Trump news – live: Memos show Fox hosts slammed Trump election lies as Georgia grand jury seeks perjury charge

Fox News hosts and bosses privately slammed Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election, according to new court documents in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox Corp and its cable-TV networks.

In the court papers, filed on Thursday, several emails, text messages and testimony revealed how Rupert Murdoch, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and other top Fox executives and TV personalities reacted to Mr Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him.

In an email sent on 19 November – days after President Joe Biden was declared the winner – Mr Murdoch said Mr Trump’s claims were “really crazy stuff. And damaging”.

The damning messages were revealed on the same day that the grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia released some of its findings.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had ordered the release of the report’s introduction, conclusion and concerns the jury had about witnesses lying under oath. The report recommends indictments for any witnesses who allegedly committed perjury.

The report is the result of a two-year investigation into the actions of Mr Trump and his campaign when he lost the state to Mr Biden.

Key points

• Georgia grand jury investigating Trump’s 2020 election meddling to release findings today

• Mark Meadows subpoenaed in Jan 6 probe

• Judge rejects Trump’s offer to supply DNA in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

• Trump wants to bring back firing squads, execute drug dealers en masse

• Special counsel probes ramp up with former NSA chief and Mike Pence subpoenaed

Fox News hosts and bosses privately slammed Trump’s election lies, court papers reveal

12:06 , Rachel Sharp

Fox News hosts and bosses privately slammed Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election, according to new court documents in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox Corp and its cable-TV networks.

In the court papers, filed on Thursday, several emails, text messages and testimony revealed how Rupert Murdoch, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and other top Fox executives and TV personalities reacted to Mr Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him.

In an email sent on 19 November – days after President Joe Biden was declared the winner – Mr Murdoch said Mr Trump’s claims were “really crazy stuff. And damaging”.

Mr Carlson, meanwhile, sent a text message to his producer saying that Mr Trump’s attorney Sydney Powell “is lying”.

“Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy,” Laura Ingraham also messaged the Fox host.

“It’s unbelievably offensive to me. Our viewers are good people and they believe it,” Mr Carlson replied.

VOICES – The grand jury report proved what everyone – including Trump – already knew

11:45 , John Bowden

The release of some of the evidence heard by a Georgia grand jury investigating the actions of Trump and others, came to the same conclusion as the committee investigating January 6, that there was no election fraud, writes The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe.

Read on in The Independent’s Voices section:

The grand jury report proved what everyone – including Trump – already knew

Mike Pence to fight special counsel subpoena

10:45 , John Bowden

Former Vice President Mike Pence will fight a subpoena from the Justice Department for his testimony in the investigation surrounding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Axios reported the news on Tuesday, citing a source close to Mr Pence.

Mr Pence is supposedly set to address the issue this week when he appears in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP caucus. That could indicate that Mr Pence will also go through with plans for a presidential campaign, which have been widely reported.

Read more:

Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on 2020 election

Grand jury recommends perjury indictment(s)

09:45 , John Bowden

The most important information included in Thursday’s report: One or more witnesses were suspected of lying to the grand jury in Fulton County.

What does this mean? In public statements, District Attorney Fani Williams has indicated that the grand jury recommended more than one indictment.

A number of Mr Trump’s lawyers including John Eastman, currently facing an effort by the California State Bar to punish him as well, could be targeted with indictments for lying under oath. But there’s no information about what specifically the witness or witnesses in question lied about, nor any recommendations for crimes actually related to an effort to overturn the results.

Read more:

Four key takeaways from the partial release of Fulton County grand jury report

Resurfaced footage shows Nikki Haley saying states can secede after announcing 2024 launch

08:45 , John Bowden

Footage has resurfaced of Nikki Haley saying that states can secede from the US.

Ms Haley announced her 2024 launch on Tuesday, making her the first Republican to take on Donald Trump.

Not long after the announcement, Patriot Takes shared a video from 2010 of Ms Haley speaking about potential secession.

“I think that they do,” she said of states having the right to secede.

“I mean, the constitution says that.”

Nikki Haley and Donald Trump trade barbs as Republican nominating contest heats up

07:45 , John Bowden

New Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley did not mention former President Donald Trump by name during her campaign kickoff event in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday morning — but there was little mistaking what she meant when she said that the country’s politicians are past their primes.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, is making no attempt at subtlety: On Wednesday, his office published a blistering memo accusing Ms Haley (among other things) of fondness for Hillary Clinton, the former president’s bitter 2016 rival.

