Trump news – live: Trump makes first 2024 campaign visit to battleground state of Michigan
Donald Trump returned to the battleground state of Michigan on Sunday night, which he won in 2016 but lost to Joe Biden in the last election, for the first time in the 2024 cycle.
The one-term president spoke before 2,500 supporters at Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was honoured by the party as its “Man of the Decade.”
During the event, he told the crowd that electric vehicles would result in the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry.
It came the day after he told a crowd of evangelicals on Saturday that the federal government has a “vital role” in the restriction of abortion access while he once again took credit for overturning Roe v Wade.
But the former president did not detail his proposal for national abortion restrictions, in contrast to his 2024 rival Mike Pence, who supports outlawing care nationally at 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Mr Trump’s remarks to a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC came on the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to revoke constitutional protections for abortion. Though he has repeatedly taken credit for the ruling, he has avoided questions about whether he would back a national ban if Republican lawmakers managed to pass one through Congress.
In his remarks, he also railed against the criminal indictments against him, as reporting from The New York Times finds that his presidential campaign has been diverting more funds raised by Mr Trump to a political action committee that has been used to cover his personal mounting legal fees.
Key Points
Trump takes credit for ending Roe v Wade in speech to influential religious right-wing group
Trump diverting more campaign cash into fund used to cover legal fees, report finds
Trump on Russia and Wagner crisis: ‘Be careful what you wish for!'
Jack Smith asks to delay Trump trial over hoard of secret documents
Special counsel compels Republican fake electors to testify with immunity deals, report says
Trump mocked for bizarre outburst at Michigan GOP dinner
10:20 , Rachel Sharp
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 25, 2023
Christie turns Trump weight jibes around on former president
10:03 , Graeme Massie
The former New Jersey governor’s appearance has been mocked by some Republicans after he jumped into the race against Donald Trump to be the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
He was asked about Mr Trump’s barbs about his weight when he appeared on Fox News on Sunday morning.
“Oh like he’s some Adonis? He should take a look in the mirror every once in a while, maybe he would drop the weight thing off of his list of criticisms,” said Mr Christie.
Fox News’s influence on GOP field still strong despite troubled year
09:01 , Graeme Massie
The two leading GOP presidential contenders had very different interview experiences with Fox News in the past week — each an illustration of the influence that even a damaged Fox has over the Republican nominating process.
Trump, DeSantis interviews show Fox influence on GOP field still strong despite troubled year
In case that echoes Trump’s, FBI analyst sentenced to four years over classified papers
07:55 , Graeme Massie
A former FBI analyst has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of illegally retaining classified documents in a case that bears similarities to the legal battle faced by former president Donald Trump.
Kendra Kingsbury, 50, worked as an analyst for the FBI for 12 years and held top secret security clearance when she was accused of taking classified documents out of the secure workspace and storing them in her Kansas City home.
Read more...
FBI analyst sentenced to four years over classified paper case that echoes Trump’s
GOP repeatedly claimed that ending Roe merely gave states freedom to decide abortion laws. Now they are pushing for national restrictions
07:01 , Graeme Massie
After the decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year, Republicans have said that the Supreme Court ruling merely left abortion restrictions up to states.
But anti-abortion lawmakers and candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are pushing for a national ban that would also strike down state laws that protect and expand abortion access.
Congressional Republicans have passed several anti-abortion measures with national implications, and candidates vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are endorsing national bans.
Trump, however, has offered only muddled answers, as national polling finds anti-abortion laws overwhelmingly unpopular. He has also blamed anti-abortion legislation for Republicans’ losses in 2022 midterm elections.
“One of the reasons they wanted Roe v Wade terminated ... is to bring it back into the states where a lot of people feel strongly the greatest progress for pro-life is now being made,” he told the influential right-wing Faith & Freedom Coalition conference on Saturday.
But he said there remains “a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life.”
Retired federal judge says Trump believed he had ‘political immortality'
06:04 , Graeme Massie
Judge J Michael Luttig was appointed by George H. Bush and served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1991 to 2006.
