Trump news – live: Georgia grand jury could weigh conspiracy charge as ex-NYPD boss hands docs to Jan 6 probe

Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump continues to lash out at President Joe Biden, special counsel Jack Smith and Attorney General Merrick Garland ahead of his third potential criminal indictment.

Mr Trump has gone on the attack in recent days over the federal grand jury investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

In one of the clearest signs Mr Trump could face federal charges in the case, the former president said last week that he had received a letter saying he is a target of a grand jury investigation.

Court documents revealed on Monday that former New York City Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik, who collected spurious evidence of alleged voter fraud and manipulation for Mr Trump’s campaign, has agreed to turn over hundreds of documents to the DOJ as part of its probe.

Meanwhile, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could rely on evidence tied to Mr Trump’s infamous call to Georgia’s top elections official to “find” votes for him, as well as the breach of voting machines by a group of Trump-connected operatives, according to a report. They are reportedly reviewing a racketeering indictment.

Key points

Jared Kushner’s relatives throw maximum donations to Christie campaign

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump shouldn’t be expecting any Christmas cards from his son-in-law’s family after Jared Kushner’s relatives made it very clear who they were backing to run the country.

Mr Kushner’s aunt and uncle Murray and Lee Kushner have each maxed out the amount they are allowed to donate to a candidate’s campaign - slinging $3,000 each to Chris Christie’s presidential campaign.

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Jared Kushner’s family members throw maximum donations to Chris Christie campaign

Profile: Jack Smith, the prosecutor overseeing the federal Trump probes

09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Jack Smith, the experienced war crimes prosecutor who unveiled an unprecedented federal indictment against former US president Donald J Trump, is no stranger to high-profile probes of public figures.

The Department of Justice veteran returned to the US last November after being appointed a special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The first mission was to consider, “whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the electoral college vote held on or about January 6, 2021”.

The second, which led to Mr Trump being indicted and arraigned in 37 federal charges, was about whether the former president had violated US laws prohibiting unlawful retention of national defence information and obstruction of justice.

It marked the first time in US history that an ex-president — let alone one who is a declared candidate in the next presidential election — faced criminal charges.

Read on...

Who is Jack Smith? The ex-war crimes prosecutor who is coming for Trump

Ramaswamy slated to headline South Carolina county GOP fundraiser

08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Biotech entrepreneur and Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is slated to headline a GOP fundraiser in South Carolina as he returns to campaigning in the first-in-the-South primary state.

Ramaswamy will be the featured speaker at the third annual Dorchester County GOP’s Faith, Family & Freedom Dinner, scheduled for Aug. 19 in Summerville at the Dorchester Shrine Club, county party Chair Steven Wright told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Read on...

Ramaswamy slated to headline South Carolina county GOP fundraiser in return to early voting state

Profile: Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump

06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Her first day as the chief prosecutor for Fulton County came with news that then-President Donald Trump attempted to pressure Georgia’s top election officials to reverse his loss in the state during the 2020 presidential election.

A phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 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.

Read more...

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

Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports on how a sprawling Justice Department probe into Donald Trump and his allies could result in several criminal charges against the former president.

The federal investigation into Trump and January 6, explained

Hundreds of documents handed over to January 6 probe by Giuliani election fraud team

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The former New York City Police Department commissioner who collected spurious evidence of alleged voter fraud and manipulation for Donald Trump’s campaign has agreed to turn over hundreds of documents, according to court filings.

US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith had sought those documents as part of a sweeping investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Jack Smith receives hundreds of documents from Giuliani team

City mayor demands Trump settle $35k bill from 2018 ahead of this weekend’d rally

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Pennsylvania city mayor has demanded that Donald Trump reimburse a $35,000 bill from 2018 ahead of his planned return for a campaign rally on Saturday.

Joe Schember, the mayor of the western Pennsylvania city of Erie, told Erie Times-News that their pleas to seek a bill for Mr Trump’s campaign for the rally in October 2018, which attracted a crowd of 12,000 people, have gone unheard nearly for five years.

He said they will try to get an advance payment this time as it is taxpayers’ money being used to fund his rallies.

Shweta Sharma reports.

