Trump news – live: Trump calls for Mitch McConnell to be impeached as Oath Keepers message to him revealed

In the course of a round of appearances on right-wing outlets, Donald Trump this morning called for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to be impeached, claiming that Republican members of Congress “have something on him”.

The ex-president’s loathing of Mr McConnell is well-known, but there is no reason to expect other Republican senators to make a concerted effort against him. Mr McConnell has invested heavily in the Senate midterm campaign, whereas Mr Trump has used a disproportionate share of the money he has raised for his own legal bills.

Mr Trump’s hit at Mr McConnell comes after the news that a former key aide, Kash Patel, is set to testify before a grand jury investigating the handling of secret documents at Mar-a-Lago after being granted immunity from prosecution.

Mr Patel is a close adviser to the former president and maintains a personal relationship with him. He was appointed as one of his official representatives to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Meanwhile, the trial of the Oath Keepers yesterday saw prosecutors reveal a message to Mr Trump penned but never sent by the group’s erstwhile leader, Stewart Rhodes, who faces seditious conspiracy charges in relation to the January 6 attack.

Key points

• Trump aide Kash Patel granted immunity to testify in Mar-a-Lago case

• Trump sues NY's Letitia James for 'war of intimidation and harassment'

• Supreme Court grants Trump stay in tax returns case

• Letitia James’s fraud lawsuit goes to trial at last

• Supreme Court won’t shield Lindsey Graham from Georgia grand jury

• Hillary Clinton wants Trump to pay legal fees after conspiracy lawsuit dismissed

Trump slams McConnell (again)

14:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Appearing on right-wing fringe media this morning, Donald Trump has reiterated his boilerplate criticisms of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Here’s a sample:

ICYMI: Trump sues Letitia James

13:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social account that he has filed a lawsuit against New York attorney general Letitia James, accusing her of pursuing a “relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade” against him.

The former president also claimed in the lawsuit filed in the Florida circuit court that the New York attorney general was violating his rights to privacy and property.

He said Ms James was violating his rights as a grantor and beneficiary of the Donald J Trump revocable trust.

Mr Trump further said that Ms James has done little to protect New York against rampant crime.

The lawsuit stated that the goal of the attorney general is “destroying him [Donald Trump] personally, financially, and politically”.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Trump files lawsuit against New York attorney general Letitia James

The Oath Keepers’ message to Trump

13:12 , Andrew Naughtie

As prosecutors wrapped up their case in the trial of leading members of the Oath Keepers on seditious conspiracy charges, they yesterday showed the jury a message written by militia leader Stewart Rhodes for the attention of Donald Trump.

In it, Mr Rhodes wrote that if Mr Trump did not invoke the insurrection act, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would “turn all that power on you, your family, and all of us,” meaning “You and your family will be imprisoned and killed. You and your children will die in prison.”

The message was not ultimately sent, but it is already known that Mr Rhodes tried to reach Mr Trump via contacts in his inner circle after the January 6 attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory ended in failure.

Read more from Alex Woodward:

Oath Keepers leader said he wanted to hang Nancy Pelosi in recording shared at trial

Ted Cruz complains Trump isn’t spending enough on midterms

12:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Senator Ted Cruz has openly admonished Donald Trump for not spending more of his war chest on GOP candidates in the upcoming midterms.

The Texas senator called out the one-term president during Tuesday’s episode of his podcast The Verdict, claiming that he is sitting on “a hundred million dollars” instead of using it to support pro-Trump candidates on ballots across the country.

“I wish Trump was spending some of his money,” he said.

“Trump’s got a hundred million dollars and he’s spending almost none of it to support these candidates.”

Mr Trump is a relentless and effective small-donor fundraiser, but it has become clear since he left the White House that much of the money he’s pulling in has gone toward his and his inner circle’s forever mounting legal bills.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Ted Cruz blasts Trump for not spending more on GOP midterm candidates

Obama sounds warning about threat of political violence

12:00 , Andrew Naughtie

As the country faces its first high-profile election since the presidential race in November 2020, which was plagued by baseless claims of a rigged election fuelled by Donald Trump and reverberated by an astounding percentage of Republican leaders, the political divide is vast.