Read more in The Independent from Abe Asher:

Nikki Haley and Donald Trump trade barbs as Republican nominating contest heats up

Support for a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024 dwindling with both Democrats and Republicans, new poll shows

06:45 , John Bowden

Voters in both major US political parties are looking for fresh faces to run for president in 2024, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll

A majority of Democratic voters, at 52 per cent, do not want Mr Biden to seek a second term, while 40 per cent of Republican voters do not want Mr Trump to seek another term in 2024.

Eric Garcia digs in to the latest poll results:

Support for a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024 dwindling with Democrats and Republicans

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

05:45 , John Bowden

Ohio Senator JD Vance is facing criticism for taking 10 days to issue a statement about a train derailment near East Palestine that forced thousands of residents to flee their homes due to a toxic chemical spill.

The 3 February crash sparked a large fire and left hazardous materials including vinyl chloride, a volatile odorless gas, and phosgene seeping into the water supply.

Ten days later, Mr Vance said in a statement released on his Twitter page that he was “horrified” by the crash. But many Twitter users took issue with the lack of specific promises for action in the text. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has yet to comment on the crash at all, despite joining Mr Vance at a rally in the region just a few months ago.

Bevan Hurley has more:

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

Fox News loses bid to dismiss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

04:45 , John Bowden

Fox News lost an attempt Tuesday to shut down a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit that accuses the network of spreading lies that a voting-technology company helped “steal” the 2020 election from then-president Donald Trump.

The company that brought the case, Smartmatic, has said it played a valid and small role in the election. It hailed the ruling as a step toward holding Fox News accountable for amplifying unsupported and damaging claims from Trump’s lawyers.

Fox executives have complained that the lawsuit is meant to stifle free speech; however, the network continues to host personalities like Tucker Carlson who continue even now to sow doubt about the integrity of US elections.

Read more in The Independent:

Fox News loses bid to toss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

Trump-appointed World Bank president accused of denying climate crisis to step down

02:45 , John Bowden

World Bank president David Malpass who faced accusations of being a climate crisis denier has resigned from his post a year before his term was supposed to end.

Mr Malpass, a Donald Trump appointee, had last year refused to confirm he believed in the science behind global heating.

He announced his resignation in a LinkedIn blog post on Thursday.

“This afternoon, I shared with the World Bank Group’s Board of Directors my intention to step down by the end of the World Bank’s fiscal year,” he wrote.

The Independent’s Stuti Mishra has more:

Trump-appointed World Bank president who was dubbed climate denier to step down

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

01:45 , John Bowden

Justice Department officials have reportedly said they will not seek sex trafficking charges against Florida Representative Matt Gaetz after a multi-year probe into whether he violated US law by allegedly paying for sex with underage girls.

Citing “a source familiar with the matter,” CNN reported on Wednesday that the department had informed a witness who testified in the probe that charges against the Florida Republican would not be forthcoming.

Andrew Feinberg is following this story for The Independent:

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

00:45 , John Bowden

Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday released a partial grand jury report detailing their investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A conference call between the White House, Mr Trump’s lawyers, and Georgia state officials on 2 January 2021 has now become a crucial piece of evidence in the grand jury investigation into Mr Trump and his legal team after it first sent shockwaves through the media and political class.

Let’s take a look at exactly why the call was so damaging for Mr Trump’s credibility on the issue of his 2020 election fraud claims:

Why Trump’s phone call seeking to overturn Georgia election results was so damaging

Mark Meadows subpoenaed in Jan 6 probe

00:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating the former president’s role in the January 6 Capitol riot.

A source told CNN that Mr Meadows received the subpoena last month, the latest sign that special counsel Jack Smith is ramping up his investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in his favour.

On the day of the Capitol riot, Mr Meadows was Mr Trump’s chief of staff and one of his closest advisers.

During the House Select committee hearings investigating the riot, Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to Mr Meadows, testified that he told her things might get “real, real bad” on 6 January 2021.

He was also involved in the infamous leaked phone conversation between Mr Trump and Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger in January 2021 during which the former president urged Mr Raffensperger to “find” him enough votes to win the state.

