Trump news – live: E Jean Carroll can use two other accusers’ testimony and Access Hollywood tape in rape case

A federal judge has ruled that E Jean Carroll can use the infamous Access Hollywood tape in her rape defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump, further compounding the former president’s legal woes.

Judge Lewis Kaplan also ruled that he will allow the testimony of two other women who have claimed that Mr Trump sexually assaulted them, Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds.

Donald Trump has erupted with anger after reports that he could soon be indicted for his role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the closing days of the 2016 presidential election.

According to The New York Times, the former president was recently offered the chance to appear before the New York City grand jury that has been hearing evidence against him.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels. This is a political Witch-Hunt, trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party.”

If prosecuted, Mr Trump would become the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

Key Points

• Two other Trump accusers can testify in E Jean Carroll rape defamation

• Trump says he ‘never had an affair’ with Stormy Daniels

• New York prosecutors warn Trump of possible indictment, report says

• Trump ignores Tucker Carlson’s texts saying he ‘passionately hates’ him

• Trump says criminal charges won’t derail his 2024 bid

No Trump colour scheme for Air Force One

22:16 , Oliver O'Connell

The new Air Force One planes will be sticking with the classic look first chosen by First Lady Jackie Kennedy and not the colour scheme chosen by former president Donald Trump while in office.

Here’s what Mr Trump chose:

DeSantis buzz in Iowa ‘reminiscent’ of GW Bush (to an extent)

22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’ visit coincided with a trip to the state by former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced her 2024 candidacy last month. Donald Trump’s stop on Monday will be his first visit to the state since launching his latest presidential bid.

In recent weeks, DeSantis’ team has begun holding conversations with a handful of prospective campaign staffers in key states. Late last month, he gathered privately with donors, elected officials and national conservative activists to discuss his views, which include limiting how race and sexuality are taught in schools.

DeSantis is expected to announce his candidacy in late spring or early summer, after the conclusion of the Florida legislative session in mid-May.

The anticipation is reminiscent, to an extent, of the support in Iowa for George W Bush ahead of the 2000 election, though with significant differences, said veteran Iowa GOP activist David Oman.

DeSantis is seen, as Bush was, as a next-generation, big-state Republican governor who won reelection resoundingly, said Oman, who was among Iowa Republicans who helped recruit Bush to run.

Bush swooped into Iowa amid fanfare in June 1999 and sailed to victory in the Iowa caucuses the following year en route to the 2000 GOP nomination and the White House. Not insignificantly, Bush enjoyed the hands-on campaign outreach in Iowa of his father, former President George HW Bush, who had built lasting relationships during his 1980 and 1988 Iowa caucus campaigns.

“There’s another former president in this cycle. Only he is not interested in helping a first-time candidate,” Oman said, referring to Trump. “W was the overwhelming favorite in Iowa. I believe there is not an overwhelming favorite this time.”

AP

White House: GOP war against ‘woke’ due to lack of policy proposals

21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

What do Iowans think of DeSantis?

21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Sandy Bodine said she was impressed with DeSantis as the ballroom emptied out after Friday’s morning event.

“He’s very articulate, uses common sense it seems in governing,” the retired human resources worker for 3M Co. said.

Bodine would consider attending the 2024 caucuses and supporting DeSantis, though she is registered to neither major political party and has never caucuses before. Regardless, Trump is out of the running for Bodine, who is from nearby Clinton.

“I don’t like Trump,” she said. She “unfortunately” voted for Biden in 2020, she said. “He’s not a statesman and we need a statesman. I can see DeSantis as a statesman.”

But others in the crowd suggested they would stick with the former president. Retiree Al Greenfield, of Davenport, said he came out of curiosity but “I don’t particularly care for” the Florida governor. “He doesn’t have the experience,” said Greenfield, who’s 70. “He doesn’t know the swamp.”

Greenfield is ardently for Trump and plans to caucus for him next year.

Nearby stood Diana Otterman, of Bettendorf, who was still considering her options.

“Governor DeSantis is a wonderful man. I’m for DeSantis, but I’m also for Trump. I haven’t decided yet,” the 70-year-old retiree said. “So we’ll see how God works it out and how the people vote.”

While DeSantis was making his presence known in Iowa, several prominent former Trump supporters called on him to take the next step and announce he’s running.

“More than ever our country needs strong leadership, someone that gets things done & isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right,” tweeted former Pennsylvania Rep. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Lou Barletta. “Come on, Ron, your country needs you!”

Barletta had accused Trump of disloyalty after the former president endorsed a rival in his gubernatorial primary.

AP

Lara Trump: 2020 election part of God’s plan to open people’s eyes to ‘spiritual warfare that is taking place in our country'

21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Lara Trump appeared on the Elijah Streams program on Friday where she said the outcome of the 2020 election was all part of God’s plan “to open people’s eyes to the true spiritual warfare that is taking place in our country”.

She said the battle was not between Democrat versus Republican or Left versus Right — “It is good vs evil.”

Ms Trump added that people would not have been able to see that if her father-in-law had remained as president, “as much as I wanted to see that”.