“This increasing habit of demonising political opponents creates a dangerous climate,” former President Barack Obama said. “If that’s the environment that we create, more people are going to get hurt.”

Andrea Blanco reports.

Obama sounds warning about threat of political violence ahead of midterms

Kari Lake calls Trump ally Steve Bannon a ‘modern day George Washington’

11:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Arizona Republican Kari Lake lauded Donald Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon as a “modern-day George Washington” as he made a surprise appearance to campaign for her in the state.

The right-wing former TV anchor is involved in a competitive race with Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, to be the state’s governor.

“I want you to meet and give a big Arizona welcome to one of my favorite guys in the world, one of the most patriotic men I know, I call him a modern-day George Washington, Steve Bannon,” she told a crowd on Tuesday night.

Kari Lake calls Steve Bannon a ‘modern day George Washington’ at Arizona rally

Stewart Rhodes to Trump: ‘Save the republic’ or ‘die in prison’

10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Growing frustrated with what he believed was Donald Trump’s inadequate response to the 2020 presidential election, the leader of a far-right anti-government group that allegedly conspired to storm the US Capitol wrote a message to the president four days after the attempted insurrection.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes allegedly called on the president to invoke the Insurrection Act, activate the group to defend the nation from his political enemies, and jail members of Congress and state legislators, according to a message that was shared in court on 2 November in the ongoing seditious conspiracy trial involving Mr Rhodes and members of his militia.

Alex Woodward reports on what else Rhodes told Trump.

Oath Keepers leader said he wanted to hang Nancy Pelosi in recording shared at trial

Elon Musk: Trump and other banned users won’t be back on Twitter before midterms

09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Banned users won’t be back on Twitter “for weeks,” Elon Musk has said, meaning that former President Donald Trump and other users blocked from the platform won’t be back before the midterm elections on 8 November.

The Tesla CEO finished his $44bn purchase of the social media platform last week after failing to back out of the deal.

“Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on [the] platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks,” Mr Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Banned users won’t be back on Twitter before midterms, Elon Musk says

Can anything stop Trump running in 2024?

07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump made history in becoming the first president in US history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives.

But while losing to Joe Biden in November 2020 may have dented the one-term president’s pride and fuelled 18 months of lies about rigged ballot boxes, it now seems almost certain that Mr Trump will run again for the White House in 2024.

So what, if anything, could stop him?

Graeme Massie and Gustaf Kilander report.

Can Trump run again in the 2024 election?

Trump 2024 campaign preparing for post-midterms launch

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

As he played to a crowd of supporters in Robstown, Texas, former President Donald Trump drew cheers as he talked up his first two runs for the White House — and teased a third.

“In order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again,” he said last month.

That carefully placed “probably” may soon be gone from Trump’s stump speech. Aides to the former president are making quiet preparations for a 2024 presidential campaign that could be launched soon after next week’s midterm elections as Trump tries to capitalize on expected Republican wins to propel himself toward becoming the front-runner for his party’s nomination.

Read more:

Trump 2024 campaign prepares for post-midterms launch

Trump settles lawsuit filed by protesters over 2015 scuffle

04:22 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has settled a lawsuit filed by a group of Mexican protesters who say they were roughed up by the Republican’s private security guards during his 2015 presidential campaign.

The two sides settled as a jury was being selected in a New York courtroom for a civil trial, one of a spate of legal entanglements involving the former president.

Details of the settlement in the protesters’ lawsuit were not divulged.

“Although we were eager to proceed to trial to demonstrate the frivolousness of this case, the parties were ultimately able to come to an amicable resolution,” said Mr Trump‘s lawyer, Alina Habba. “We are very pleased with this outcome and are happy to finally put this matter to rest once and for all.”

Trump sues NY's Letitia James for 'war of intimidation and harassment'

04:16 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against New York attorney general Letitia James alleging “extraordinary wrongdoing” and embarking on a “war of intimidation and harassment” against him.

In a 41-page filing at Florida State Circuit Court in Palm Beach, he sought to block Ms James from obtaining documents from a Florida revocable trust that holds ownership of the Trump Organization.

