict against the “terrible” actress would “end the effective rabid feminist notion that all men are guilty before being proven innocent that we’ve seen as of late.”

Josh Marcus has more.

Donald Trump Jr boasts Johnny Depp win is end to ‘rabid feminist’ MeToo movement

Herschel Walker rebuts that Trump drafted him to run for Senate

04:49 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

NFL legend and Republican senate nominee Herschel Walker has pushed back on claims that former president Donald Trump recruited him to run for senate in 2022.

“President Trump never asked me,” he said. Rather, Mr Walker said that he heard the idea that Mr Trump persuaded him to run for senate on television.

“So, I’m mad at him because he never asked,” Mr Walker said. “But he’s taking credit that he asked.”

Rather, Mr Walker said that he and his wife consulted with his pastor and they prayed about it. “And to be honest with you, I was praying that God would bring somebody else,” he said, adding that he had a good life and a successful business career. “But, I love the Lord Jesus.”

Eric Garcia reports.

Herschel Walker pushes back on the idea Trump drafted him to run for Senate

Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene pushes baseless rumour about Uvalde shooter

04:10 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s vocal acolyte in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, is no stranger to conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which she continues to insist was “stolen” by Democrats.

Now, she’s pushing a new theory: In a Facebook Live video, she shared baseless and unverified claims that the Uvalde, Texas shooter was transgender, engaged in cross-dressing, and was supposedly in contact with the Buffalo, New York suspect (who unlike the Uvalde shooter is thought to have had a racist motive for his attack).

Read more in The Independent from John Bowden:

Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP push false transgender rumour about Uvalde shooter

Trump cheers effort by GOP lawmakers to ‘expunge’ impeachment

03:11 , John Bowden

The former president released a statement on Wednesday cheering on House GOP conference leader Elise Stefanik and Oklahoma’s Congressman Markwayne Mullin, who have introduced a resolution that would denounce (or in their words, “expunge”) the second impeachment of Donald Trump in 2021.

The House voted to “expunge” a censure of Andrew Jackson from the House records in the 1800s, but it’s not immediately clear if the same process could be used to erase an impeachment vote from the House record. The record of the Senate trial of Mr Trump would still exist of course even if the resolution were to work, thereby limiting the effectiveness of an already wholly-ceremonial piece of legislation.

“Thank you, Elise, and Markwayne—was a total Hoax!” Mr Trump commented on Wednesday.

Biden leads Trump in 2024 poll despite flagging approval rating

02:10 , John Bowden

President Joe Biden still leads Donald Trump in a poll of a potential 2024 matchup despite the former struggling with a low approval rating amid issues including historic inflation.

A YouGov/Yahoo! News poll conducted in mid-May registered Mr Biden’s support level just a few points higher than Mr Trump’s in a head-to-head matchup, which remains possible if not likely given that Mr Trump continues to dominate polling of a potential 2024 GOP primary.

Read more from The Independent’s John Bowden:

Biden leads Trump in 2024 poll despite flagging approval rating

‘He was a great girlboss’: Kellyanne Conway mocked for CBS interview moment

01:11 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser is facing mockery online for referring to her ex-boss as “a great girlboss” during an interview with CBS Mornings this week after Mr Trump publicly denounced her for a previous statement she made about him losing the 2020 election.

“Everyone who enables this pathetic monster's book tour is a moron,” one Twitter user wrote.

Read more from The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander:

Kellyanne Conway mocked for calling Trump a ‘great girlboss’

ICYMI: Jury hands Trump’s Russiagate crusader a defeat in Sussman trial

Thursday 2 June 2022 00:10 , John Bowden

A lawyer for the Clinton campaign was acquitted of lying to the FBI on Tuesday regarding his role in digging up what he believed were links between Donald Trump and Russia, handing a major defeat to the man put in place to investigate the origins of the criminal probe into Donald Trump’s campaign and closest advisers.

John Durham’s investigation led to the indictment of Michael Sussman for lying to investigators while tipping them off that a computer server in Trump Tower was communicating with a server address tied to a Russian bank. Mr Durham said on Tuesday that he was “disappointed” by the verdict.

Read more from The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg:

Former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann found not guilty of lying to FBI

Why an ‘army’ of GOP poll watchers are descending on Detroit

Wednesday 1 June 2022 23:10 , John Bowden

GOP operatives are determined to swamp Democratic-leaning precincts across key swing state Michigan with GOP-aligned poll watchers, poll challengers and election workers, according to statements given by those involved to Politico.

“[I]t’s going to be an army,” one GOP operative declared at a training session, according to video obtained by Politico. “We’re going to have more lawyers than we’ve ever recruited, because let’s be honest, that’s where it’s going to be fought, right?”