City mayor demands Trump settle 2018 bill of $35k ahead of rally

DoJ to make prosecutor in Hunter Biden case available to testify before Congress

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The lead prosecutor in the case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says he is willing to testify publicly this fall, setting up a clash with House Republicans who have demanded he come in soon for a closed-door interview.

In a two-page letter to Rep. Jim Jordan on Monday, the Justice Department offered to make US Attorney David Weiss of Delaware available before the House Judiciary Committee for a public hearing after the August break as Republicans continue to escalate their ongoing investigation into his handling of the probe into Hunter Biden.

“The Department believes it is strongly in the public interest for the American people and for Congress to hear directly from US Attorney Weiss on these assertions and questions about his authority at a public hearing,” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote to Jordan.

Read more...

Justice Department to make prosecutor in Hunter Biden case available to testify before Congress

Eight search warrants and affidavits filed in Trump documents case, according to unsealed records

01:20 , Josh Marcus

The details of eight different search warrants and affidavits were filed in connection with the federal case against former president Donald Trump regarding his handling of classified documents, according to court documents unsealed today.

The revelation came as NBC News and other news organisations petitioned to know the contents of the warrant used to search Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last year.

Officials did not disclose the content of the warrants and affidavits.

GOP’s Hunter Biden gambit jeopardises national security, say House Oversights Democrats

Wednesday 26 July 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee issued a memo saying that Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Sen Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) release of an unclassified document related to their probe of Hunter Biden jeopardises national security.

Mr Grassley released what is called an FD-1023 form, which includes claims that a confidential informant made about President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s work with Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

The informant claimed that they were told by officials at Burisma about their relationships with then-vice president Biden and his son Hunter. But top Republicans admit they cannot verify the claims in the form.

But a memo from the Democratic members of the committee characterised the claims, which were memorialised “second-hand” from Ukrainian Oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, to the FBI by a confidential source, as coming “years after the fact.”

Eric Garcia reports.

House Oversight Committee Democrats call out GOP for jeopardising national security

‘I gave $1 to you and $20 to Biden’

Tuesday 25 July 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum is offering $20 gift cards to donors who give $1 to his campaign — but some supporters of Joe Biden say they have been funneling the gift card money to the president’s re-election campaign.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Biden supporters exploit Republican’s $1 cashback campaign pledge

Haley leads DeSantis in South Carolina, poll shows

Tuesday 25 July 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Two new polls from Fox Business show that Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s numbers in the Republican presidential primary continue to tumble in Iow in South Carolina, where the state’s former governor Nikki Haley has eclipsed him.

Eric Garcia has the details.

Nikki Haley leads Ron DeSantis in South Carolina: Fox poll

Trump hits out at European plan to charge for visas from 2024... apparently forgetting to US does the same

Tuesday 25 July 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is angered by a plan to introduce a paid visa system in Europe in 2024. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System would cost travellers from outside Europe $8 and last for three years.

The former president posted on Truth Social:

Wow! “U.S. CITIZENS WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR A VISA TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE STARTING IN 2024.” Think of this. We give them everything, including military protection and trade, and now we have to pay them to go there. NO RESPECT FOR THE UNITED STATES. I WILL, AS PRESIDENT, NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. IT WILL END VERY QUICKLY!!!

Visitors from outside the US have for many years had to apply for a similar travel authorisation document to enter the country, an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which lasts for two years and costs $21.

ICYMI: ‘Deranged’ Jack Smith still target of Trump’s Truth Social rants

Tuesday 25 July 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump lashed out at Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, US Attorney General Merrick Garland and his own successor President Joe Biden in his latest tirade on Truth Social on Sunday night, where he once again claimed to be the victim of a “coordinated HOAX” orchestrated by his enemies to rob him of a return to the White House.

