Trump news – live: Rudy Giuliani backs out of Jan 6 committee interview

Andrew Naughtie,Graeme Massie and Stuti Mishra
·23 min read
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Former Trump laywer Rudy Giuliani, who played a leading role in the “stop the steal” effort to overturn the 2020 election in courts across the nation, has backed out of an interview with the 6 January committee at the last minute.

The encounter was scheduled for today and had been agreed after months of negotiation, and apparently fell apart when Mr Giuliani insisted that he be allowed to record the meeting on video, a request which the committee refused.

Meanwhile, a member of the Oath Keepers militia group has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy in relation to the 6 January riot – and with the plea deal sealed, it has emerged that he was present when the militia’s leader tried to contact Mr Trump after the Capitol riots had ended.

According to court documents filed in the case of William Todd Wilson, who is now co-operating with the government, leader Stewart Rhodes called “an individual” on speaker phone after leaving the Capitol grounds and implored this person “to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power”.

However, the unidentified person on the other end of the line apparently refused to put Mr Trump on the phone.

Key points

  • Giuliani backs out of Jan 6 interview at last minute

  • Donald Trump Jr testifies to Jan 6 committee

  • Trump regrets endorsing Ben Sasse

Greene claims Black lives don’t matter to Democrats while sharing abortion rights video

04:22 , Johanna Chisholm

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, an outspoken pro-life lawmaker, rejoiced this week at the news that Supreme Court justices were considering overruling Roe v Wade, labelling it “a victory for God”.

She continued with that celebration throughout the week, but on Friday, she seemed to use the news peg of reproductive rights to dig in to a conversation about civil rights.

“Do black lives matter to the Democrat party? The answer is no,” the Georgia congresswoman wrote in a tweet on Friday alongside a video where a man asks a group of healthcare workers protesting for the protection of abortion access if “the Black babies killed in the abortion clinic matter”.

The group falls silent while the man in the video continues to ask “does the future of our Black babies matter”.

“If you are black, they use you for your vote by pretending to care while their policies cause crime in your neighborhoods & Democrat funded abortion mills kill your children,” the far-right lawmaker closes.

The freshman lawmaker just last year co-sponsored a bill that would prevent US embassies from flying LGBT+ pride and Black Lives Matter flags, and has called the racial justice movement a “radical Marxist group.”

02:22 , Johanna Chisholm

After it was revealed in excerpts this week that former defense secretary Mark Esper says in his new book, A Sacred Oath, that former president Donald Trump allegedly asked him in 2020 about launching missiles into Mexico to “destroy the drug labs”, another former defense secretary is wading into the arena to take shots at Mr Trump.

According to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, former defence secretary William Cohen was “not surprised” when he heard the excerpts from Mr Esper’s upcoming book.

“I’m honestly I’m not surprised. We saw evidence of this, that former President Trump has no respect for the rule of law. He believes he has Putin-esque like powers,” said the Republican moderate, who served under Bill Clinton as defense secretary.

Mr Esper, The New York Times reported, citing book excerpts, was told by Mr Trump that: “we could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly”.

Capitol rioters plead guilty to assaulting police officer

Saturday 7 May 2022 00:43 , Johanna Chisholm

A group of accused Capitol rioters have partially admitted to attacking police officer Michael Fanone on January 6, and will now likely face time behind bars.

Two members of the group, who are from different US states, appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to allegations of assaulting Mr Fanone, a former officer, The Washington Post reported.

Kyle Young, 38, told the court how he brought his teenage son to Washington DC from Redfield, Iowa, for the “Stop the Steal” rally and then made their way to the US Capitol.

Mr Fanone, speaking in testimonies after the attack, said he was pulled into the crowd of rioters and was assaulted. He ended up suffering from a heart attack and traumatic brain injuries on 6 January, ultimately leading to him retiring from the Capitol force last year.

Continue reading the full story from The Independent’s Gino Spocchia below.

Group pleads guilty to assaulting Capitol police officer on January 6

Interview from 2016 election trail shows host taking Trump to task over abortion stance

Friday 6 May 2022 22:14 , Johanna Chisholm

An old interview dug up from the 2016 election trail has new relevancy this week and is making the rounds on social media once more.

CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski shared the video clip of MSNBC host Chris Matthews taking Donald Trump to task over his position on abortion back in 2016, a topic that has become more contentious this week after a draft opinion leaked late Monday night suggested the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v Wade.

“You’re saying you want to ban it. What does that mean?” the MSNBC host presses, as Mr Trump attempts to dance around the question.

“I am pro life yes,” the former president says, while Mr Matthews continues to interject with questions trying to lock down what his definition of pro-life actually means.

“Do you believe in punishment for abortion yes or no,” Mr Matthews asks again.

“The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment,” Mr Trump finally lands on.

Watch the full clip of the interview below.

Opinion: Dr Oz is running for Senate. Even if he means well, it’s a very bad idea

Friday 6 May 2022 20:04 , Johanna Chisholm

Dr Mehmet Oz, who is running for Pennsylvania Senate and has already secured GOP kingmaker Donald Trump’s endorsement, might have gained enough celebrity status to warrant the former US president to bet on him, but his medical judgments leave cause for concern, writes Julie Charnet.

“As a physician, he has consistently stated a strong desire to help people and I believed him; I still do. But not all of his efforts involved the holistic wellness game. When Covid-19 hit the US, his endorsement of another product, this time an anti-malaria drug, was in a different league,” she writes for The Independent on the doctor’s controversial opinions over treating Covid-19.

“What I do know is that the US Senate has the power to decide some major issues that affect all of us — beyond healthcare. I’m not sure if it’s the right place for a doctor who plays one on TV and in real life simultaneously.”

Read the full opinion piece from The Independent below.

Dr Oz is running for Senate. Even if he means well it’s a very bad idea|Julie Charnet

Judge at Jan 6 sentencing points to Europe as a warning

Friday 6 May 2022 18:30 , Johanna Chisholm

Speaking at Aaron Mostofsky’s sentencing for his role in the 6 January riot, a judge had these sobering words on the importance of holding the Capitol attackers accountable for their actions:

Musk says he didn’t buy Twitter for Trump’s sake

Friday 6 May 2022 17:05 , Andrew Naughtie

While Donald Trump has insisted he is sticking with Truth Social for now – and has even started posting at least on his troubled platform – many of his supporters were hopeful that Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter could pave the way for the sometime president’s return to his onetime soapbox of choice.

But whether or not the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Mr Musk offers to reinstate Mr Trump’s account, he is insisting for now that the two men have not as reported discussed the Twitter buyout.

“This is false,” Mr Musk wrote in response to a New York Post story making the claim. “I’ve had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social.”

Andrew Griffin has the story:

Elon Musk denies Twitter takeover is to do with Donald Trump

Jan 6 cases: Son of a judge who dressed in pets faces sentencing

Friday 6 May 2022 16:35 , Andrew Naughtie

One of the more distinctively dressed Capitol rioters is in the process of being sentenced.

Aaron Mostofsky, whose father is a Democratic-leaning judge in Brooklyn, was pictured on 6 January 2021 inside the Capitol wearing a bizarre assemblage of animal parts. According to his defence attorney, the outfit was his 2020 Purim costume; in one filing, it was described as “raccoon”.

Here’s a video interview Mr Mostofsky gave inside the Capitol during the riot.

You can follow more from the sentencing below courtesy of Law & Crime’s Adam Klasfeld:

ICYMI: Rudy Giuliani walks away from Jan 6 interview

Friday 6 May 2022 16:05 , Andrew Naughtie

Rudy Giuliani and the 6 January select committee reportedly spent months negotiating the interview that was meant to go ahead today, with the former Trump lawyer insisting that certain questions be left off the table because of supposed attorney-client privilege.

However, the last straw for Mr Giuliani seems to be that the committee refused to let him videotape their session together.

Read more from Gustaf Kilander:

Rudy Giuliani pulls out of meeting with Capitol riot committee

Mike Pompeo claims Trump endorsee Dr Oz is a security threat

Friday 6 May 2022 15:27 , Andrew Naughtie

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick is fighting a tough primary campaign against Dr Mehmet Oz, the TV physician who has secured Donald Trump’s endorsement despite the contempt of many conservatives.