Watch below:

DeSantis visits Iowa as interest in likely Trump rival rises

20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahead of a widely expected presidential campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis introduced himself to an eager audience of Iowa Republicans on Friday with a message that leaned into the antagonism toward the left that has made him a popular figure among conservatives.

“We will never surrender to the woke mob,” he said at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in the eastern Iowa city of Davenport. “Our state is where the woke mob goes to die.”

With the Iowa caucuses less than a year away, Republicans in the state are taking a harder look at DeSantis, who is emerging as a leading rival to Donald Trump. The former president, who is mounting his third bid for the White House, will be in Davenport on Monday as early signs warn that some Republicans may be looking for someone else to lead the party into the future.

DeSantis appeared alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and was heading to the capital city of Des Moines later in the day to meet with a small contingent of GOP lawmakers and to promote his newly released book, The Courage to be Free.

The visit is an early test of DeSantis’ support in the state that will kick off the contest for the Republican nomination next year. Trump remains widely popular among Iowa Republicans, though positive views of the former president have slipped somewhat since he left the White House. Now, 80 per cent say they have a favorable rating of him, down slightly from 91 per cent in September 2021, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released on Friday. Eighteen per cent have unfavorable views of Trump.

The poll’s movement suggests Iowa Republicans are not singularly committed to Trump for 2024 and are open to considering other candidates. Though slightly behind the well-known Trump, DeSantis gets a rosy review from Iowa Republicans — 74 per cent favorable rating. Notably, DeSantis has high name recognition in a state over 1,000 miles away from his own; just 20 per cent say they aren’t sure how to rate him.

AP

Trump snipes at DeSantis’s ‘very small’ crowd

20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

NBC News estimated Florida Governor Ron De Santis spoke before “roughly 700 people in a spacious ballroom at the Rhythm City Casino Resort”, other estimates said the crowd was a little larger.

Guess what former president Donald Trump had to say?

Very small crowds for Ron DeSanctimonious in Iowa. He’s against Farmers, Social Security, and Medicare, so why would people show up - other than Fake stories from the Fake News!

Mr Trump will speak on education policy in Davenport, Iowa, at 6.15pm on Monday.

With DeSantis in Iowa, Trump reaches out to farmers on Truth Social

19:50 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president posted late on Thursday night:

Remember FARMERS, I got China to pay you 28 Billion Dollars as an adjustment for how unfairly they treated you. This was part of the great Trade Deal I made for you with China (Biden is not properly enforcing it!). No other President could have done this. No other President was as PRO FARMER as me. Tell that to Ron DeSanctimonious when he shows up to your door, hat in hand. Tell him to go home!

Proud Boys deployed foot soldiers in sedition plot

19:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Federal prosecutors are employing an unusual strategy to prove leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group orchestrated a violent plot to keep President Joe Biden out of the White House, even though some of the defendants didn’t carry out the violence themselves.

Read more:

Feds: Proud Boys deployed foot soldiers in sedition plot

DeSantis memoir tops bestseller list... oh, and Trump has a book out too

19:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump still may have a narrow edge on Ron DeSantis in the polls of a hypothetical matchup for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but the Florida governor has one over on his former ally in another area: the New York Times bestseller list.

Josh Marcus has the details.

DeSantis memoir tops bestseller list as Trump rolls out new $99 photo book

Trump team hits out at prosecutors’ hint he may be indicted over Stormy Daniels pay-off

18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

A spokesperson for former President Donald Trump called the notion that he may be indicted over his alleged role in a scheme to pay off adult film star Stormy Daniels “simply insane.”

“The Manhattan District Attorney’s threat to indict President Trump is simply insane,” the statement begins.

Read more here:

Trump team hits out at possible indictment over Stormy Daniels pay-off

ICYMI: New York prosecutors warn Trump of possible indictment, report says

18:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office have taken action that suggests Donald Trump could soon be indicted for his role in paying hush money to an adult film star during the closing days of the 2016 presidential election, making him the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

Andrew Feinberg filed this report last night.

New York prosecutors warn Trump of possible indictment, report says

20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

18:04 , Oliver O'Connell

Since leaving the White House, Donald Trump has continued to face a cloud of lawsuits and investigations, which could frustrate his hopes to win back the presidency in 2024.

Most recently, New York prosecutors are reportedly closing in on an indictment against the former president for hush money payments to an adult film star during the 2016 election.

Of course, this is nothing new for the real estate billionaire.

Here are all 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

What you need to know about E Jean Carroll’s case against Trump

17:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s what you need to know about the writer’s case against the former president.

What we know about E Jean Carroll’s rape allegations against Donald Trump

Watch: Former president of ‘the investigations capital of the world’ decries investigations

17:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Peter Navarro ordered to turn over Trump-era emails to National Archives

16:52 , Oliver O'Connell

A Washington DC federal judge has ordered former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro to turn over to the National Archives and Records Administration numerous emails he sent and received from his personal email account during his time in government, ending a lawsuit the Department of Justice filed against the ex-White House trade adviser last year.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Mr Navarro to begin “immediate compliance” with her ruling, which granted a government motion for summary judgment in the case.

Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC, on the latest in an avalanche of bad legal news for the former president.

Ex-White House aide Peter Navarro ordered to turn over Trump-era emails

Two other Trump accusers and Access Hollywood tape can be introduced in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

16:35 , Oliver O'Connell

E Jean Carroll can use the Access Hollywood tape of former President Donald Trump as evidence in her defamation lawsuit, a judge has ruled.

Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan also ruled that the testimony of two other women alleging that Mr Trump has sexually assaulted them may be entered into evidence at the civil trial.

Gustaf Kilander reports on the latest in the former president’s intensifying legal woes.

Two other Trump accusers can testify in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

Background: DeSantis in Iowa as 2024 GOP race ramps up

16:20 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis’ planned appearances in Davenport and Des Moines mark his first trip to the leadoff voting state and come as anticipation over his expected White House campaign has been building. With the Iowa caucuses less than a year away, Republicans in the state are ready to take a harder look at DeSantis, a top-tier presidential prospect viewed as a rival to former President Donald Trump.

Read more:

Trump rival DeSantis heads to Iowa as Republican 2024 race ramps up

Federal judge rules E Jean Carroll can use ‘Access Hollywood’ tape in case against Trump

16:10 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge has ruled that writer E Jean Carroll may introduce the Access Hollywood tape as evidence in her lawsuit against Donald Trump.

The infamous tape surfaced before the 2016 election includes Mr Trump making lewd comments about women and bragging about alleged instances of sexual assault.

Today the judge ruled: “In this case, a jury reasonably could find, even from the Access Hollywood tape alone, that Mr Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood tape that he in fact has had contact with women's genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so. And that conclusion is supported by the other evidence discussed below.”

Having claimed that Donald Trump raped her in a New York department store in the late 1990s, Ms Carroll has spent years trying to sue Donald Trump for defamation after he publicly accused her of lying about the alleged incident.

However, Mr Trump’s most recent attempt to delay Ms Carroll’s defamation lawsuit failed, meaning he had to sit for a deposition on 19 October, 2022 and answer questions under oath.

Here’s everything we know about the case:

What we know about E Jean Carroll’s rape allegations against Donald Trump

How would Trump v DeSantis play out in the home state of Florida?

15:55 , Oliver O'Connell

According to a new University of North Florida poll, former president Donald Trump would be crushed by Governor Ron DeSantis in their home state of Florida in a head-to-head matchup for the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

Mr Trump changed his residency to Florida in September 2019 during his presidency. He was born in the New York City borough of Queens and resided in Manhattan until he won the 2016 election.

The new poll finds Mr DeSantis way ahead of Mr Trump in Florida by more than 30 points at 59 per cent to 28 per cent.

A press release from the university’s Public Opinion Research Lab reads:

Registered Republicans were asked about their preference in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. When given a list of 10 possible candidates, 52% of respondents indicated a vote for Ron DeSantis, followed by 27% for Donald Trump. Nikki Haley came in a very distant third at 4%, followed by Liz Cheney with 3% and Mike Pence with 2%. The remaining candidates each received less than 1%. Eight percent of respondents said they do not know or refused to answer. For the full list of candidates in the answer choices, please see the survey crosstabulations.

When asked to choose between DeSantis and Trump in a head-to-head race, 59% of registered Republicans said they would vote for DeSantis, with 28% for Trump, and 14% who don’t know or refused.

“It’s not too surprising to see DeSantis take the lead among Republicans in his home state of Florida,” commented Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science. “But it is interesting to see how his lead jumps up from 25 to 31 points ahead, once you winnow the field from 10 to two. DeSantis is much better compared to Trump at consolidating votes if the field were to narrow.”

Meanwhile in Iowa...

15:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in Iowa this morning giving what is seen as his greatest indication so far that he is running for president in 2024.

He was greeted by a healthy crowd in Davenport according to Natasha Korecki of NBC News and gave a tightly-scripted “normal” stump speech Tom LoBianco of Yahoo News notes — compared of course to Donald Trump.

Governor DeSantis told the crowd that he decided early on that he decided wasn’t “doing polls to tell me what to do” and claims he hasn’t looked at a single poll since taking office, Philip Wegman of Real Clear Politics reports.

He adds that DeSantis gets loud applause for a segment about Covid-19 when he says “elites” were wrong and “lied about the lab leak.”

“They said it was natural, we know it came from that lab,” he adds, “I think we need some accountability here. Fauci needs to be held accountable.”

Mr DeSantis says that Florida’s anti-rioting legislation has been condemned by the United Nations, “which I view as a badge of honor. I must be doing something right!”

ICYMI:Trump lawyer called out for mocking Mitch McConnell fall

15:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s newly-censured lawyer Jenna Ellis has been called out for mocking Mitch McConnell with a tumbling tortoise video.

The Senate minority leader was hospitalised on Wednesday night after falling and injuring himself at a private dinner at a Washington DC hotel.