Mr Trump was informed by Mr Smith last week that he is the target of a grand jury investigation into his role in the deadly Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 and in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in his favour.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Trump lashes out at ‘deranged’ Jack Smith in nighttime rant about legal woes

Trump hits out at ‘politically correct Republican Congress’ for not yet impeaching Biden

Tuesday 25 July 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has hit out at the “politically correct Republican Congress” for not yet impeaching President Joe Biden, seeming to encourage them to do so. He wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon:

So, let’s get this straight? The Democrat SLIMEBALLS in Congress, then headed by Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Impeached me over a PERFECT PHONE CALL (I Won!), and are now Indicting me over their continuing, illegal, and long running Witch Hunt, but Crooked Joe Biden, who has stolen and extorted millions of dollars, won’t be Impeached or Indicted by a very kind, friendly, and politically correct Republican Congress. Gee, that seems very fair to me? MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

Marjorie Taylor Greene addresses conspiracy linking her to Jan 6 pipe bomber

Tuesday 25 July 2023 22:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has taken to social media to address “one of many absolutely stupid conspiracy theories” linking her to the January 6 pipe bomber.

Back on 6 January 2021, authorities identified two pipe bombs in the Washington DC area — one each outside of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill.

The devices were discovered just minutes before Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, prompting concerns that they were planted as a distraction ahead of the chaos.

Read on...

Marjorie Taylor Greene addresses online conspiracy linking her to Jan 6 pipe bomber

Trump complains about cost of investigations against him, claims he is being persecuted

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been posting on Truth Social this afternoon attacking his current two favourite targets: Ron DeSantis and Jack Smith. Hinting at the problems of the former’s 2024 campaign, he first he wrote:

Fox is desperately trying to find a “replacement” for Ron DeSanctimonious, but only “TRUMP,” despite a Weaponized Injustice Department, is working. Reminds me of 2016, doesn’t it?

He then turned his attention to his own legal woes, noting the cost of investigating his alleged crimes before again claiming he was being persecuted.

So far this “prosecutor,” Jack Smith(?), handpicked by Biden, Merrick Garland, and rabid Trump Hater, Lisa Monaco, has spent more than $28 Million TARGETING me. When you add the Mueller Witch Hunt, it’s over $100 Million. Almost nothing has been spent on Crooked Joe Biden, by far the most corrupt President in the History of the United States. There is no longer “Justice” in the U.S.A., it’s all about persecuting your political opponent, me. But we will WIN, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Trump’s fate in hands of judge appointed by him

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Florida district judge assigned to oversee Donald Trump’s classified documents case is attracting criticism given that it was Mr Trump himself who elevated her to the bench three years ago.

Aileen Cannon, a federal judge with the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida overseeing the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice case against Mr Trump, has rejected the disgraced ex-president’s bid to delay his trial until after the 2024 election.

Judge Cannon issued an order on 21 July granting the government’s request to set a speedy trial date and schedule for pretrial motions, with a start date of 20 May 2024.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Aileen Cannon: The judge with Trump’s fate in her hands was appointed by him

Voices: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s cash haul shows she doesn’t need the Freedom Caucus

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

For the most part, Ms Greene has seemed undeterred by her ostracisation and she seems fully confident in her position as a beloved figure. And a major reason for that might be the fact she remains a mega-fundraiser who can vacuum up tons of small-donor contributions from the base.

Read on...

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s cash haul shows she doesn’t need the Freedom Caucus

‘They wanted to hang you’: CNN host in shock as Pence supports Jan 6 Maga movement

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A CNN host was seemingly shocked when Mike Pence took a surprising stance by defending Donald Trump’s supporters during an interview on Sunday.

Dana Bash was caught off guard when Mr Pence defended Mr Trump’s supporters, despite the violent storming of the Capitol during the 6 January insurrection in 2021 and calls for his hanging.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports.

CNN host in shock as Pence supports Jan 6 Maga movement: ‘They wanted to hang you’

Christie dings Trump over bankrupting three casinos

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former New Jersey Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Christ Christie poked fun at his chief rival, former president Donald Trump and his record both in office and in business.

He tweeted: “Surprised Trump couldn’t balance the budget? I’m not. This is the same guy that bankrupted 3 casinos 3 different times. Who the hell can’t make money running a casino? House always wins! Trump, that’s who…”

DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Tuesday 25 July 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis lays off one third of his campaign staff

Tuesday 25 July 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign laid off a third of its campaign staff as it continues to tighten its belt amid numerous negative news stories and lacklustre fundraising numbers, Politico reported.

Eric Garcia reports.

DeSantis lays off a third of his campaign staff as presidential bid sputters

Earlier: Fulton County DA eyeing criminal solicitation and conspiracy crimes in Trump 2020 election probe

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

The Fulton County investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia has been weighing several potential statutes under which to charge the former president, The Guardian reports.