So far, Mr McCormick has mostly criticized the controversial doctor’s multiple ideological backflips, but he has lately opened up a new line of attack: the dual Turkish-American citizen’s activities in Turkey. That now extends to Dr Oz’s voting in a past Turkish election – with Mr McCormick drafting in former Trump secretary of state Mike Pompeo to argue it raises the question of a national security risk.

Report details far-right infiltration of law enforcement

Friday 6 May 2022 14:55 , Andrew Naughtie

The last number of years have seen increasing concern far-right radicalisation in the military and law enforcement ranks – and according to a new investigation by Reuters, private police trainers are increasingly part of the problem, disseminating extreme and violent ideas among scores of new recruits.

In one example, the story focuses on Idaho-based law enforcement consultant Richard Whitehead:

Whitehead was listed in a database of members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government group, that was leaked in September by the nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which says it aims to publish data in the public interest. The members list included some 15 other people who identified themselves as law enforcement trainers and dozens more who said they were retired officers or trainers, or firearms instructors, according to a Reuters review of the data. The anti-government militia group focuses on recruiting police and military personnel, according to some experts who track extremism, and claims to have thousands of members. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. He has pleaded not guilty.

Kellye SoRelle – an attorney for the Oath Keepers who has called herself the group’s acting president during Rhodes’ pretrial detention – did not respond to a request for comment on the law enforcement officers listed in the database.

Read the report below.

Former Trump aide confirms Mexico drug lab missile strike story

Friday 6 May 2022 14:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Elizabeth Neumann, a former counterterrorism appointee at the Department for Homeland Security, has confirmed the bizarre story from Mark Esper’s book in which the ex-defense secretary claims Mr Trump suggested striking drug labs in Mexico with patriot missiles.

Oath Keepers to appear in court again on Jan 6 charges

Friday 6 May 2022 13:48 , Andrew Naughtie

Defendants from the Oath Keepers militia group are due back in court today as their 6 January sedition case continues. The group is accused of planning its role in the violent attack on the Capitol, and according to prosecutors, leaders arranged to bring firearms to the protest and stashed them at hotels in the greater DC metro area.

The court appearance comes after a member of the group agreed to plead guilty to sedition, in the course of which it emerged he had heard indicted leader Stewart Rhodes place a call on which he asked a Trump intermediary to put the then-president on the line.

Read more on that shocking news below.

Oath Keepers leader tried to ask Trump to forcibly stop January 6 transfer of power

GOP congressman: don’t call it terrorism

Friday 6 May 2022 13:07 , Andrew Naughtie

As far as the Trump faithful go, one of the biggest sins a Republican can commit is to refer to the 6 January attack on the US Capitol as a riot, an insurrection, or in particular an act of “terrorism” – as Ted Cruz found out the hard way when he used that word on the anniversary of the event this year.

Now, another member of Congress has weighed in for the conservative side, insisting that he refused to back an independent commission to investigate the riot because of the language it used.

“It was a protest, that’s what it was,” said Trump-backed West Virginia representative Alex Mooney in an interview. “A few people went in and the law should be implemented for those who broke it,” Mr Mooney said. “I do not think it was a domestic terrorist attack.”

The number of people charged with taking part in the riot has now topped 800.

Read more from Shweta Sharma:

GOP lawmaker says it’s ‘insulting’ to label Capitol riot a ‘domestic terror attack’

ICYMI: Book says Trump wanted to bomb drug labs in Mexico

Friday 6 May 2022 12:42 , Andrew Naughtie

The latest incendiary tell-all Trump administration memoir comes from Mark Esper, who served as the president’s defense secretary. In the latest passage to grab headlines, Mr Esper writes that in 2020, Mr Trump asked him about the prospect of launching missiles into Mexico to “destroy the drug labs”.

According to Mr Esper’s upcoming memoir A Sacred Oath, Mr Trump said Mexico didn’t “have control of their own country” and that “no one would know it was us”.