“Extraordinary wrongdoing requires extraordinary relief,” the lawsuit said. “As set forth below, James has repeatedly abused her position as Attorney General for the State of New York to pursue a relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade against President Trump, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, with the stated goal of destroying him personally, financially, and politically.”

Mr Trump claims that the New York attorney general is violating his privacy by seeking details of his trust.

It comes after Ms James filed a civil lawsuit against Mr Trump and his family members last month alleging financial fraud.

Trump’s biracial ex-girlfriend says he told her she got her intelligence from white father

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s biracial former girlfriend Kara Young has broken her silence about an incident where he told her she got her intelligence from her white father.

Speaking to Inside Edition on Tuesday in her first interview about Mr Trump since 2017, Ms Young, 47, confirmed the veracity of a previous report about the alleged encounter.

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Donald Trump’s biracial ex Kara Young reveals ‘joke’ he made about her race

Key Trump aide Kash Patel granted immunity to testify in Mar-a-Lago secret documents case, report says

03:22 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump aide Kash Patel is set to testify before a grand jury investigating the handling of secret documents at Mar-a-Lago after being granted immunity from prosecution, a report says.

Mr Patel, who worked in the Trump administration, will “soon testify” before the federal grand jury, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday evening.

In June, Mr Trump named Mr Patel as one of his official representatives to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Graeme Massie writes.

Trump aide Kash Patel granted immunity to testify in Mar-a-Lago secret documents case

Trump says Kanye West ‘will be fine’, downplaying his antisemitism

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In a radio interview on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump suggested that Kanye West would not have been treated the way he was after making antisemitic statements if he hadn’t previously said “good things about Trump”.

Speaking with conservative talk radio personality and podcaster Chris Stigall, the former president was asked about a number of current events and news topics, including the midterms and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

Mr Trump’s remarks on the disgraced rapper, whose slew of antisemitic comments saw him dropped by a string of companies with whom he collaborated, stuck out in particular.

Trump predicts Kanye West ‘will be fine’ and downplays his antisemitism scandal

Clinton wants Trump to pay legal fees from dismissed lawsuit

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton has asked a federal judge to order former President Donald Trump and his attorneys to pay more than $1m in legal fees and costs to cover expenses she and several other defendants accrued defending themselves against a dismissed lawsuit claiming that they conspired to sink Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by accusing it of colluding with Russia.

Abe Asher has the details.

Hillary Clinton wants Donald Trump to pay legal fees for dismissed conspiracy suit

‘The whole thing is crazy’: Trump joins in on Paul Pelosi conspiracy theories

Wednesday 2 November 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has joined a chorus of GOP voices promoting a flurry of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories around the attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

The former president began airing the controversial remarks while calling in to the Chris Stigall radio show on Tuesday morning.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Trump joins GOP chorus of conspiracy theories on Paul Pelosi attack

Supreme Court temporarily shields Trump tax returns from House committee

Wednesday 2 November 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The US Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the House Ways and Means Committee from obtaining six years of tax returns from former president Donald Trump and his eponymous real estate businesses after the ex-president requested an emergency stay of a lower court order allowing them access to the documents.

The temporary stay was granted by Chief Justice John Roberts, who is responsible for appeals of decisions from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Chief Justice Roberts also ordered the House of Representatives to respond to the ex-president’s appeal by 10 November.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Supreme Court temporarily blocks House from getting Trump tax returns

Trump lawyers who fought election results saw Thomas as key

Wednesday 2 November 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lawyers who aided former President Donald Trump‘s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election regarded an appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as a “key” to their success, according to emails provided to congressional investigators and made public Wednesday.

The emails from December 2020 show the lawyers discussing ways to delay the certification of results in Georgia, a closely contested state won by Democrat Joe Biden. One lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, suggested that an appeal to Thomas, as the justice who handles emergency appeals from Georgia, could “end up being the key here.”

“We want to frame things so that Thomas could be the one to issue some sort of stay or other circuit justice opinion saying Georgia is in legitimate doubt,” Chesebro wrote. “Realistically, our only chance to get a favorable judicial opinion by Jan. 6, which might hold up the Georgia count in Congress, is from Thomas.”

Read more.

Trump 2024 campaign preparing for post-midterms launch

Wednesday 2 November 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

As he played to a crowd of supporters in Robstown, Texas, former President Donald Trump drew cheers as he talked up his first two runs for the White House — and teased a third.