Among those charges being considered are criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud, as well as solicitation of a public or political officer to fail to perform their duties, and solicitation to destroy, deface or remove ballots, the outlet reports, citing two people briefed on the matter.

Identifying a list of potential charges suggests Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors are on course to ask a grand jury to return indictments next month, as expected.

Ms Willis is also seeking to charge at least some of the Trump operatives who were involved in accessing voting machines and copying sensitive election data in Coffee County, Georgia, in January 2021 with computer trespass crimes.

The charges could be done individually or the possibility still exists that they could be folded into a wider racketeering case, as Alex Woodward reports below:

How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case

Recap: The DeSantis campaign was en route to fundraisers amid a campaign slump – when four vehicles in the motorcade crashed

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The floundering campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was on its way to scramble for more cash all over Tennessee when the journey came to an abrupt stop.

The motorcade transporting the governor and presidential candidate was involved in a crash on Tuesday morning, leaving one staffer with a minor injury. The governor was uninjured.

Here’s everything we know so far...

Everything we know about Ron DeSantis’s Tennessee car crash

Flashback: Why was Trump impeached twice during presidency

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Joe Sommerlad writes:

Just in case you feel tempted to look back on the years 2017 to 2021 through rose-tinted spectacles, here is a refresher on precisely what happened during that angry whirlwind of a presidency, which began with government-by-Twitter and ended with the unprecedented and disgraceful spectacle of a president impeached not once but twice.

Read on...

Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his presidency?

McCarthy floats Biden impeachment inquiry

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republicans may consider an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, as he faces enormous GOP pressure to demonstrate support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Read on...

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

Watch: Rachel Maddow discusses likelihood of conspiracy charge and what it would mean

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

“If there’s one thing we know about conspiracy charges, it’s that a person cannot conspire alone.”

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow discussed with Chuck Rosenberg the likelihood of Donald Trump being charged with conspiracy and what that would mean.

Jared Kushner’s relatives throw maximum donations to Christie campaign

Tuesday 25 July 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump shouldn’t be expecting any Christmas cards from his son-in-law’s family after Jared Kushner’s relatives made it very clear who they were backing to run the country.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Jared Kushner’s family members throw maximum donations to Chris Christie campaign

Watch: Former Trump staffer recalls redrafting memos for then-president in ‘bombastic’ language

Tuesday 25 July 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Trump Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor reveals how he had to draft national security memos at a first-grade reading level so then-president Donald Trump could understand them.

Unanswered questions about Trump’s looming January 6 indictment

Tuesday 25 July 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is widely expected to be hit with his third indictment of the year this week over his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 US presidential election and his role in the ensuing Capitol riot of 6 January 2021.

Mr Trump took to Truth Social last Tuesday (18 July) to gripe to his followers about receiving a letter from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith informing him that he is the target of a grand jury investigation, adding to his ever-mounting legal woes at a time when he is attempting to secure the Republican Party’s backing to be its candidate for the White House in 2024.

The development comes after he was arraigned in New York on 4 April over the alleged misrepresentation of business records to conceal hush money payments during the 2016 campaign and again in Florida on 13 June over the alleged mishandling of classified documents belonging to the US government in the aftermath of his presidency.

Mr Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and, despite these setbacks, his popularity with his supporters remains largely undimmed: he leads the field in the quest for the GOP nomination to challenge Joe Biden and has turned adversity to his advantage by raising campaign funds off the back of his insistence that he is really the victim of political persecution by his enemies and a Justice Department “weaponised” against him by the Biden administration.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Unanswered questions about Trump’s looming January 6 indictment

Meadows laughed off Trump’s claims of election fraud, report says

Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump’s final chief of staff, joked about Mr Trump’s claims of election fraud shortly after the 2020 election.

According to the Washington Post, Mr Meadows sent a text message to a White House lawyer. He wrote that his son, Georgia-based attorney Blake Meadows, had been investigating possible fraud and had come up with a few possible votes cast in dead voters’ names.