Like many of Mr Trump’s more bizarre foreign policy notions, the idea came to nothing. Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Trump asked about launching missiles into Mexico, according to Mark Esper’s memoir

Trump tries again to delay transfer of WH records to Jan 6 panel

Friday 6 May 2022 12:04 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump has fought hard to stop the 6 January select committee from accessing certain of his White House records, mainly by claiming that they fall under “executive privilege”. He has filed several motions trying to delay the release, and now the Washington DC District Court has received another...

John Bolton: Trump would be a security risk if re-elected

Friday 6 May 2022 11:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Former national security adviser John Bolton, who served for a time in the Trump administration and has since disowned his former boss as ignorant and dangerous, has once again described him as a potential threat to national security if he is re-elected in 2024.

Speaking to CBS News, Mr Bolton said the damage that Mr Trump did during his presidency was not permanent – but that if he got a second term, the ensuing damage to national security, political institutions and the Republican Party could be irreparable.

Watch his remarks below.

Trump 'caused damage to national security', says former advisor

Friday 6 May 2022 10:15 , Stuti Mishra

Donald Trump's first term resulted in damage to national security and him getting a second term could be worse, says John Bolton, former national security advisor in the Trump administration.

Mr Bolton was asked on CBS News on Thursday if the former president would be a threat to US national security if he returns to the White House, to which the former national security advisor and author said: "Yes!"

"I think he caused damage to national security, to our political institutions, to the Republican party during the first time, I think all of that damage is repairable," Mr Bolton said.

"But if he got a second term, the damage might be irreparable," he adds.

"Trump doesn't think in policy terms," the former national security advisor who described the former president as a "dangerous" person in his book, told CBS News.

"For Trump it was transactional and it was viewed from the prism of 'How does it benefit Donald Trump' and that's what's fundamentally dangerous over the long-term."

Giuliani withdraws from interview with Jan 6 committee

Friday 6 May 2022 09:30 , Stuti Mishra

Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who led his court efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has withdrawn from an interview with the congressional committee investigating the 6 January riots, according to a spokesman.

Mr Giuliani was scheduled to take part in an interview on Friday, but Committee spokesman Tim Mulvey released a statement to multiple media outlets on Thursday night saying: “Mr Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview with the Select Committee. Today, he informed committee investigators that he wouldn’t show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition.”

Read more:

Giuliani withdraws from interview with Jan. 6 committee

Trump asked about launching missiles into Mexico to ‘destroy drug labs,’ according to Esper’s book

Friday 6 May 2022 08:45 , Stuti Mishra

Donald Trump reportedly asked his defence secretary Mark Esper about the possibility of launching missiles into Mexico to “destroy the drug labs” and demolish drug cartel, according to The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, reporting from Mr Esper’s upcoming memoir A Sacred Oath.

“They don’t have control of their own country,” Mr Esper remembers then-president Trump saying.

“We could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly,” he reportedly said. “No one would know it was us.”

Trump and Carroll lawyers agree to continue case and potentially exchange new evidence

Friday 6 May 2022 08:00 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s lawyers and the lawyers for writer E Jean Carroll – who sued him for defamation after he denied her allegations that he raper in the 1990s, said she was not his type, and alleged she only made the claims to boost book sales – have agreed to resume the exchange of evidence, including witness testimony, in the case.

The former president has denied the allegations.

Both sides have agreed to begin deposing witnessness from 3 August to 19 October.

Trump regrets endorsing Ben Sasse

Friday 6 May 2022 06:45 , Stuti Mishra

Former president Donald Trump says he regrets endorsing Ben Sasse in the 2020 Nebraska Senate race.

“He’s bad news, Ben Sasse. He begged for my endorsement, the day after he started hitting me and we hit much harder than he knows how to hit. He’s bad news,” Mr Trump said during a rally held for Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.

“Should have never given him the endorsement. He was horrible at the beginning. And then he was so good … and then the following day, literally, he started hitting back,” he added.

(AP)
(AP)

Chief Justice John Roberts calls Roe opinion leak ‘absolutely appalling'

Friday 6 May 2022 06:00 , Alex Woodward

The US Supreme Court’s Chief Justice John Roberts called the leak of a draft opinion written by conservative Justice Samule Alito in the case of Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization “absolutely appalling” on Thursday.