“Republicans’ spineless support for the past two years convinced Mr Trump of his political immortality, giving him the assurance that he could purloin some of the nation’s most sensitive national security secrets upon leaving the White House — and preposterously insist that they were his to do with as he wished — all without facing political consequences,” he wrote in a guest op-ed for The New York Times.
Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes
05:06 , Graeme Massie
The former president faces more than 60 criminal charges.
Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes
Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments
04:08 , Graeme Massie
Two of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at expunging the former president’s two impeachments.
Elise Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives Republican, and rightwing hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a pair of resolutions that if enacted would aim to change the record “as if such articles had never been passed”.
Read on:
Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments
Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry
03:05 , Graeme Massie
Former president made the comments as he appeared at Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner.
Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry
Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will mean ‘decimation’ of states auto industry
02:01 , Graeme Massie
Donald Trump told an audience of Michigan Republicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s auto industry.
The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle.
“It’s going to be a level that people can’t even image,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan.
Mr Trump told the crowd that the “maniacal push” for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and mocked the range of the vehicles, saying that they were a win for “tow truck companies.”
“If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Mr Trump told the crowd.
Trump appears at GOP event in Michigan
01:31 , Graeme Massie
Trump tells Michigan crowd his opponents want to ‘take away my freedom'
Monday 26 June 2023 00:50 , Graeme Massie
“They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom,” the former president told the Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner.
Pence refuses to say if he would pardon Trump
Sunday 25 June 2023 20:56 , Graeme Massie
“I can’t defend what is alleged but the president is entitled to his day in court. And I think we need to let the process go forward,” the former vice president said on Fox News Sunday
“I don’t know why the other people running for president in the Republican primary assume that the president will be found guilty.”
Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016
Sunday 25 June 2023 19:43 , Graeme Massie
Donald Trump is set to appear in Michigan on Sunday evening as he looks to reclaim territory that helped propel him to the White House but slipped from his grasp four years later.
Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016
GOP lawmaker attacks Trump over secret documents
Sunday 25 June 2023 18:36 , Graeme Massie
“You don’t show our attack plans on Iran to people who are not cleared. ... And that’s what happened there. And when the government asks for them back, you give them back,” Rep Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
Trump diverting more campaign cash into fund used to cover legal fees, report finds
Sunday 25 June 2023 14:36 , Alex Woodward
Trump’s campaign has been pushing more money raised for his 2024 presidential bid into a political action committee that has been used to cover his legal fees, as the former president faces several indictments and investigations in multiple jurisdictions in at least three states.
For every dollar raised for his campaign online beginning with its launch in November, 99 cents went to the campaign while a penny went to the PAC Save America.
But he appears to have adjusted that split, sending 90 per cent of donations to his campaign with another 10 per cent to Save America – a move that may have boosted his PAC by at least $1.5 million, according to The New York Times.
Save America spent $1.9 million in what it identified as legal expenses in the first half of 2022, according to The Times. That spending surged to $14.6 million in the second half of last year, according to records reviewed by the newspaper.
Trump criticizes US aid to Ukraine amid reports of armed rebellion in Russia
Sunday 25 June 2023 12:00 , Graeme Massie
In a post to his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning, Trump blamed Joe Biden for a range of foreign policy decisions, baselessly accusing the president of “illegally” taking “millions and millions of dollars” from China, Ukraine and “many other countries.
“Why hundreds of billions of dollars are given, without any control, to Ukraine,” he wrote.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine and would withdraw aid and force a negotiated settlement, while the Biden administration has continued to support aid to the war-torn country and affirmed US support amid the crisis.
“We’re focused on making sure that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have everything that they need to be successful,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House on Friday.
Nancy Mace is being tipped as Donald Trump’s new running mate... who is she?
Sunday 25 June 2023 09:03 , Graeme Massie
South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace, who once said that Donald Trump’s “entire legacy was wiped out” by the Capitol riot (prompting him to back her primary opponent Katie Arrington last year out of spite) improbably finds herself being touted as the former president’s next running mate after reinventing herself as his arch-defender.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Could Nancy Mace be Donald Trump’s unlikely next running mate?