The lawyer sent a response, joking that maybe Mr Meadows’s son could find the trove of votes Trump would need to win the election, mocking Mr Trump’s claims that 5,000 votes were cast by “dead people.” (The state election board found only four.)

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Mark Meadows laughed off Trump’s election fraud claims to White House attorney

CNN reports grand jury not seen at DC courthouse

Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:22 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN’s Paula Reid reports that the grand jury has not b een seen at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, despite their usual schedule of Tuesdays and Thursdays. They may still meet later today, but she points out that prosecutors may still be working through the documents turned over by former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik.

Watch: Esper says Trump not fit for office because he doesn’t put country first

Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “I said that I wouldn’t support Donald Trump. I don’t think he’s fit for office because he puts himself first and I think anybody running for office should put the country first.”

Fulton County DA argues against efforts to unseal grand jury report

Tuesday 25 July 2023 15:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, fighting effort to unseal special grand jury report on Donald Trump, says it must be “for the district attorney’s eyes only at least until final charging decisions have been made”.

What is an indictment? Donald Trump facing third of 2023 over Capitol riot

Tuesday 25 July 2023 15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is widely expected to be indicted for a third time this year after receiving a letter from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith warning him that he is under investigation by a grand jury over his role in inciting the US Capitol riot of 6 January 2021.

What is an indictment and how does a grand jury decide on whether to issue formal charges?

What is an indictment? Donald Trump facing third of 2023 over Capitol riot

Grand jury assembled at DC courthouse

Tuesday 25 July 2023 15:05 , Oliver O'Connell

A grand jury was assembling this morning at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, but that might not necessarily mean today is the day we hear news of a possible third indictment of former president Donald Trump.

It could just be another day of hearing evidence.

City mayor demands Trump settle $35k bill from 2018 rally ahead of new event

Tuesday 25 July 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Pennsylvania city mayor has demanded that Donald Trump reimburse a $35,000 bill from 2018 ahead of his planned return for a campaign rally on Saturday.

Joe Schember, the mayor of the western Pennsylvania city of Erie, told Erie Times-News that their pleas to seek a bill for Mr Trump’s campaign for the rally in October 2018, which attracted a crowd of 12,000 people, have gone unheard nearly for five years.

He said they will try to get an advance payment this time as it is taxpayers’ money being used to fund his rallies.

Shweta Sharma reports.

City mayor demands Trump settle 2018 bill of $35k ahead of rally

DeSantis in car crash as he heads to Tennessee campaign event

Tuesday 25 July 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a campaign event in Tennessee.

The Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate was uninjured in the Tuesday morning incident, ABC News reported.

Gustaf Kilander has the latest on this developing story.

Ron DeSantis in car crash as he heads to Tennessee campaign event

Fulton County DA eyeing criminal solicitation and conspiracy crimes in Trump 2020 election probe

Tuesday 25 July 2023 14:12 , Oliver O'Connell

The Fulton County investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia has been weighing several potential statutes under which to charge the former president, The Guardian reports.

Among those charges being considered are criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud, as well as solicitation of a public or political officer to fail to perform their duties, and solicitation to destroy, deface or remove ballots, the outlet reports, citing two people briefed on the matter.

Identifying a list of potential charges suggests Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors are on course to ask a grand jury to return indictments next month, as expected.

Ms Willis is also seeking to charge at least some of the Trump operatives who were involved in accessing voting machines and copying sensitive election data in Coffee County, Georgia, in January 2021 with computer trespass crimes.

The charges could be done individually or the possibility still exists that they could be folded into a wider racketeering case, as Alex Woodward reports below:

How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case

Giuliani 2020 election fraud team hands over hundreds of documents to Trump Jan 6 investigation

Tuesday 25 July 2023 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The former New York City Police Department commissioner who collected spurious evidence of alleged voter fraud and manipulation for Donald Trump’s campaign has agreed to turn over hundreds of documents, according to court filings.

Alex Woodward has the details.

Jack Smith receives hundreds of documents from Giuliani team

Profile: Fani Willis

Tuesday 25 July 2023 13:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Her first day as the chief prosecutor for Fulton County came with news that then-President Donald Trump attempted to pressure Georgia’s top election officials to reverse his loss in the state during the 2020 presidential election.

A phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 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.

Read more...