Censured Trump lawyer called out for mocking McConnell fall with tortoise video

Full Story: The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions over spurious lawsuits and election lies

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Several members of the legal team that advanced Donald Trump’s bogus claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him are facing professional sanctions and ethics violations for their spurious attempts to overturn the results.

Attorneys for the now-former president repeatedly and falsely asserted that the election was fraudulent while pushing lawsuits to subvert the outcome in states that he lost.

Alex Woodward reports.

The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions for spreading election lies

Lauren Boebert reveals she will be a grandmother at 36

14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

In Trump-adjacent news, the MAGA congresswoman from Colorado has said she is is excited to welcome her “brand new grandson” in April, despite only being in her mid-30s herself.

“I’m going to tell you all for the first time in a public setting, that not only am I a mom of four boys, but come April, I will be a (grandmother) to a brand-new grandson,” she told a conservative women’s breakfast in Maryland.

Boebert added that she and her husband Jayson “are so excited to welcome this new life into our family” and expressed her relief that her son Tyler and his partner had not considered an abortion, something she has campaigned against in the past.

Here’s more.

Lauren Boebert reveals she will be a ‘36-year-old grandmother’

Fox staffers reveal frustration over Dominion lawsuit revelations

13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Reporters at Fox News are frustrated by recent court documents highlighting the hypocrisy and bias of their colleagues in the network’s prime-time opinion programming, according to a new report.

Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit against Fox News has provided an unfiltered look into the private communications and decisions of the conservative news network’s top names in the wake of the 2020 election.

Those exchanges have left current journalists at the network reportedly feeling embarrassed over their association.

Several current reporters at Fox spoke to The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity to share their frustrations.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Fox News staffers reveal frustration over Dominion lawsuit revelations

The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions over spurious lawsuits and election lies

12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Several members of the legal team that advanced Donald Trump’s bogus claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him are facing professional sanctions and ethics violations for their spurious attempts to overturn the results.

Attorneys for the now-former president repeatedly and falsely asserted that the election was fraudulent while pushing lawsuits to subvert the outcome in states that he lost.

Alex Woodward filed this report.

The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions for spreading election lies

Trump bemoans investigations and Iowa support for Ron DeSantis in latest posts

11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Oh you want to know what else is happening on Truth Social eh?

Well, the great man has filmed a video griping that all that anyone does these days is commence politically-motivated investigations against one another (it certainly feels like that sometimes) and lamenting growing support for “Ron DeSanctimonious” in Iowa, featuring an incredibly weak dad joke about agriculture.

Speaking of old “Meatball Ron”, here’s the latest on Trump’s nicknames for him.

Trump reportedly workshopping lewd new nickname for Ron DeSantis

Bannon wanted Fox anchor Bartiromo to run for Senate

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Steve Bannon worked to console Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election and urged her to run for Sen Chuck Schumer’s seat in New York.

The messages between Mr Bannon and Bartiromo was made public this week as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation lawsuit against Fox News for its coverage following the election, and show Bartiromo’s anguish at Mr Trump’s political demise.

Abe Asher filed this report.

Steve Bannon wanted Maria Bartiromo to run for Senate, new texts reveal

Trump turns blind eye to Tucker Carlson’s texts saying he ‘passionately hates’ him

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump avoided addressing the revelation that Fox News host Tucker Carlson once wrote that he “passionately” hates the former president as he praised Mr Carlson over his misleading coverage of the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

“GREAT JOB BY TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday night.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Trump ignores Tucker’s texts saying he ‘hates’ him in Truth Social Jan 6 rant

With eye on 2024, Biden budget highlights his values

06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

With Republicans in control of the House, there’s no chance that President Joe Biden‘s new budget plan will become law as it stands. Instead, the financial blueprint that he’s announcing in Philadelphia on Thursday will serve as a political talking point for a president preparing to run for reelection.

“When you look at the budget, it’s a statement of the president’s values,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Many of the key proposals are designed to draw sharp contrasts with Republicans.

Budget highlights Biden's 'values' as he eyes 2024 campaign

Tucker Carlson: BLM protest was ‘Antifa’ plot to ‘force Trump from office’

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Tucker Carlson has now said the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality in 2020 were an “Antifa” plot.

On his show late on Wednesday, the Fox News host said that Antifa had “descended on Washington, DC to force the sitting president out of office”, referring to the 2020 protests. “But it was Trump, so that’s cool,” he said.

Carlson has made problematic comments on the BLM movement in the past as well.

Maroosha Muzaffar has the story.

Tucker Carlson claims BLM protest was ‘Antifa’ plot to ‘force Trump from office’

Trump blasts indictment leak as strategy to ‘take down leading candidate’

04:09 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump lashed out over reports that he could soon be indicted for his role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, calling it a “political witch hunt”.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted ... an affair” with her, he posted.

He added that any legal action against him in the case would be aimed at “taking down” the top presidential candidate.

“This is a political ‘Witch-hunt,’” Mr Trump claimed.

The case is “trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party, while at the same time also leading all Democrats in the poll,” he posted.