Mark Meadows subpoenaed by special counsel over Jan 6 Capitol riots, report says

Trump slurs Letitia James as ‘racist in reverse’ and attacks her for NRA suit

Thursday 16 February 2023 23:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump turned his fire (once again) on New York’s attorney general in a Truth Social post Thursday morning.

The ex-president has long chafed at Ms James’s efforts to hold his company accountable for alleged financial crimes.

On Thursday, he dubbed her a “racist in reverse” and slammed her for going after the National Rifle Association in a lawsuit meant to break up the gun lobby.

“Everybody has to step up and support the National Rifle Association (NRA) against the ’Racist In Reverse’ New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, who is fighting with every ounce of her strength, which shouldn’t be much, to destroy the NRA, and the Republican Party along with it,” he said.

“Her ‘Office’ is consumed with the NRA (and me), with massive amounts of time, money, and effort devoted to this as opposed to stopping the record setting VIOLENT and other crimes in New York State!!!” Mr Trump added.

Fulton county district attorney is encouraged to seek further indictments

Thursday 16 February 2023 22:30 , John Bowden

In the report’s conclusion, the grand jury noted that no election law experts were presnt among the group and asserted that the Fulton County district attorney could seek further indictments beyond charges of perjury as she sees fit.

“If this report fails to include any potential violations of referenced statutes that were shown in the investigation, we acknowledge the discretion of the District Attorney to seek indictments where she finds sufficient cause. Furthermore this Grand Jury contained no election law experts or criminal lawyers. The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained.”

The grand jury report proved what everyone – including Trump – already knew

Trump claims he made Nikki Haley UN ambassador because she was a bad South Carolina governor

Thursday 16 February 2023 22:27 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump has claimed he made Nikki Haley UN ambassador because of the bad job she was doing as governor of South Carolina.

The one-term president took a swing at his 2024 rival for the Republican nomination for president in a post on Truth Social the day after she announced she was running against him.

“The greatest thing Nikki Haley did for our Country, and the Great State of South Carolina, was accepting the position of United Nations Ambassador so that the incredible then Lieutenant Governor, Henry McMaster, could be Governor of South Carolina, where he has done an absolutely fantastic job,” Mr Trump wrote.

Read more:

Proud Boys lawyers demand Trump come and testify at their Jan 6 sedition trial

Thursday 16 February 2023 21:45 , John Bowden

Members of the Proud Boys on trial for their alleged roles inciting the January 6 attack on the US Capitol are launching a long-shot bid to get Donald Trump to testify.

“At all times relevant, Trump was president of the United States, and it’s the government’s obligation to produce him,” attorney Norm Pattis said in court Thursday.

Attorneys for the five men on trial – Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Dominic Pezzola and Joseph Biggs – have argued that it was Mr Trump who lit the spark of the January 6 conspiracy, not them.

Josh Marcus has the story:

Proud Boys lawyers demand Trump come and testify at their Jan 6 sedition trial

VOICES – The grand jury report proved what everyone – including Trump – already knew

Thursday 16 February 2023 21:00 , John Bowden

The release of some of the evidence heard by a Georgia grand jury investigating the actions of Trump and others, came to the same conclusion as the committee investigating January 6, that there was no election fraud, writes The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe.

Read on in The Independent’s Voices section:

The grand jury report proved what everyone – including Trump – already knew

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

Thursday 16 February 2023 20:15 , John Bowden

Former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley’s entrance into the 2024 presidential race isn’t bad news for her former boss, Donald Trump, who is currently the only other prominent announced candidate.

Instead, it’s a bad sign for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who is already presumed to be the popular anti-Trump alternative for the contest even though he remains publicly vague about whether he will run, writes The Independent’s Eric Garcia.

Read more:

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

Grand jury recommends perjury indictment(s)

Thursday 16 February 2023 19:45 , John Bowden

The most important information included in Thursday’s report: One or more witnesses were suspected of lying to the grand jury.

What does this mean? In public statements, District Attorney Fani Williams has indicated that the grand jury recommended more than one indictment.

A number of Mr Trump’s lawyers including John Eastman, currently facing an effort by the California State Bar to punish him as well, could be targeted with indictments for lying under oath. But there’s no information about what specifically the witness or witnesses in question lied about, nor any recommendations for crimes actually related to an effort to overturn the results.