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

How might Georgia prosecutors charge Trump with racketeering?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Georgia prosecutor investigating Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state is reportedly weighing a racketeering indictment against the former president and others.

Alex Woodward reports.

How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case

DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Tuesday 25 July 2023 12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’s campaign advisers took the rare (and sometimes fatal) step of acknowledging mismanagement of the Florida governor’s presidential bid this weekend, as reports revealed that he is burning through cash with little to show for it.

John Bowden has the story.

Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Unanswered questions about Trump’s looming third indictment

Tuesday 25 July 2023 11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is widely expected to be hit with his third indictment of the year this week over his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 US presidential election and his role in the ensuing Capitol riot of 6 January 2021.

Joe Sommerlad looks at what we don’t know yet about the potential indictment.

Unanswered questions about Trump’s looming January 6 indictment

Legal woes: The status of all the lawsuits and criminal charges involving Trump

Tuesday 25 July 2023 11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s what you need to know about all the major investigations and lawsuits against Donald Trump:

All the investigations Trump still faces following his second arrest

Trump shares QAnon post on Truth Social

Tuesday 25 July 2023 10:50 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has shared a QAnon post on his Truth Social platform as he continues to lash out at President Joe Biden, special counsel Jack Smith and Attorney General Merrick Garland ahead of his third potential looming criminal indictment.

The former president reTruthed a post from a QAnon supporter which showed an image of Mr Trump along with the ominous message: “Nothing can stop what is coming. Nothing.”

Trump shares QAnon post on Truth Social (Truth Social)
Trump shares QAnon post on Truth Social (Truth Social)

‘I gave $1 to you and $20 to Biden’

Tuesday 25 July 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum is offering $20 gift cards to donors who give $1 to his campaign — but some supporters of Joe Biden say they have been funnelling the gift card money to the president’s re-election campaign.

Kelly Rissman has the story of the ruse.

Biden supporters exploit Republican’s $1 cashback campaign pledge

Voices: Is Donald Trump a legal unicorn?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Benedict Cosgrove writes:

As the legal troubles facing Donald Trump grow, many of us are torn by conflicting responses to the spectacle of a former president facing multiple felony criminal indictments.

Yes, we’re grateful that the most depraved, transparently autocratic president in US history is facing justice. But our satisfaction is tempered by the knowledge that, like any mob boss, Trump sees the indictments as a badge of honor, and countless MAGA die-hards see them that way, too.

Read on...

Is Donald Trump a legal unicorn?

Which presidential candidates have met the criteria to join first RNC debate?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Six Republican presidential candidates have met the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) new criteria to participate in the first GOP debate on 23 August.

Ariana Baio reports.

The presidential candidates who have so far met criteria to join first RNC debate

Haley leads DeSantis in South Carolina, Fox poll shows

Tuesday 25 July 2023 07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia has the latest as the home state candidate Nikki Haleuy bests Ron DeSantis for the number two spot behind Donald Trump in South Carolina.

Nikki Haley leads Ron DeSantis in South Carolina: Fox poll

ICYMI: Jack Smith has contacted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Tuesday 25 July 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has given insight into the possible scope of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Republican governor - who survived a Trump-backed attempt to oust him from office last year - told USA Today on Sunday that Mr Smith’s office had contacted him.

However, it is unclear what stage Mr Smith’s investigation has reached or whether Mr Kemp’s office had provided, or agreed to provide, evidence or testimony.

John Bowden reports.

Jack Smith has contacted Brian Kemp over Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the battle for delegates

Tuesday 25 July 2023 05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Set aside the polls, the fundraising numbers or Donald Trump’s name recognition as metrics of his early dominance of the Republican presidential contest. He has what could prove to be the most important advantage in the race: a leg up in winning the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates

Nervous GOP candidates turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump

Tuesday 25 July 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

They acknowledge Donald Trump‘s dominance, but weary Republicans across New Hampshire — even inside the governor’s office — are fighting to stop the former president from winning the first-in-the-nation primary.

For now, however, they’re relying on little more than hope and prayers.

Nervous Republicans turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump

The judge with Trump’s fate in her hands was appointed by him

Tuesday 25 July 2023 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Florida district judge assigned to oversee Donald Trump’s classified documents case is attracting criticism given that it was Mr Trump himself who elevated her to the bench three years ago.