“In order to make our country successful, safe and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again,” he said last month.

That carefully placed “probably” may soon be gone from Trump’s stump speech. Aides to the former president are making quiet preparations for a 2024 presidential campaign that could be launched soon after next week’s midterm elections as Trump tries to capitalize on expected Republican wins to propel himself toward becoming the front-runner for his party’s nomination.

Read more:

Trump 2024 campaign prepares for post-midterms launch

Elon Musk: Trump and other banned users won’t be back on Twitter before midterms

Wednesday 2 November 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Banned users won’t be back on Twitter “for weeks,” Elon Musk has said, meaning that former President Donald Trump and other users blocked from the platform won’t be back before the midterm elections on 8 November.

The Tesla CEO finished his $44bn purchase of the social media platform last week after failing to back out of the deal.

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Banned users won’t be back on Twitter before midterms, Elon Musk says

Kari Lake calls former Trump adviser Steve Bannon a ‘modern day George Washington’

Wednesday 2 November 2022 19:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Arizona Republican Kari Lake lauded Donald Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon as a “modern-day George Washington” as he made a surprise appearance to campaign for her in the state.

The right-wing former TV anchor is involved in a competitive race with Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, to be the state’s governor.

Graeme Massie reports.

Kari Lake calls Steve Bannon a ‘modern day George Washington’ at Arizona rally

Hillary Clinton wants Trump to pay legal fees from dismissed lawsuit

Wednesday 2 November 2022 18:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton has asked a federal judge to order former President Donald Trump and his attorneys to pay more than $1m in legal fees and costs to cover expenses she and several other defendants accrued defending themselves against a dismissed lawsuit claiming that they conspired to sink Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by accusing it of colluding with Russia.

Abe Asher has the details.

Hillary Clinton wants Donald Trump to pay legal fees for dismissed conspiracy suit

Trump says Kanye West ‘will be fine’ and downplays his antisemitism

Wednesday 2 November 2022 18:33 , Oliver O'Connell

In a radio interview on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump suggested that Kanye West would not have been treated the way he was after making antisemitic statements if he hadn’t previously said “good things about Trump”.

Speaking with conservative talk radio personality and podcaster Chris Stigall, the former president was asked about a number of current events and news topics, including the midterms and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

Mr Trump’s remarks on the disgraced rapper, whose slew of antisemitic comments saw him dropped by a string of companies with whom he collaborated, stuck out in particular.

Trump predicts Kanye West ‘will be fine’ and downplays his antisemitism scandal

Oath Keepers leader told Trump after Jan 6: ‘Save the republic’ or ‘die in prison’

Wednesday 2 November 2022 18:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Growing frustrated with what he believed was Donald Trump’s inadequate response to the 2020 presidential election, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of far-right anti-government group the Oath Keepers, that allegedly conspired to storm the US Capitol wrote a message to the president four days after the attempted insurrection.

Alex Woodward reports on what Rhodes said.

Oath Keepers leader said he wanted to hang Nancy Pelosi in recording shared at trial

Lindsey Graham won’t be shielded from Georgia grand jury by Supreme Court

Wednesday 2 November 2022 17:55 , Oliver O'Connell

The US Supreme Court has declined to block South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham from having to give evidence before the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating former president Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Andrew Feinberg reports on the court’s decision.

Supreme Court won’t shield Lindsey Graham from Georgia grand jury

Jury begins deliberating in Trump ally Barrack’s ‘foreign agent' trial

Wednesday 2 November 2022 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

A US jury began deliberations on Wednesday in the trial of Tom Barrack, the onetime private equity executive and fundraiser for Donald Trump, on charges he acted as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn last year charged Barrack, 75, with using his influence with the Trump campaign and administration to push the UAE’s policy interests without notifying the US Attorney General he was acting as an agent for the Middle Eastern country, as required by law.

The OPEC nation paid him back in 2017 and 2018 by investing $374m from its sovereign wealth with his company, then known as Colony Capital, prosecutors said.