Read more:

Four key takeaways from the partial release of Fulton County grand jury report

Who is Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump?

Thursday 16 February 2023 19:15 , John Bowden

A phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger was published by The Washington Post late at night on 3 January, 2021.

Hours later, Fani Willis would walk into her first day on the job as Fulton County’s district attorney, an office that is now spearheading a criminal investigation into Mr Trump, with the phone call serving as a central damning piece of evidence against him.

The closely watched case against the former president could result in racketeering charges similar to those that Ms Willis has made a career out of bringing against dozens of others.

Alex Woodward profiles Fulton County’s top law enforcement official for The Independent:

Who is Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump

Proud Boys lawyers seek Trump testimony at trial

Thursday 16 February 2023 19:12 , David Taintor

Lawyers representing the Proud Boys members on trial in Washington DC have requested former President Donald Trump give testimony in the case. Needless to say, the request is unlikely to be accommodated.

No widespread fraud in Georgia

Thursday 16 February 2023 18:45 , John Bowden

More than two years since voters in Georgia decided to serve Mr Trump an upset defeat, his allies are still claiming that the 2020 election was rigged in states across the country, including Georgia.

But they had their shot – once again – to prove their case before Fulton County’s grand jury, and it didn’t go so well, according to portion of the report released on Thursday.

“The Grand jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place. We find by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election,” reads the report.

Four key takeaways from the partial release of Fulton County grand jury report

The Georgia phone call that could bring down Donald Trump: ‘I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break’

Thursday 16 February 2023 18:43 , Josh Marcus

By the end of 2024, Donald Trump could be facing two very different prospects: he could be sitting in the White House – or a Georgia prison.

That’s because, since February 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating the former president’s attempts to influence the state’s election results. In January, a grand jury convened by Ms Willis concluded its work, leaving the prosecutor in the unprecedented position of deciding whether Donald Trump will be the first former president in US history to be prosecuted for a criminal offence.

On Thursday, portions of the grand jury’s work became public, offering new clues about the former president’s fate in Georgia.

Read more on the backstory of the phone call below:

‘I need 11,000 votes’: The Georgia phone call that could bring down Donald Trump

Trump responds to Georgia grand jury report

Thursday 16 February 2023 17:49 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has responded to the partial release of the Fulton County grand jury report, which recommended that one or more witnesses be charged with perjury.

In a statement, he repeated his long-held belief that he committed no crimes when he repeatedly asked Georgia’s secretary of State to “find” nearly 12,000 votes in his name.

“The long awaited important sections of the Georgia report, which do not even mention President Trump’s name, have nothing to do with the President because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong,” reads the statement from his office.

“The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do - in fact, as President, it was President Trump’s Constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity. Between the two calls, there were many officials and attorneys on the line, including the Secretary of State of Georgia, and no one objected, even slightly protested, or hung up. President Trump will always keep fighting for true and honest elections in America!” it continued.

Trump repeats claim of ‘perfect’ call after Fulton County grand jury report release

Four key takeaways from the partial release of Fulton County grand jury report

Thursday 16 February 2023 17:25 , John Bowden

Fulton County’s grand jury investigation into Donald Trump and his legal team’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia has concluded with recommendations for perjury charges against one or more witnesses who submitted testimony.

The nine-page document has been long awaited in the world of politics as it was set to be the first sign of whether Donald Trump and his allies will face serious legal consequences for attempts to overturn the election results in the key state.

Thursday’s release is likely to be the entirety of the document that will see the light of day; a judge has ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis is not required to release the full document. There are key omissions from the document, and, notably, prosecutors are not actually bound to follow the recommendations from the grand jury.

Dive into the report below:

Four key takeaways from the partial release of Fulton County grand jury report

Trump slurs Letitia James as ‘racist in reverse’ and attacks her for NRA suit

Thursday 16 February 2023 17:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump turned his fire (once again) on New York’s attorney general in a Truth Social post Thursday morning.

The ex-president has long chafed at Ms James’s efforts to hold his company accountable for alleged financial crimes.

On Thursday, he dubbed her a “racist in reverse” and slammed her for going after the National Rifle Association in a lawsuit meant to break up the gun lobby.