‘Too busy’: New ad mocks Trump’s excuse for not handing back boxes
Sunday 25 June 2023 07:57 , Graeme Massie
The group Republican Accountability has released a new advertisement slamming former president Donald Trump’s excuse that he was too “busy” to return boxes of classified documents to the US government.
Mr Trump has claimed, first in a rally at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey last week and then again during a Fox News interview earlier this week, that he failed to return the documents because they were mixed up with his personal belongings and he hadn’t had a chance to go through them yet when the federal government called.
Abe Asher has the story.
New ad mocks Trump’s excuse that he was too ‘busy’ to hand back classified documents
Mississippi senator wants old Confederate state flag back
Sunday 25 June 2023 07:15 , Graeme Massie
No, really. In 2023...
Josh Marcus has the story.
Mississippi senator wants Confederate state flag back
GOP releases Hunter Biden whistleblower testimonies from ex-IRS agents
Sunday 25 June 2023 06:03 , Graeme Massie
House Republicans released testimony Thursday from two IRS whistleblowers who allege that the Justice Department interfered with their yearslong investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter — a charge the department swiftly denied.
The House Ways and Means Committee, led by Republican Rep. Jason Smith, voted to publicly disclose congressional testimony from two former IRS agents who worked on the federal investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and foreign business dealings.
Read more...
GOP releases whistleblower testimonies from ex-IRS agents in Hunter Biden case
Is Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, as ex-Trump lawyer claims?
Sunday 25 June 2023 05:05 , Graeme Massie
As far-right congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene turn on each other in DC, another feud within the MAGA-sphere has deepened, with former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis claiming failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is “couch-surfing” at Mar-a-Lago.
It’s not the oddest story of the week, but it’s up there.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, ex-Trump lawyer says
Garland denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation
Sunday 25 June 2023 04:08 , Graeme Massie
Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.
The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, among other things, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed special counsel. That designation would have would have given Weiss the same status as the prosecutor leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump.
Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against President Joe Biden‘s son. And Garland added that if Weiss — first appointed U.S. Attorney by Donald Trump — agrees to testify before Congress, the Justice Department will not stand in the way.
Read more...
Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation
Infowars host pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge
Sunday 25 June 2023 03:01 , Graeme Massie
Infowars host Owen Shroyer, who promoted baseless claims of 2020 election fraud on the far-right internet platform, pleaded guilty on Friday to joining the mob of Donald Trump supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol.
Shroyer, who didn’t enter the Capitol but led rioters in chants near the top of the building’s steps, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally entering a restricted area. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year behind bars.
Read more...
Infowars host Owen Shroyer pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge
Trump rails against transgender rights
Sunday 25 June 2023 02:28 , David Taintor
Trump is getting more applause when he is talking about keeping transgender girls out of women's sports and restricting gender-affirming care for youth (Which he calls "mutilation") than he did when he talked about abortion.
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) June 25, 2023
Three top reproductive rights groups endorse Biden for 2024
Sunday 25 June 2023 02:04 , Graeme Massie
Three top reproductive rights groups are endorsing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection in 2024.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily’s List are throwing their early support behind the reelection effort in part to highlight the importance of the issue for Democrats heading into the election year, leaders told the Associated Press on Thursday.
Planned Parenthood, Emily's List and NARAL-Pro Choice America endorse Joe Biden in 2024 race
About the ‘Clinton socks’ case Trump keeps mentioning
Sunday 25 June 2023 01:50 , David Taintor
Trump mentions "the Clinton socks case," which he says absolves him. My colleague @AndrewFeinberg says it doesn't give Trump the clearance he thinks. https://t.co/skGMVBsPYW
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) June 25, 2023
Trump repeats ‘witch hunt’ complaint
Sunday 25 June 2023 01:10 , David Taintor
Trump has repeatedly referred to the criminal indictments against him as “witch hunts”, and Saturday evening was no different.
"I'm being indicted for you," Trump says, which gets a huge applause line. He calls the investigations into him "election interference."