Read more from John Bowden:

GOP planning ‘army’ of poll watchers and lawyers to descend on blue districts

ICYMI: Trump ally booed off stage during political speech at high school graduation ceremony

Wednesday 1 June 2022 22:11 , John Bowden

Rep Debbie Lesko, a vocal Trump supporter, was booed off the stage at a high school graduation ceremony for the Arizona Virtual Academy, a full-time online school.

The incident occurred last week after Ms Lesko apparently brought political messages into her remarks to graduating seniors.

“I have heard other commencement speakers make speeches, and they were just very motivating. Nothing to do with politics, or religion or anything. It was just about the graduates. And she seemed to not grasp that and not put that like in her speech at all,” one told a local news station.

Read more in The Independent from Andrew Feinberg:

Trump ally booed off stage during political speech at high school graduation ceremony

Trump hits Letitia James over report that New York experienced net population decrease

Wednesday 1 June 2022 20:37 , John Bowden

Donald Trump knows exactly who to blame for figures from the federal government indicating that New York experienced a net population decrease between those who moved out of the state and those who moved there between 2019-2021 (not counting births and deaths).

In brief statement linking to the figures on Wednesday released through his “Save America PAC”, Mr Trump laid the blame on Letitia James, the state’s attorney general who is leading a fraud investigation into his businesses.

“I believe that racist and corrupt A.G. James is pushing businesses and wealthy people to leave N.Y. for friendly states. Not sustainable by N.Y.S.,” he declared.

Jail for Jan 6 father-and-son defendants

Wednesday 1 June 2022 19:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Daryl and Dan Johnson, a father and son who walked the halls of the Capitol during the 6 January attack, have failed in their effort to convince a judge that they were simply “caught up” in the day’s excitement, this despite Daryl having posted afterwards that there would be “hangings on the front lawn of the Capitol”.

Zelensky fends off Newsmax interviewer’s Trump question

Wednesday 1 June 2022 18:35 , Andrew Naughtie

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the suggestion that Donald Trump could have stopped Russia from invading his country in an interview with Newsmax.

Speaking on Tuesday with anchor Rob Schmitt, the Ukrainian leader said he “cannot predict” what would have happened if Mr Trump was still US president.

Schmitt proposed: “There are many Americans that believe that if somebody like Donald Trump was still in the White House that this invasion would not have happened. What is your position?”

“I am sorry if I’ll be saying something that you don’t like but for us as the country in war, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Democrats or Republicans,” Mr Zelensky replied.” It’s the people of the United States that support us”.

Gino Spocchia has the story.

Zelensky shuts down interviewer’s claim Trump would have stopped Russian invasion

Trump ally booed off stage in Arizona

Wednesday 1 June 2022 17:40 , Andrew Naughtie

Arizona Representative Debbie Lesko on last week turned a high school graduation speech into a political spectacle that induced parents and students to heckle her until she left the stage.

Ms Lesko, a third-term Republican who represents Arizona’s 8th district, was speaking at the Arizona Virtual Academy graduation ceremony when audience members began shouting at her, telling her “you need to go” or “there’s no place for this” after she began polling her audience on hot-button issues such as student loan forgiveness and school choice.

The congresswoman responded: “Wow, no freedom of speech here”.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Trump ally booed off stage during political speech at high school graduation ceremony

Another Jan 6 memo spells out intricacy of plan to overturn election in the Senate

Wednesday 1 June 2022 16:47 , Andrew Naughtie

A newly released document from the morass of pre-6 January communications among the Trump team provides a glimpse into the depth of conspiratorial legal thinking in advance of the electoral certification in the Senate.

The memo, which has been released via a new court filing, spells out in extensive detail the way that attorney Kenneth Chesebro and his correspondent, Rudy Giuliani, were thinking about what would happen on Capitol Hill when the votes were counted.

Kyle Cheney runs down the core elements of the plan below:

Kinzinger celebrates work against Trump endorsees

Wednesday 1 June 2022 16:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Retiring GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger, one of his party’s most caustic critics of Donald Trump, has been ramping up his efforts to organise and fundraise against hard-right candidates endorsed by the former president. And some on the right are now blaming him for tanking Trump allies in recent primaries – something Mr Kinzinger is clearly happy to take credit for.

Father and son who entered Capitol on Jan 6 face sentencing

Wednesday 1 June 2022 15:40 , Andrew Naughtie

Daryl Johnson and his son Dan are soon to find out their sentences for their behaviour on 6 January 2021, when they entered the US Capitol along with a horde of Trump supporters.

As CBS’s Scott MacFarlane reports, the men are using one of the most common arguments deployed by convicted insurrectionists seeking lighter sentences: that they did not show up to DC with the intent of storming the Capitol and simply got swept up in the excitement.