Barrack has pleaded not guilty and has described his interactions with Middle Eastern officials as part of his role running Colony, now known as DigitalBridge Group Inc. He argues that even when his interests aligned with the UAE’s, he was acting on his own accord and not subject to Abu Dhabi’s direction.

Over the six-week trial, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn displayed hundreds of text messages and emails they said showed Emirati officials gave Barrack input on what he should say in television interviews and an op-ed about the Middle East, and that Barrack passed along sensitive information about US foreign policy.

“Mr Barrack was willing to be their man on the inside,” Ryan Harris, a prosecutor, said in his closing argument on Tuesday.

Barrack‘s lawyers did not dispute that he had been in touch with Emirati officials and occasionally sought their feedback, but they said any impact on US policy or public opinion was insignificant.

“Where was the influence of US policy?” Randall Jackson, a lawyer for Barrack, said in his closing argument on Tuesday. “Try, just try to figure out where in this case you heard anybody who talked about real policy that was affected.”

Jackson also said Emirati investments represented less than one per cent of Colony’s balance sheet. He said that while Barrack - who is of Lebanese descent - wanted better relations between the United States and the Middle East, he never agreed to act subject to the UAE’s “direction or control,” as US law defines agents for foreign governments.

Sam Nitze, a prosecutor, countered in a rebuttal that Emirati officials were “thrilled” at Barrack‘s comments about the country and its leaders during television interviews. He said the law was designed to make sure the US government knew when someone was acting as a “mouthpiece” for a foreign government.

“Some of these moves are subtle and incremental but they are real,” Nitze said. “Product placement - getting a name out, subtly burnishing a reputation - matters.”

Reuters

Trump on Pelosi attack: ‘The whole thing is crazy’

Wednesday 2 November 2022 16:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has joined a chorus of GOP voices promoting a flurry of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories around the attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

The former president began airing the controversial remarks while calling in to the Chris Stigall radio show on Tuesday morning.

Johanna Chisholm reports.

Trump joins GOP chorus of conspiracy theories on Paul Pelosi attack

Eastman emails show hopes for Justice Thomas

Wednesday 2 November 2022 15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Emails seen by Politico show John Eastman and other Trump lawyers discussing their hope for action by Justice Clarence Thomas.

(Note: in the transfer of files to the select committee, there were formatting errors including the removal of the letters i and l).

Trump 2024: Can it happen?

Wednesday 2 November 2022 15:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump made history in becoming the first president in US history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives.

But while losing to Joe Biden in November 2020 may have dented the one-term president’s pride and fuelled 18 months of lies about rigged ballot boxes, it now seems almost certain that Mr Trump will run again for the White House in 2024.

Could anything stop him?

Can Trump run again in the 2024 election?

Trump team saw Justice Clarence Thomas as best hope to stop 2020 election certification, report says

Wednesday 2 November 2022 15:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys believed a direct appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was their best hope of stopping certification of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election, email messages turned over to the January 6 committee and seen by Politico show.

Lawyer John Eastman had tried to withhold the emails from the House select committee investigating the events leading up to the Capitol riot but a federal judge ordered them to be turned over, describing them as evidence of likely crimes committed by Mr Eastman and the former president.

Politico reports that the emails also shed new light on an effort to get Mr Trump to sign documents connected to a 31 December 2020 federal lawsuit challenging the election results in Georgia. They show apparent concerns from Mr Trump’s lawyers that he might put himself in legal jeopardy if he attested to the voter fraud data contained in it.

Report: Top USSS spokesperson talks to Jan 6 committee

Wednesday 2 November 2022 14:50 , Andrew Naughtie

After months of controversy about apparently deleted text messages sent between Secret Service agents on and around January 6 2021, NBC News reports that the service’s top spokesperson has testified before the committee investigating the Capitol riot:

Biden to deliver speech on democracy tonight

Wednesday 2 November 2022 14:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Two senior White House staffers this morning confirmed that Joe Biden will tonight be delivering a speech at the US Capitol about democracy. Its content is so far unclear, but given the location it is expected to touch on the threat that extremism and misinformation pose to the American republic.

A former Trump girlfriend reveals ex-president’s racial remarks

Wednesday 2 November 2022 13:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump’s biracial former girlfriend Kara Young has broken her silence about an incident where he told her she got her intelligence from her white father.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman previously revealed in her tell-all book Confidence Man:The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, released last month, that the former president had made a joke about Ms Young’s white father and Black mother.