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) June 25, 2023
Trump mentions anniversary of overturning Roe v Wade
Sunday 25 June 2023 01:08 , David Taintor
Donald Trump made reference to the Jackson v Women’s Health ruling that came down from the Supreme Court one year ago, which overturned the right to an abortion.
“A big decision came down one year ago,” Mr Trump said, after an introductory video credited him with the achievement.
Pence calls for 15-week abortion ban on eve of anniversary of Roe being overturned
Sunday 25 June 2023 01:01 , Graeme Massie
Former Vice President Mike Pence called for a national 15-week abortion ban, on the day before the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, during his speech at a gathering of evangelical Christians.
Mr Pence spoke at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference and criticised Republicans who have said that abortion has become politically toxic.
Eric Garcia filed this report from the conference.
Pence calls for 15-week abortion ban on eve of anniversary of Roe being overturned
Trump is about to speak at a conservative Christian event
Sunday 25 June 2023 00:59 , David Taintor
Donald Trump is taking the stage at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority event in Washington, a gathering of evangelical Republicans that has attracted a slew of 2024 candidates.
Before Mr Trump appeared, an introductory highlight reel credited him with overturning abortion protections enshrined under Roe v Wade.
The Independent’s Eric Garcia is in the room for the former president’s speech:
https://twitter.com/EricMGarcia/status/1672755794541158400
Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment
Sunday 25 June 2023 00:08 , Graeme Massie
Donald Trump told a crowd at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey that he “doesn’t need any help” fighting his numerous legal battles and that he has actively rejected major law firms offering him assistance.
He made the comments on Thursday night, according to Mediaite.
Graig Graziosi has the details.
Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment
Ex-Trump defence secretary says Prigozhin’s armed uprising will seriously undermine Putin regime
Saturday 24 June 2023 23:08 , Graeme Massie
“Prigozhin had undermined all of that (threats of Ukraine) by saying that it’s not real, Putin was lied to by his generals and this is about senior officials who want to plunder the rest of Ukraine. I think it does incredible damage well beyond the next 24-48 hours,” Mark Esper told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Taylor Greene suggest US behind Russia uprising
Saturday 24 June 2023 22:56 , Graeme Massie
“After our government has been funding a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine for over a year, I sure hope our government isn’t behind a coup attempt currently happening in Russia,” the far-right Republican from Georgia tweeted.
“ Regime change in a nuclear armed country may lead to terrible consequences the American people don’t want.”
Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow presidential candidates weigh in on Wagner rebellion
Saturday 24 June 2023 22:33 , Graeme Massie
Former president says “be careful what you wish for” amid paramilitary crisis.
Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow candidates weigh in on Wagner uprising
Trump speaks at fundraiser for Jan 6 defendants
Saturday 24 June 2023 22:05 , Graeme Massie
The former president spoke at the event, which was held at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday.
“I’m going to make a contribution,” Mr Trump told the gathering for the Patriot Freedom Project, which reportedly included at least one actual defendant along with multiple family members of those charged in the attack on the US Capitol.
“You have police officers, you have firemen, you have teachers, you have electricians, you have great people, and they’ve been made to pay a price — in many cases, not all cases,” Mr Trump was videoed saying.
He also falsely claimed that “BLM and antifa” were behind the Capitol attack.
Trump’s alleged co-conspirator’s arraignment set
Saturday 24 June 2023 22:01 , Graeme Massie
Walt Nauta, who is accused of conspiring with the former president in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case will be arraigned in federal court in Miami on Tuesday at 9.45am.
Trump on Russia and Wagner crisis: ‘Be careful what you wish for!'
Saturday 24 June 2023 21:24 , Alex Woodward
In a pair of statements on his Truth Social account, Trump referred to the evolving armed rebellion in Russia led by a mercenary group as a “big mess” as Belarus stepped in to settle negotiations and avoid bloodshed between Putin’s forces and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group.
“A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse!” he wrote on Saturday.
His comments follow a long line of criticisms aimed at his rival Joe Biden and his support for Ukraine throughout Russia’s assault. Trump used the latest threats to baselessly accuse Biden and his son Hunter of “illegally” collecting money from China and asserting that Biden will “do about Russia whatever President Xi” want him to.