Herschel Walker complains Trump is taking credit for his candidacy

Wednesday 1 June 2022 14:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Herschel Walker, the highly controversial GOP Senate nominee in Georgia, is one of Donald Trump’s successful midterm endorsees – but he is not so loyal as to give the president full credit for his success so far.

Mr Walker spoke with Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, one half of the musical duo Run the Jewels, and told him that Mr Trump did not recruit him to run against incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock this year.

“President Trump never asked me,” he said. Rather, Mr Walker said that he heard the idea that Mr Trump persuaded him to run for Senate on television.

“So, I’m mad at him because he never asked,” Mr Walker said. “But he’s taking credit that he asked.”

Eric Garcia has more.

Herschel Walker pushes back on the idea Trump drafted him to run for Senate

Capitol rioter turned-in by former lover pleads guilty

Wednesday 1 June 2022 14:00 , Gino Spocchia

A Capitol rioter who allegedly called his former partner a “moron” for refusing to “see the election was stolen” from Donald Trump has now pleaded guilty.

“If you can’t see the election was stolen you’re a moron,” Richard Michetti allegedly messaged his former partner on 6 January. They later informed police of his presence at the riot, reports said.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to a felony and charges of  trespassing, violent entry and disorderly conduct, and obstruction of Congress, NBC News reported.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Zelensky rubbishes claims Trump could have prevented Russian war

Wednesday 1 June 2022 13:00 , Gino Spocchia

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to rubbish the suggestion that Donald Trump could have prevented Russia’s war on his country in an interview with a Newsmax.

“I am sorry if I’ll be saying something that you don’t like but for us as the country in war, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Democrats or Republicans,” Mr Zelensky told Rob Schmitt.” It’s the people of the United States that support us”.

He went on to say that “anybody could become the [US] president, some might like Ukraine more, some less. Some might have respect for Putin, and some might not but the values our country is fighting for are definitely the ones shared by the US”.

Mr Trump has praised Russia President Vladimir Putin in the past and on the day Ukraine was invaded claimed: “If I were in Office, this deadly Ukraine situation would never have happened!”

The Republican was impeached by the House in 2019 following allegations he wrongfully sought political help and pressued Ukraine to get himself elected. He was later cleared.

Herschel Walker pushes back idea Trump drafted him for Senate run

Wednesday 1 June 2022 12:00 , Gino Spocchia

The NFL legend and Republican Senate nominee running to oust Democrat senator Raphael Warnock in this year’s midterms has denied claims Donald Trump asked him to run.

“President Trump never asked me,” said Mr  Walker when asked about his run for the Senate this week. He said he heard those claims on television but were not true.

“So, I’m mad at him because he never asked,” Mr Walker said of his frustration with the former president taking credit. “But he’s taking credit that he asked.”

The former NFL player was speaking to Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, one half of the musical duo Run the Jewels, when he commented on the rumours, as Eric Garcia reports:

Herschel Walker pushes back on the idea Trump drafted him to run for Senate

Donald Trump Jr attacked for take on Amber Heard

Wednesday 1 June 2022 11:00 , Stuti Mishra

Donald Trump Jr has been attacked for his take on the defamation trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

“Maybe the most telling part of the Amber Turd trial is that not a single man seems to have come out in her defense saying she’s great,” Mr Trump Jr tweeted on 28 May.

The former president’s son’s remarks sparked backlash on the platform, with critics condemning the fact that he felt the need to weigh in at all.

Here's more from Gustaf Kilander:

Donald Trump Jr attacked for take on Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial

ICYMI: Former Clinton campaign lawyer found not guilty of lying to FBI

Wednesday 1 June 2022 10:00 , Stuti Mishra

A District of Columbia jury has acquitted attorney Michael Sussmann on charges that he’d lied to FBI agents while tipping them off about allegations that a computer server in Donald Trump’s eponymous skyscraper was communicating with a computer belonging to a Russian bank at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The jury rendered its not guilty verdict on Tuesday after three days of deliberations following a two-week trial, during which prosecutors working for Special Counsel John Durham sought to prove that Mr Sussmann, an ex-prosecutor who was a partner at the law firm Perkins Coie, lied when he met with FBI officials about the alleged Trump-Russia computer connection.

Andrew Feinberg has more details here:

Former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann found not guilty of lying to FBI

Biden leads Trump in 2024 poll

Wednesday 1 June 2022 09:00 , Stuti Mishra

Former president Donald Trump may lead just about every survey of the potential 2024 Republican primary field, but there's one key rival he continues to trail: Joe Biden.

The current president would win 42 per cent of the vote, according to a poll conducted by YouGov and Yahoo! News. Mr Trump followed close behind with the support of 39 per cent of respondents.