Dominion lawsuit: All the embarrassing things Tucker Carlson has said about Trump

04:01 , Graeme Massie

One of the most interesting aspects of the Dominion lawsuit has been what it has revealed about Tucker Carlson’s off-camera attitude towards Donald Trump, despite having regularly defended him on air throughout his presidency and its aftermath.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

What has Tucker Carlson said about Trump?

Donald Trump Jr suggests Mitch McConnell is ‘insane’ for siding with Capitol police over Tucker Carlson

03:31 , Graeme Massie

The former president’s son made the comments in a video recorded in a car.

Abe Asher has the story.

Donald Trump Jr suggests Mitch McConnell is ‘insane’ for siding with Capitol police

Ex-Trump attorney admits election claims were ‘misrepresentations’

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A former Donald Trump attorney has been censured by a Colorado judge after she admitted misrepresenting evidence while the former president attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Jenna Ellis’s lawyer had filed a stipulation earlier last month accepting 10 such “misrepresentations” in the aftermath of the 2020 election, including repeating the claim of the election being stolen from Mr Trump.

“Respondent made these misrepresentations on Twitter and on various television programs, including Fox Business, MSNBC, Fox News, and Newsmax,” Colorado’s top disciplinary judge Bryon M Large wrote in a six-page opinion on Wednesday.

Namita Singh has the details.

The 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing now that he’s left office

02:15 , Graeme Massie

Former president says investigations are politically motivated.

Here are all 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

DeSantis memoir tops bestseller list as Trump rolls out new $99 photo book

01:31 , Graeme Massie

Florida governor has not declared intentions around 2024 just yet.

Josh Marcus has the details.

DeSantis memoir tops bestseller list as Trump rolls out new $99 photo book

McConnell suffered concussion after fall

01:16 , Graeme Massie

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered concussion after he experienced a fall on Wednesday evening and will remain hospitalised for a few days, according to his spokesman.

The top Republican fell during a private dinner on Wednesday, according to David Popp, Mr McConnell’s communications director.

Eric Garcia has the latest.

McConnell suffered concussion after fall, will remain in hospital for ‘a few days’

Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing

00:45 , Graeme Massie

The former president, his business and allies are under scrutiny for tax fraud allegations, real estate practices and a plot to steal the 2020 election.

Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing

‘Simply insane’: Trump team hits out at prosecutors’ hint he may be indicted over Stormy Daniels pay-off

00:14 , Graeme Massie

The former president is facing a potential criminal indictment in New York.

Abe Asher has the story.

Trump team hits out at possible indictment over Stormy Daniels pay-off

Trump’s team brands threat to indict him ‘simply insane'

Thursday 9 March 2023 23:51 , Graeme Massie

“The Manhattan District Attorney’s threat to indict President Trump is simply insane,” a Trump spokesperson told ABC News.

Does Tucker Carlson’s QAnon Shaman video matter?

Thursday 9 March 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden writes:

The Fox host made objectively false statements in a brazen attempt to minimise and whitewash the violence of the attack and the danger which lawmakers including the vice president found themselves in. By doing so, he simultaneously sought to chip away at the perceived credibility of all of his political enemies on Capitol Hill, as well as the mainstream media and law enforcement bodies like Capitol Police that are controlled at the federal level – part of a long-running effort to do just that in the hopes that Americans instead will turn to right-wing politicians (and, more importantly for Carlson’s bank account, right-wing media).

Read more:

Tucker and Trump’s problematic new love affair with the ‘QAnon Shaman’

New York prosecutors warn Trump of possible indictment, report says

Thursday 9 March 2023 23:06 , Graeme Massie

Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office have warned Donald Trump that could soon be indicted for his role in paying hush money to an adult film star during the closing days of the 2016 presidential election, making him the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

New York prosecutors warn Trump of possible indictment, report says

Former Trump official launches PAC for DeSantis 2024 run

Thursday 9 March 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A former White House official who helped implement Donald Trump‘s hardline immigration policies is breaking ranks with the former president and instead encouraging Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to pursue the presidency in 2024.

Ken Cuccinelli, a former attorney general of Virginia, was a top official at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s single term in office. He was a vehement defender of the administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration, once suggesting that the inscription on the Statue of Liberty welcoming “huddled masses” of immigrants to American shores only referred to “people coming from Europe.”

Read on:

Former Trump official launches PAC urging DeSantis to run

Ex-Biden aide agrees to classified documents interview

Thursday 9 March 2023 22:32 , Oliver O'Connell

A former executive assistant to Joe Biden has agreed to sit for an interview with the House Oversight Committee as Republicans expand their probe into the president’s handling of classified documents.

Kathy Chung — one of the staffers who packed Biden’s belongings at the end of his term as vice president — is set to talk to the committee on 4 April, the committee said. Republican Rep James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the Oversight committee, requested the interview last month.

Read more:

Ex-Biden aide agrees to House interview on classified docs

GOP lawmaker says FBI wrongly sought surveillance info about him

Thursday 9 March 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A Republican lawmaker on Thursday accused the FBI of wrongly searching for his name in foreign surveillance data, underscoring the challenges ahead for U.S. officials trying to persuade Congress to renew their authorities to collect huge swaths of communications.

Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., did not say why the FBI may have searched his name in information collected under a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, and a spokesman for the lawmaker did not respond to a request for further clarification.

At a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, LaHood pressed FBI Director Chris Wray to acknowledge that his agency and others had at times violated the rules on the use of data collected through electronic snooping.

Read on:

Lawmaker says FBI wrongly sought surveillance info about him

Freshly-censured Trump lawyer called out for mocking Mitch McConnell fall

Thursday 9 March 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s newly-censured lawyer Jenna Ellis has been called out for mocking Mitch McConnell with a tumbling tortoise video.

The Senate minority leader was hospitalised on Wednesday night after falling and injuring himself at a private dinner at a Washington DC hotel.

Graeme Massie reports.

Censured Trump lawyer called out for mocking McConnell fall with tortoise video

Voices: Tucker Carlson’s rewriting of history exposes the looming civil war in the GOP

Thursday 9 March 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

There is no better indication of the deep divides within the Republican Party than their reaction to Tucker Carlson’s depiction of January 6 on Fox News. After Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) handed the Fox host over 40,000 hours of Capitol footage, Carlson aired some of the footage seeking to depict the insurrection as peaceful. This caused a firestorm not only from pro-democracy liberals but from within the GOP itself. Ultimately, this is resulting in an internal debate of whether or not the party will continue to embrace the Big Lie and Donald Trump.

Read on:

Tucker Carlson’s rewriting of history exposes the looming civil war in the GOP

The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions over spurious lawsuits and election lies

Thursday 9 March 2023 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Several members of the legal team that advanced Donald Trump’s bogus claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him are facing professional sanctions and ethics violations for their spurious attempts to overturn the results.

Attorneys for the now-former president repeatedly and falsely asserted that the election was fraudulent while pushing lawsuits to subvert the outcome in states that he lost.

Alex Woodward filed this report.

The Trumpworld attorneys facing professional sanctions for spreading election lies

Trump mocked over plan to release $99 book of 150 private letters

Thursday 9 March 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump plans to share 150 private letters in a new book set to be published on 25 April.

“I wonder if he’ll publish letters from any of his special prosecutors?” wondered a person on Twitter.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

‘His grifting is endless’: Trump mocked over plan to release $99 book of 150 letters

Watch: Biden blesses himself at prospect of Trump being president again

Thursday 9 March 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Political pressure behind Fox programming evident in court records

Thursday 9 March 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News executives were sometimes actively involved in politics rather than just reporting on it or offering opinions, court documents show.

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Court records show political pressure behind Fox programming

McConnell suffered concussion after fall

Thursday 9 March 2023 19:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered concussion after he experienced a fall on Wednesday evening and will remain hospitalised for a few days, according to his spokesman.

The top Republican fell during a private dinner on Wednesday, according to David Popp, Mr McConnell’s communications director.

Eric Garcia has the latest.

McConnell suffered concussion after fall, will remain in hospital for ‘a few days’

Tucker Carlson claims BLM protest was ‘Antifa’ plot to ‘force Trump from office’

Thursday 9 March 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Tucker Carlson has now said the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality in 2020 were an “Antifa” plot.

On his show late on Wednesday, the Fox News host said that Antifa had “descended on Washington, DC to force the sitting president out of office”, referring to the 2020 protests. “But it was Trump, so that’s cool,” he said.

Carlson has made problematic comments on the BLM movement in the past as well.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports on his latest comments.

Tucker Carlson claims BLM protest was ‘Antifa’ plot to ‘force Trump from office’

Dominion lawsuit: All the embarrassing things Tucker Carlson has said about Trump

Thursday 9 March 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the most interesting aspects of the Dominion lawsuit has been what it has revealed about Tucker Carlson’s off-camera attitude towards Donald Trump, despite having regularly defended him on air throughout his presidency and its aftermath.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

What has Tucker Carlson said about Trump?

ICYMI: Trump cries foul on Biden docs in all-caps post

Thursday 9 March 2023 18:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Late on Wednesday night, former president Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the investigation into the Biden documents and the probe of his own alleged presidential records malfeasance through his favourite medium... An all-caps post on Truth Social:

Former Trump official launches PAC for DeSantis 2024 run

Thursday 9 March 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A former White House official who helped implement Donald Trump‘s hardline immigration policies is breaking ranks with the former president and instead encouraging Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to pursue the presidency in 2024.

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Former Trump official launches PAC urging DeSantis to run

Jenna Eliis censured over election lies

Thursday 9 March 2023 17:10 , Oliver O'Connell

A former Donald Trump attorney has been censured by a Colorado judge after she admitted misrepresenting evidence while the former president attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Jenna Ellis’s lawyer had filed a stipulation earlier last month accepting 10 such “misrepresentations” in the aftermath of the 2020 election, including repeating the claim of the election being stolen from Mr Trump.

Namita Singh has the story.