Jack Smith in discussions with former Trump campaign official
Saturday 24 June 2023 21:01 , Graeme Massie
Michael Roman is talking to the special counsel’s office about answering questions about the plan to create a slate of pro-Trump electors in key swing states won in 2020 by Joe Biden, reports The New York Times.
If Mr Roman does cooperate, he would be the first person with direct knowledge of the “fake elector” plan to do so, says The Times.
Trump indictment shows US can ‘fight’ to hold onto ‘creaky’ democracy, says Obama
Saturday 24 June 2023 20:02 , Graeme Massie
Former President Barack Obama has said that the indictment of his successor Donald Trump shows that “nobody is above the law”.
The 44th president urged people to fight for the institution of democracy.
Speaking in an hour-long interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN entitled Obama & Amanpour: Will Democracy Win?, the ex-commander-in-chief was asked about Mr Trump’s legal woes.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Obama says Trump indictment shows US can ‘fight’ to hold onto ‘creaky’ democracy
Trump to speak at Faith and Freedom summit in Washington DC
Saturday 24 June 2023 19:01 , Graeme Massie
Trump is set to address the evengelical Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Washington DC on Saturday night, the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
His speech follows Mike Pence’s remarks on Friday, when he announced support for a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Mr Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Court ruling to strike down a constitutional right to abortion, and Republican officials more broadly have been reluctant to embrace certain bans. The former president also blamed Republicans’ poor outcomes in the 2022 midterm elections because of their anti-abortion platforms.
Read more about the state of abortion access and the political landscape for abortion rights one year after the end of Roe:
The battle for abortion rights is far from over one year after the end of Roe v Wade
Special counsel Jack Smith asks to delay Trump trial over hoard of secret documents
Saturday 24 June 2023 18:06 , Graeme Massie
A criminal trial involving the former president’s stash of White House documents recovered from his home in an FBI raid may not take place until November.
That was the request that Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith filed late Friday evening with judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the prosecution of the former president.
ABC News first reported the filing, which cites the need for prosecutorial staff to obtain security clearances as one of the key reasons for their requested delay past the original trial date in August.
A second motion requests that Ms Cannon prevent the release of a list of witnesses for the trial whom the Justice Department will seek Mr Trump be barred from contacting. Among other crimes, the ex-president is also charged with witness tampering, and has been ordered not to be in contact with one of his close aides – Walt Nauta.
Read more from The Independent’s John Bowden:
Special counsel Jack Smith asks to delay Trump trial over hoard of secret documents
Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments
Saturday 24 June 2023 14:45 , Graeme Massie
Two of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at expunging the former president’s two impeachments.
Elise Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives Republican, and rightwing hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a pair of resolutions that if enacted would aim to change the record “as if such articles had never been passed”.
Read more...
Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments
Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother
Saturday 24 June 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has announced she has become a grandmother at the age of 36.
Ms Boebert, who has insisted in the past that raising a child is cheaper than paying for birth control, made the announcement while dodging a question about her spat with congressional colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Graig Grazisosi has the story.
Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother at age 36
Kari Lake sued for defamation by Arizona election official
Saturday 24 June 2023 07:45 , Oliver O'Connell
A top Republican election official in Arizona filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against Kari Lake, who falsely claims she lost the 2022 race for governor because of fraud.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said he’s faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences” because of lies spread by Lake, including death threats and the loss of friendships.
Read more...
Arizona Republican election official sues Kari Lake for defamation
‘Trump in heels’ loses election bid
Saturday 24 June 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell
No, this is not about a new sartorial direction for the former president.
‘Trump in heels’ loses election bid
‘A monk in a strip club’
Saturday 24 June 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Former president Donald Trump’s special counsel John Durham was described by a Fox News analyst as looking “about as comfortable as a Benedictine monk in a strip club” while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee.
Mr Durham was grilled for more than six hours on Wednesday over his 306-page report into the FBI’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US election that fell very short of Mr Trump’s promise it would uncover the “crime of the century”.