This week’s reporting the expected ruling, set to overturn constitutional protections for abortion care established by Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey, has prompted an investigation inside the court.

“If the person behind it thinks that it will affect our work, that’s just foolish,” Justice Roberts told a judicial conference in Georgia on Thursday, according to NBC News.

Trump Jr accused FBI of ‘Gestapo tactics’ for the arrest of man who urged on Capitol rioters

Friday 6 May 2022 05:00 , Alex Woodward

The ex-president’s oldest son compared the arrest of a far-right figure who pleaded guilty to helping people break into the US Capitol to “Gestapo tactics.”

Brandon Straka stood outside an entrance to the Capitol on 6 January 2021 and urged a crowd of intruders inside, shouting “go, go, go,” and later encouraged rioters to grab a Capitol Police officer’s shield.

Trump Jr decries ‘Gestapo tactics’ in Capitol riot figure’s arrest

Dr Oz to campaign with Trump and JD Vance in Pennsylvania

Friday 6 May 2022 04:00 , Alex Woodward

TV personality and Republican senate candidate Mehmet Oz will be joined by Trump and recently nominated Ohio GOP Senate candidate JD Vance at a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday.

‘He said I got him in trouble’: Biden meets Amazon union leader at White House

Friday 6 May 2022 03:00 , Alex Woodward

After speaking at a Senate Budget Committee on union-busting efforts and federal contracts for companies like Amazon that allegedly flour federal labor law, Amaon Labor Union president Christian Smalls joined a White House meeting with Kamala Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh as well as Starbucks union workers and other organizers.

Mr Smalls – in a red, yellow and black jacket with “eat the rich” printed on the front – also met Joe Biden.

‘He said I got him in trouble’: Biden meets Amazon union leader at the White House

Here’s what you’ll find on Trump’s Truth Social

Friday 6 May 2022 02:00 , Alex Woodward

Truth Social – Trump’s platform to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” as he described it – is the most high profile among several newer platforms to launch as a direct challenge to mainstream social media platforms, viewed among right-wing figures and users as too constrictive or conspiring to remove their views after they were kicked off for flouting rules about Covid-19 misinformation, violence and harassment.

Despite billing itself as a platform for “free expression” against the alleged tyranny of companies like Twitter, Truth appears singularly devoted to the Trump universer and right-wing media ecosystem.

What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’

Madison Cawthorn says someone is out to get him amid a ‘drip-drip’ of embarrassing leaks – is he right?

Friday 6 May 2022 01:00 , Alex Woodward

The 26-year-old far-right congressman – the youngest member of the House – has faced a slow-drip leak of embarrassing videos and photos over the last month, after telling a right-wing broadcaster that about alleged “orgies” among his Washington colleagues.

He claims the leaks are aimed to discredit him, punishment for speaking out about members of Congress. His standing in an upcoming primary election – in which polls show him falling behind – has one life raft: Donald Trump.

The Independent’s John Bowden has more:

Madison Cawthorn says someone is out to get him – is he right?

Karine Jean-Pierre to replace Jen Psaki as White House Press Secretary

Friday 6 May 2022 00:00 , Alex Woodward

Karine Jean-Pierre will be stepping into the role of White House press secretary this month.

She will be the first openly LGBT+ and first Black person to serve as a president’s top spokesperson, after serving Ms Psaki’s top deputy since Joe Biden took office last year. She joined the Biden campaign in 2020 after serving as chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org and as an NBC News political analyst.

Karine Jean-Pierre to replace Jen Psaki as White House Press Secretary

Much-maligned DC fencing returns around Supreme Court for Roe protests

Thursday 5 May 2022 23:00 , John Bowden

The much-hated Capitol Hill fencing, used last year to secure the area around the Capitol for months after Jan 6, is back and reinstalled around the Supreme Court amid tensions over the Court’s assumed plans to overturn Roe V Wade in the coming weeks or months.

Videos of the perimiter showed that an entire city block, including one of the Capitol Hill neighborhood’s nicest green spaces, was cordoned off by the black metal barricades as of Thursday.

Read more from The Independent’s Bevan Hurley:

Ring of steel set up outside Supreme Court as more protests over Roe memo expected