Aileen Cannon, a federal judge with the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida overseeing the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice case against Mr Trump, has rejected the disgraced ex-president’s bid to delay his trial until after the 2024 election.

Judge Cannon issued an order on 21 July granting the government’s request to set a speedy trial date and schedule for pretrial motions, with a start date of 20 May 2024.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Aileen Cannon: The judge with Trump’s fate in her hands was appointed by him

Explained: Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election

Tuesday 25 July 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports on how a sprawling Justice Department probe into Donald Trump and his allies could result in several criminal charges against the former president.

The federal investigation into Trump and January 6, explained

Voices: Ron DeSantis is caught in a death spiral of his own making

Tuesday 25 July 2023 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

At this point, almost everyone, including his fans, acknowledges Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign has severely underperformed its expectations. He failed to raise more money than former president Donald Trump and his campaign has burned through cash, which has led to him shedding staff.

This weekend, two polls from Fox Business offered a double body blow to Mr DeSantis, with one showing that Mr Trump leads the governor by 30 points while Sen Tim Scott (R-SC) is biting at his heels. Even more brutally, a poll in South Carolina shows he now trails the state’s former Gov Nikki Haley by one point.

Read on...

Ron DeSantis is caught in a death spiral of his own making

DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Tuesday 25 July 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’s campaign advisers took the rare (and sometimes fatal) step of acknowledging mismanagement of the Florida governor’s presidential bid this weekend, as reports revealed that he is burning through cash with little to show for it.

The Florida governor’s top staff and advisers were in Utah on Sunday where, according to Politico, they appeared in front of dozens of restless campaign donors who have expressed concern about a return on their investments and the overall trajectory of Mr DeSantis’s bid for the White House.

John Bowden reports.

Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Could prosecutors charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward explores the possibility that the Fulton County grand jury could lead to racketeering charges against former president Donald Trump.

How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case

Nervous GOP candidates turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump

Monday 24 July 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

They acknowledge Donald Trump‘s dominance, but weary Republicans across New Hampshire — even inside the governor’s office — are fighting to stop the former president from winning the first-in-the-nation primary.

For now, however, they’re relying on little more than hope and prayers.

Nervous Republicans turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump

Man who beat officer with flagpole during Capitol riot is sentenced

Monday 24 July 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

An Arkansas truck driver who beat a police officer with a flagpole attached to an American flag during the US Capitol riot was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison.

Read on...

Man who beat officer with flagpole during Capitol riot is sentenced to over 4 years in prison

ICYMI: Jack Smith has contacted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Monday 24 July 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has given insight into the possible scope of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Republican governor - who survived a Trump-backed attempt to oust him from office last year - told USA Today on Sunday that Mr Smith’s office had contacted him.

However, it is unclear what stage Mr Smith’s investigation has reached or whether Mr Kemp’s office had provided, or agreed to provide, evidence or testimony.

John Bowden reports.

Jack Smith has contacted Brian Kemp over Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election

GOP’s Hunter Biden gambit jeopardises national security, say House Oversight Democrats

Monday 24 July 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee issued a memo saying that Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Sen Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) release of an unclassified document related to their probe of Hunter Biden jeopardises national security.

Mr Grassley released what is called an FD-1023 form, which includes claims that a confidential informant made about President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s work with Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

The informant claimed that they were told by officials at Burisma about their relationships with then-vice president Biden and his son Hunter. But top Republicans admit they cannot verify the claims in the form.

But a memo from the Democratic members of the committee characterised the claims, which were memorialised “second-hand” from Ukrainian Oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, to the FBI by a confidential source, as coming “years after the fact.”

Eric Garcia has the latest from Capitol Hill.

House Oversight Committee Democrats call out GOP for jeopardising national security

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the battle for delegates

Monday 24 July 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Set aside the polls, the fundraising numbers or Donald Trump’s name recognition as metrics of his early dominance of the Republican presidential contest. He has what could prove to be the most important advantage in the race: a leg up in winning the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

While the delegate count won’t begin taking shape until voting begins next January, Trump’s edge in the race to win their votes is years in the making.

Read on...

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates

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