“Trump told [Ms Young] that she had gotten her beauty from her mother and her intelligence ‘from her dad, the white side,’” Ms Haberman wrote.

On Tuesday, Ms Young spoke out about the incident on Inside Edition, saying that she believed the former president had been making “a joke” but that she was quick to point out to him that it was an inappropriate one.

Johanna Chisholm writes:

Donald Trump’s biracial ex Kara Young reveals ‘joke’ he made about her race

Clinton and aides seek legal expenses from Trump

Wednesday 2 November 2022 13:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Hillary Clinton has asked a federal judge to order former President Donald Trump and his attorneys to pay more than $1m in legal fees and costs to cover expenses she and several other defendants accrued defending themselves against a dismissed lawsuit claiming that they conspired to sink Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by accusing it of colluding with Russia.

Mr Trump filed the suit in March under a civil version of a racketeering law, claiming that Ms Clinton and several other Democratic Party-aligned organisations conspired to undermine his campaign. The suit was dismissed in September by US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, a Bill Clinton appointee, who wrote that it amount only to a “manifesto.” Mr Trump is appealing the decision.

Abe Asher reports.

Hillary Clinton wants Donald Trump to pay legal fees for dismissed conspiracy suit

Trump’s latest Letitia James rant

Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Few public figures have so incensed Donald Trump as New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought a major fraud lawsuit against him and his business that’s now being heard in court.

As Ms James prepares for a re-election rally with Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton tomorrow, here’s Mr Trump’s most recent tirade against her:

Supreme Court won’t shield Lindsey Graham from Georgia election fraud grand jury

Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:25 , Andrew Naughtie

The US Supreme Court has declined to block South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham from having to give evidence before the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating former president Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

In an unsigned order with none of the nine justices dissenting, the court said it was not necessary to block a lower court finding that Mr Graham must honour a subpoena to give evidence before the grand jury because lower courts have already said he does not have to testify on matters relating to “informal investigative fact-finding” he engaged in as then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Supreme Court won’t shield Lindsey Graham from Georgia grand jury

What is the #TrumpIsDead hoax?

Wednesday 2 November 2022 11:57 , Andrew Naughtie

As postmodern internet stunts go, the spread of the #TrumpIsDead hashtag is a vintage example – an attempt not to convince people that the former president has in fact died (he hasn’t), but to show up the potential for Twitter to be grossly misused under the low-moderation philosophy of new buyer Elon Musk.

It’s also a chance for anti-Trump users to riff on some of the more ludicrous themes of the QAnon creed. As filmmaker Jeremy Newberger wrote: "My sources are telling me, in their humble opinion, that the MyPillow Guy has created a Trump stand in made from polyurethane foam and Sunkist soda #TrumpIsDead.”

Mr Musk himself briefly spread a conspiracy theory about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, though he deleted it after the inevitable outcry. Here’s more on the Trump hoax from our colleagues at Indy100.

'Trump is dead' hoax spreads rapidly on Twitter

Trump joins in on conspiracy theories about Paul Pelosi attack

Wednesday 2 November 2022 11:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump has joined a chorus of GOP voices promoting a flurry of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories around the attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

The former president began airing the controversial remarks while calling in to the Chris Stigall radio show on Tuesday morning.

Johanna Chisholm listened in.

Trump joins GOP chorus of conspiracy theories on Paul Pelosi attack

Jan 6 committee ‘in discussions’ with Trump attorneys over testimony

Wednesday 2 November 2022 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The January 6 select committee is “in discussions” with Donald Trump’s attorneys about having the former president testify under oath as part of their investigation into the Capitol riot, Rep Liz Cheney said during a panel discussion on Tuesday.

CNN reports that Ms Cheney said Mr Trump “has an obligation to comply” but no decision has been made about the format of any potential testimony. She made the remarks at an event concerning the threat of political violence taking place in Cleveland, Ohio.

“It’ll be done under oath. It’ll be done, potentially, over multiple days,” Ms Cheney said, adding that this is not a situation where the committee finds itself at the “mercy of Donald Trump.”