Ex-Trump lawyer censured over election lies she admits were ‘misrepresentations’

Fox News, Rupert Murdoch and backstage Trump whispers: The damning Dominion revelations

Thursday 9 March 2023 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad and Alex Woodward

The right-wing media giant Fox News is facing a $1.6bn defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, a Denver-based manufacturer of voting machines, over the network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election and Donald Trump’s bogus claims that the contest was “rigged”.

In a 192-page court filing published on 16 February containing private messages from many of the network’s biggest stars, Dominion argues: “From the top down, Fox knew ‘the Dominion stuff’ was ‘total bs’.”

“Yet despite knowing the truth – or at minimum, recklessly disregarding that truth – Fox spread and endorsed these ‘outlandish voter fraud claims’ about Dominion even as it internally recognised the lies as ‘crazy’, ‘absurd’ and ‘shockingly reckless’,” the filing said.

Attorneys for Fox, however, have argued that Dominion has mischaracterised the record and “the facts by cherry-picking soundbites” and “omitting key context”, and has accused the company of seeking a “staggering” figure in damages aimed at winning headlines, silencing protected speech and enriching its owner, Staple Street Capital Partners, and its investors.

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Fox News, the Murdochs and backstage Trump whispers: The damning Dominion revelations

Lawsuit against Fox shows the news behind the Trump news

Thursday 9 March 2023 15:30 , AP

Fresh revelations flowing from a major defamation lawsuit are shedding light on what was happening inside Fox News following the 2020 presidential election. Here are some things to know about the case.

THE CASE

Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the news outlet repeatedly aired allegations that the company engaged in fraud that doomed President Donald Trump‘s re-election campaign while knowing they were untrue. Fox contends that it was reporting newsworthy charges made by supporters of the president and is supported legally by libel standards. The case is scheduled for trial next month.

ELECTION DISCONNECT

Dominion has produced evidence that prominent people at Fox knew the fraud allegations were untrue, even as they and the president’s allies were given airtime to repeat them. Fox’s Sean Hannity said in a deposition that he did not believe the fraud claims “for one second,” but he wanted to give accusers the chance to produce evidence. Fox founder Rupert Murdoch, questioned under oath, agreed the 2020 presidential election was free and fair: “The election was not stolen,” he said. Murdoch also said he was aware some Fox commentators — Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Hannity — at times endorsed false claims, but he did nothing to stop them.

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Lawsuit against Fox shows the news behind the Trump news

Court records show political pressure behind Fox programming

Thursday 9 March 2023 15:00 , AP

In May 2018, the nation’s top Republicans needed help. So they called on the founder of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch.

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were trying to stop West Virginia Republicans from nominating Don Blankenship, who had been convicted of violating mine safety standards during a lethal accident in one of his coal mines, to challenge the state’s incumbent senator, Democrat Joe Manchin.

“Both Trump and McConnell are appealing for help to beat unelectable former mine owner who served time,” Murdoch wrote to executives at Fox News, according to court records released this week. “Anything during day helpful, but Sean (Hannity) and Laura (Ingraham) dumping on him hard might save the day.”

Murdoch’s prodding, revealed in court documents that are part of a defamation lawsuit by a voting systems company, is one example showing how Fox became actively involved in politics instead of simply reporting or offering opinions about it. The revelations pose a challenge to the credibility of the most watched cable news network in the U.S. at the outset of a new election season in which Trump is again a leading player, having declared his third run for the White House.

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Court records show political pressure behind Fox programming

Ex-Trump attorney censured over election lies as she admits claims were ‘misrepresentations’

Thursday 9 March 2023 14:30 , Namita Singh

A former Donald Trump attorney has been censured by a Colorado judge after she admitted misrepresenting evidence while the former president attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Jenna Ellis’s lawyer had filed a stipulation earlier last month accepting 10 such “misrepresentations” in the aftermath of the 2020 election, including repeating the claim of the election being stolen from Mr Trump.

“Respondent made these misrepresentations on Twitter and on various television programs, including Fox Business, MSNBC, Fox News, and Newsmax,” Colorado’s top disciplinary judge Bryon M Large wrote in a six-page opinion on Wednesday.

“The parties agree that by making these misrepresentations, Respondent violated [a state attorney rule of conduct], which provides that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,” he said.

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Ex-Trump lawyer censured over election lies she admits were ‘misrepresentations’

GOP aide who accused Matt Schlapp of sexual misconduct comes forward ahead of $9.4m case

Thursday 9 March 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

A man who had previously anonymously accused the powerful head of the American Conservative Union of sexual harassment has now come forward.

Carlton Huffman, a longtime GOP aide, did so in an interview with The Washington Post this week after a judge ruled that he must do so in order to proceed with a $9.6m lawsuit against Mr Schlapp. He plans to file an amended suit, according to the Post, removing the barrier to pursuing legal action.

“I’m not backing away,” he told the newspaper.

“Matt Schlapp did what he did, and he needs to be held accountable,” said Mr Huffman, who added: “I’m not going to drop this.”

Read the story here:

GOP aide who accused CPAC chief of sexual misconduct comes forward

Mitch McConnell hospitalised after fall in hotel

Thursday 9 March 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Mitch McConnell has been hospitalised after a fall in a hotel in Washington DC.