As far as we know, no one took off their clothes.
Fox guest: Trump special counsel looked like ‘a monk in a strip club’
Trump pleads with Congress to help him wriggle out of federal charges
Friday 23 June 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Former president Donald Trump called on Congress to probe the multiple investigations into him on the local, state and federal level in a series of posts on Truth Social.
Mr Trump made the early morning posts the day after the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony from former special counsel John Durham, who investigated the FBI’s probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Eric Garcia reports.
Trump calls on Congress to help him wriggle out of federal charges
Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment
Friday 23 June 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump told a crowd at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey that he “doesn’t need any help” fighting his numerous legal battles and that he has actively rejected major law firms offering him assistance.
He made the comments on Thursday night, according to Mediaite.
Graig Graziosi has the details.
Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment
McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments
Friday 23 June 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday he supports the idea of expunging the two impeachments of Donald Trump as hard-right Republican allies of the former president introduce a pair of proposals to declare it as though the historic charges never happened.
McCarthy told reporters that he agrees with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elise Stefanik who want to erase the charges against Trump from the former president’s impeachments of 2019 and 2021.
Read more...
Speaker McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments over Ukraine and Jan. 6
Newest GOP candidate won’t sign RNC pledge to support nominee
Friday 23 June 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Will Hurd, the newest Republican 2024 presidential candidate, says he won’t sign the RNC pledge to support the eventual nominee.
“I’m not going to support Donald Trump.”
Asked if the former president betrayed the nation if the allegations against him are true, he says: “100% he did.”
Watch:
Will Hurd, the newest Republican 2024 contender, says he won’t sign the RNC pledge to support the nominee. “I’m not going to support Donald Trump.” Asked if Trump betrayed the nation if the allegations against him are true, he says, “100% he did.” pic.twitter.com/GGKWgZlyCN
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 23, 2023
Mr Hurd later tweeted: “We pledge allegiance to the United States, not political leaders. I'm working to fulfill the debate requirements but I'm not going to lie to the American people or my party for the sake of a microphone.”
Former Trump aide slams him for Jan 6 fundraiser
Friday 23 June 2023 21:54 , Oliver O'Connell
In response to the news that former president Donald Trump spoke at a fundraiser for January 6 defendants at his Bedminster golf club, co-host of The View and former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin tweeted: “Hey Republicans: remember how mad we were when then-Sen. Kamala Harris solicited bail funds for protestors? What Trump is doing is worse.”
Hey Republicans: remember how mad we were when then-Sen. Kamala Harris solicited bail funds for protestors? What Trump is doing is worse. https://t.co/1CuKQHhEKw
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) June 23, 2023
Garland denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden probe
Friday 23 June 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.
Read more...
Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation
AOC responds to DeSantis remarks about San Francisco
Friday 23 June 2023 21:12 , Oliver O'Connell
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has responded to video footage of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s speech this morning at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in which he said: “Don’t tell me [woke] doesn’t affect people’s lives. I was just in San Francisco. I saw … people defecating on the sidewalk. I saw people using fentanyl. I saw people smoking crack.”
The New York representative commented on Twitter: “DeSantis led a Florida law that has already forced women to carry unviable pregnancies to term, just to watch their newborn die.
“But instead of acknowledg[ing] his brutality against women, he wants to scare you with his alleged accounts of struggling people, whom he also won’t help.”
DeSantis led a Florida law that has already forced women to carry unviable pregnancies to term, just to watch their newborn die.
But instead of acknowledge his brutality against women, he wants to scare you with his alleged accounts of struggling people, whom he also won’t help. https://t.co/5Rout1w5ix— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 23, 2023
Hunter Biden attorney dismisses WhatApp text allegations
Friday 23 June 2023 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell
Hunter Biden’s attorney Chris Clark gave a statement to Fox News about the WhatsApp text allegations about the president’s son: “Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.”
Hunter Biden attorney Chris Clark to Fox on WhatsApp text allegations: “Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.” pic.twitter.com/qp8lAKEf6e
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) June 23, 2023