The results come despite Mr Biden's underwater approval rating, which was at 42 per cent (with 53 per cent disapproval) in the same survey.

John Bowden has more details on this here:

Biden leads Trump in 2024 poll despite flagging approval rating

Kellyanne Conway calls Trump a ‘great girlboss’

Wednesday 1 June 2022 08:00 , Stuti Mishra

Former Trump campaign manager and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway has been mocked by social media users after she said that Donald Trump was “a great girlboss” as president, suggesting that he was a champion of women.

Ms Conway said the former president was “a great girlboss” who championed women despite his very public verbal abuse of prominent female public figures such as former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, vice president Kamala Harris, and the group of young female House lawmakers sometimes referred to as “the Squad”.

“I’ve always had a great relationship with President Trump and I go on and on in the book of how protective he was of me,” Ms Conway said.

“I wish he was still the president,” she added.

Here's how social media reacted to the comment:

Kellyanne Conway mocked for calling Trump a ‘great girlboss’

Trump threatens Pulitzer committee with legal action again over awards to Russia probe coverage

Wednesday 1 June 2022 07:10 , Stuti Mishra

Former president Donald Trump has yet again hit out at the Pulitzer committee in a letter asking them to revoke the awards given to the New York Times and the Washington Post over their 2018 coverage of the Russia investigation.

In a letter dated 27 May which was made public on Tuesday, the former president threatened to take the organisation to court if it declined to revoke its award for that reporting.

Mr Trump cited recent legal proceedings in special counsel John Durham's investigation to argue that the Pulitzer-winning reporting by the New York Times and the Washington Post was "a distortion of fact and a personal defamation".

"There is no dispute that the Pulitzer Board's award to those media outlets was based on false and fabricated information that they published," Mr Trump wrote in a letter to Pulitzer Administrator Marjorie Miller.

"The continuing publication and recognition of the prizes on the Board's website is a distortion of fact and a personal defamation that will result in the filing of litigation if the Board cannot be persuaded to do the right thing on its own."

Trump calls legal system 'CORRUPT' after Sussmann verdict

Wednesday 1 June 2022 06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Former president Donald Trump has criticised the US legal system after Micheal Sussmann, a lawyer who represented Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic Party, was found not guilty of lying to the FBI.

“Our Legal System is CORRUPT, our Judges (and Justices!) are highly partisan, compromised or just plain scared, our Borders are OPEN, our Elections are Rigged, Inflation is RAMPANT, gas prices and food costs are ‘through the roof’, our Military ‘Leadership’ is Woke, our Country is going to HELL, and Michael Sussmann is not guilty,” Mr Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.

Mr Sussmann was under investigation by a special counsel in relation to the origins of the bureau’s probe of Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign for president. The former president and his allies have long alleged that Mr Sussmann was part of a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine his first presidential campaign.

Trump ally Peter Navarro subpoenaed by January 6 grand jury

Wednesday 1 June 2022 06:00 , Stuti Mishra

Former Trump administration trade adviser Peter Navarro has been subpoenaed to give evidence to a federal grand jury that is investigating the events leading up to the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

As reported by Politico, the details of the subpoena were made public via a draft version of a lawsuit that Mr Navarro himself has been circulating.

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Trump ally Peter Navarro subpoenaed by January 6 grand jury

Trump ‘will get his comeuppance’ for Jan 6 attack, says Raskin

Wednesday 1 June 2022 05:27 , Stuti Mishra

Democrat representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the House 6 January committee, has said that former president Donald Trump will “get his comeuppance” over the attack on the US Capitol.

Suggesting that criminal charges may soon be brought against the former president, Mr Raskin labelled Mr Trump “guilty as sin” and called him a “one-man crime wave” in an interview with Salon.

“Trump will get his comeuppance,” he said in the interview. “I know how maddening and frustrating it is to people. I share that feeling, having been an impeachment manager...He’s as guilty as sin.”

“He’s a one-man crime wave, and it’s amazing that his dad’s money and this pack of lawyers that he travels with have been able get him off everything up until now,” Mr Raskin said.

While the committee can not itself bring criminal charges against Mr Trump, it can refer any criminal findings to attorney general Merrick Garland.

The House committee on the insurrection at the Capitol is set to begin its public hearings this month. A series of eight prime-time televised hearings will begin from 9 June as it tries to uncover what led to the attack, and the role of the former president.

Democrat representative Jamie Raskin is a member of the House 6 January committee (Getty Images)
Democrat representative Jamie Raskin is a member of the House 6 January committee (Getty Images)

Wednesday 1 June 2022 05:05 , Stuti Mishra

Welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of all the latest updates on Donald Trump and the 6 Jan committee hearings. Stay tuned!