The Senate Republican leader was attending a private dinnner at a hotel on Wednesday evening when he tripped and fell, his spokesperson said.

The 81-year-old was taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment.

No further details have been revealed about his condition.

The accident comes days after the Kentucky lawmaker became one of the most vocal members of the GOP to condemn Tucker Carlson for his attempt to misrepresent the January 6 Capitol riot on his Fox News’ show.

VOICES: Tucker Carlson ‘passionately’ hates Donald Trump. But that’s not all

Thursday 9 March 2023 13:00 , Rachel Sharp

“Tucker Carlson has long portrayed himself as a Trump true-believer. Based on new documents, though, his enthusiasm for Trump appears to have been a lie – or, at the very least, greatly exaggerated.

“In new January 2021 texts released as part of a defamation lawsuit against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems, Carlson declared that he “passionately” hated Donald Trump. He fantasized about the day when Trump, defeated by Joe Biden, would become irrelevant. “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights,” Carlson said in text messages, according to legal filings. “I truly can’t wait.”

“These texts, and other materials, show that Carlson and other Fox News hosts were leery of Trump’s claims about voter fraud, and did not believe the election rigged. But they feared that if they told the truth they would lose viewers to other right-wing networks like Newsmax. So they lied, and reassured their viewers that Trump was the rightful victor in 2020 in hopes of retaining their market share.”

Noah Berlatsky writes for The Independent:

Tucker Carlson ‘passionately’ hates Donald Trump. But that’s not all

Does Tucker Carlson hate Trump?

Thursday 9 March 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Fox News host Tucker Carlson told a colleague that he “passionately” hated Donald Trump, according to bombshell new text messages released as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation lawsuit against the network.

New court filings on Tuesday revealed a message Carlson sent to a Fox News employee just two days before the January 6 Capitol riot.

“We are very very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” he wrote.

“I hate him passionately, I blew up at Peter Navarro today in frustration. I actually like Peter. But I can’t handle much more of this.”

The messages are the latest to emerge showing how the coverage and opinions presented by Fox News and its personalities on air was directly at odds with what they said and thought behind the scenes.

How Rupert Murdoch’s relationship with Jared Kushner boosted Trump’s campaign

Thursday 9 March 2023 12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A defamation lawsuit against Fox News alleges a tight relationship between right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump’s campaign while the now-former president’s allies and attorneys frequently appeared on the network to promote his baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him.

Court documents with uncovered emails and sworn depositions in the case have revealed Mr Murdoch providing Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, with what allegedly amounted to campaign advice, magnifying the network’s intially-reluctant alliance with the former president.

Mr Murdoch, the executive chairman of the Fox Corporation, admitted in a sworn deposition that he gave Mr Kushner a preview of a campaign advert from then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign and appeared to offer him debate strategy to pass along to Mr Trump.

“Do you think it is appropriate for someone in your position to give a heads up to the opposing campaign about what the ad of the opposing campaign will show before it is public?” an attorney for voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems asked Mr Murdoch, according to court filings.

“I was trying to help Mr Kushner,” Mr Murdoch said. “He’s a friend of mine.”

How Rupert Murdoch’s relationship with Jared Kushner boosted Trump’s campaign

Trump attorney Jenna Ellis admits ‘misrepresenting’ election lies

Thursday 9 March 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump’s attorney Jenna Ellis has admitted that she “misrepresented” what happened during the 2020 election as a Colorado court censured her for peddling the former president’s fraud lies.

The Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel censured Ms Ellis on Wednesday for misconduct after she made multiple false statements on TV and on Twitter about the presidential election.

“The public censure in this matter reinforces that even if engaged in political speech, there is a line attorneys cannot cross, particularly when they are speaking in a representative capacity,” the office said in a statement.

Ms Ellis, who acted as an adviser to Mr Trump as he tried to overturn the election in his favour, had admitted last month to making 10 “misrepresentations” to the public, including claiming the election was stolen from Mr Trump.

ICYMI: Fox News refuses to air advert revealing how stars rejected Trump election fraud claims

Thursday 9 March 2023 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News reportedly rejected a television advert from a progressive advocacy group and political action committee that highlighted recently uncovered reactions from the network’s top stars and executives to Donald Trump’s bogus election fraud claims and conspiracy theories surrounding a voting machine company that is suing the network for defamation.

Alex Woodward reports.

Fox News refuses to air ad with bombshell Trump election fraud texts

Voices: Trump’s new Jan 6 song is as bad as you’d expect. It’s also dangerous

Thursday 9 March 2023 10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

On Friday at midnight, Donald Trump dropped a new song with the J6 Prison Choir. No, that’s not an Onion headline. That just happened. Who needs SNL when we have reality?

According to Forbes staff writer Zach Everson, Trump, in partnership with former Trump Admin official Kash Patel and former Fox News Host Ed Henry, collaborated with January 6 insurrectionists awaiting trial in a DC jail.

I’ll save you time. The song is as bad as you’d expect.

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Trump’s new Jan 6 song is as bad as you’d expect. It’s also dangerous