“Everybody has to step up and support the National Rifle Association (NRA) against the ’Racist In Reverse’ New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, who is fighting with every ounce of her strength, which shouldn’t be much, to destroy the NRA, and the Republican Party along with it,” he said.

“Her ‘Office’ is consumed with the NRA (and me), with massive amounts of time, money, and effort devoted to this as opposed to stopping the record setting VIOLENT and other crimes in New York State!!!” Mr Trump added.

Grand jury report does not name names

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:58 , John Bowden

Notably, the grand jury report does not name any individuals that panel members believed may have committed crimes. A total of 75 people had testified before the grand jury. The names are not included because the investigation is ongoing and it would hamper any criminal probe to have public allegations before any indictment are unsealed.

Grand jury unanimously agrees there was no widespread voter fraud in Georgia

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:53 , John Bowden

The biggest takeaway from the Georgia grand jury materials is that the panel unanimously agreed that no widespread voter fraud took place in the state’s 2020 election. Donald Trump, of course, tried to pressure local officials into overturning the results, claiming without evidence that fraud was committed.

“The Grand jury heard extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts, and State of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place. We find by unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election.”

Trump has yet to weigh in on the report’s release

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:41 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has so far not weighed in on the partial Georgia grand jury report, but he has found the time to go after longtime foe Don Lemon of CNN.

“The Dumbest Man on Television!” Mr Trump said on Truth Social.

Key findings from Georgia grand jury report

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:26 , Alex Woodward

The partial grand jury report presents a few key findings:

• The panel unanimously agreed that “no widespread fraud took place” in Georgia’s election following interviews with election officials, analysts and poll workers.

• “One or more” witnesses may have committed perjury while speaking to the grand jury, and the report recommends DA Fani Willis’ office seek indictments against anone who may have lied to the panel.

• The report says it is up to Ms Willis on whether to “seek indictments where she finds sufficient cause”.

• The report does not name witnesses who testified before the grand jury

Read more:

Judge releases partial Georgia grand jury report on Trump election interference

Fulton County grand jury report released

Thursday 16 February 2023 16:17 , John Bowden

Officials in Georgia have released parts of a grand jury report detailing their investigation into Donald Trump and his team’s efforts to change the state’s results in the weeks and months after the 2020 election.

Read the report here:

Why Donald Trump’s phone call seeking to overturn Georgia election results was so damaging

Thursday 16 February 2023 15:45 , John Bowden

Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday will release a partial grand jury report detailing their investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A conference call between the White House, Mr Trump’s lawyers, and Georgia state officials on 2 January 2021 has now become a crucial piece of evidence in the grand jury investigation into Mr Trump and his legal team after it first sent shockwaves through the media and political class.

Let’s take a look at exactly why the call was so damaging for Mr Trump’s credibility on the issue of his 2020 election fraud claims:

Why Trump’s phone call seeking to overturn Georgia election results was so damaging

‘We can’t let that ever happen again’: Nikki Haley’s stunning reversals on Donald Trump

Thursday 16 February 2023 15:12 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, was blistering in her words following the January 6 insurrection in Washington

“We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again,” she said at the time.

But just a few weeks later, the ex-Trump official was already trying to finegle her way back in to her old boss’s good graces.

Follow her unique journey to the 2024 field in The Independent:

From Trump ambassador to ‘sellout’: What is Nikki Haley doing in the 2024 race

The Georgia phone call that could bring down Donald Trump: ‘I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break’

Thursday 16 February 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

By the end of 2024, Donald Trump could be facing two very different prospects: he could be sitting in the White House – or a Georgia prison.

That’s because, since February 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating the former president’s attempts to influence the state’s election results.

In January, a grand jury convened by Ms Willis concluded its work, leaving the prosecutor in the unprecedented position of deciding whether Donald Trump will be the first former president in US history to be prosecuted for a criminal offence.

On Thursday, portions of the grand jury’s work will become public, offering new clues about the former president’s fate in Georgia.

The investigation has focused on an infamous 2 January, 2021, phone call Mr Trump placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, urging the top official to “find” enough votes for him to overturn his defeat in the state, but has expanded to cover a wide-ranging influence campaign Mr Trump and his allies exerted in Georgia.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus outlines what you need to know about the call, and the investigation that followed in its wake:

‘I need 11,000 votes’: The Georgia phone call that could bring down Donald Trump