Trump trial live: Ivanka Trump to take stand after father’s chaotic fraud testimony
Ivanka Trump will testify in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial on Wednesday, becoming the fourth member of the family to take the stand after her father’s chaotic appearance on Monday, and the testimony of her brothers Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump last week.
The trial threatens to topple the family’s business empire — the Trump Organization — and the former president has angrily complained about the basis of the case against him, blaming President Joe Biden.
While the former president’s 2024 campaign tried to fundraise off the back of his appearance in court, he ranted: “I spent the whole day in Manhattan Court, compliments of my Political Opponent, Crooked Joe Biden. Legal Scholars agree that this is a case that should have never been brought, and it wouldn’t have if I wasn’t running (and winning!) for President. MAGA!”
On the stand, Mr Trump lashed out at both Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James, calling her a “political hack”.
In court, the judge warned Mr Trump to stop using the courtroom as a “political rally” and urged his attorney “to control him”.
Alex Woodward reported from inside the courtroom for The Independent.
Key Points
‘Heir apparent’ Ivanka Trump to take witness stand in her father’s fraud trial
Voices: Whinging into the void on the Day of the Don
Seven key takeaways from Donald Trump’s fraud trial testimony
Red-faced Trump rages at judge during historic fraud trial testimony
Jack Smith responds to Trump’s attempt to dismiss January 6 case
Fraud trial judge expands gag order to include Trump attorneys
‘Travesty’: Fox News host blasts Trump’s courtroom sketch
11:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany has said that Donald Trump needed a “better sketch artist” when he took the stand in his $250m New York civil fraud trial – slamming the depiction of the former president as “a travesty”.
During Fox News’ The Five on Monday night, Ms McEnany was asked if she had advice for her former boss amid the court case which threatens to topple his business empire.
Ms McEnany, who worked as White House press secretary in the Trump administration, went on to complain about the courtroom sketch of the former president on the stand.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Fox News host blasts Trump’s courtroom sketch: ‘A travesty’
Voices: Whinging into the void on the Day of the Don
11:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Alex Woodward was in court on Monday and watched the former President howl and rage on the witness stand:
Former president Donald Trump’s day on the witness stand was always headed this way: belligerence and disdain for everyone and everything around him.
This time, the cameras were steps outside the courtroom. There was no one to impress, no one to cheer him on, and only a roomful of his perceived enemies – lawyers and journalists – staring back at him.
Over the last six weeks, Trump has relied on a courtroom in lower Manhattan as a campaign platform to spin a trial targeting his vast real-estate business into evidence of a political conspiracy against him. For nearly four hours on the witness stand on Monday, he got his biggest stage yet, and he stood on it alone.
Read more...
Donald Trump’s day on the witness stand was a performance for his campaign
Seven key takeaways from Donald Trump’s fraud trial testimony
10:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s testimony in his high profile civil fraud case was, fittingly, not short of confrontation – with proceedings devolving into the typical bouts of name-calling and inflammatory rhetoric favoured by the former president.
On Monday Mr Trump took the stand in the New York trial, in which he is accused of overvaluing the worth of multiple properties in his portfolio.
Until he was called to the stand, he had been under no obligation to attend the trial which he has claimed is affecting his 2024 presidential bid – though he has appeared at court several times previously.
Despite being hit with $15,000 fines for breaching a gag order imposed by judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case, Mr Trump did not hold back after taking to the stand on Monday.
Here are some of the stand-out moments from his testimony.
Seven key moments from Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial testimony
Alina Habba: New York AG Letitia James ‘just not that bright’
09:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump‘s attorney, Alina Habba, said the New York attorney general leading the civil case against the former president was “just not that bright.”
She made the comments on Monday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is spearheading the former president’s civil trial. She has accused Mr Trump and the Trump Organization of inflating the value of his assets in order to secure better loans, and then devaluing his asset cost to avoid paying taxes. A judge already found Mr Trump liable for fraud, which may end with the further dismantling of his businesses in New York.
Ms Habba appeared on Newsmax on Monday to assure the network’s viewers that Ms James does not have a case against Mr Trump.
“She’s just not that bright. I’m sorry, I have to say it,” Ms Habba said. “I’ve seen their case; I’ve seen their lawyers. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Jimmy Kimmel jokes about tell-tale sign Trump was rattled
08:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s appearance on the witness stand at his civil fraud trial, joking that there was one tell-tell sign that the former president was rattled during his courtroom testimony.
Mr Trump is currently on trial in New York on civil fraud charges in a case brought against him by the state’s Attorney General Letitia James.
The former president, the Trump Organizations and its associates are accused of deceiving banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth on his financial statements.
Mr Trump has denied the allegations, and has instead claimed that his assets were actually undervalued as he took to the stand in court on Monday, giving rambling and chaotic responses to the state’s questions.
His appearance was the talk of the day, with Mr Kimmel poking fun at the former president on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night.
Jimmy Kimmel jokes about tell-tale sign Trump was rattled in trial testimony
Why are the Trump children testifying and how important is their testimony?
06:15 , Oliver O'Connell
The main focus on Donald Trump’s myriad of legal woes shifted to Lower Manhattan in October as his civil fraud case came to trial at New York state’s Supreme Court.
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the case against the Trump Organization and maintains that between 2011 and 2021 the company falsified financial statements regarding the development of several real estate projects and artificially inflated Mr Trump’s net worth in order to get better financing terms from banks and insurance companies.
This was done by over-stating valuations of the former president’s most prestigious holdings including his triplex penthouse at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Their entire New York real estate empire is already in peril after a pre-trial ruling included the cancellation of their business licences in the state.
As the prosecution’s case draws to a close, three of his adult children are taking the stand to testify under oath, which begs the question: how are they wrapped up in all this and why is their testimony important at the trial?
Why are Trump’s children testifying at New York civil fraud trial?
Zelensky tells Trump to come to Ukraine after he claims he could stop war in a day
04:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Ukraine’s president has a message for Donald Trump: Come visit if you think you will be so much help.
Volodymyr Zelensky threw down part challenge, part invitation on Sunday during an interview with Meet the Press on NBC.
“Former President Trump said that [in] about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war,” Mr Zelesnky told NBC’s Kristin Welker, noting that President Joe Biden, his likely 2024 opponent, had already visited. “So he’s very welcome as well... I invite President Trump.”
The Ukrainian leader’s words hold a double-edged meaning. The invitation primarily serves as a response to Mr Trump’s ongoing comments about the Ukraine-Russia war, which he has laid at the feet of the Biden administration to play into the narrative of a “world falling apart” under the Democratic president’s leadership.
03:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s lawyer attacks ‘unhinged’ New York judge in civil fraud trial
Lincoln Project taunts Trump ahead of Ivanka evidence
02:45 , Mike Bedigan
A new advert from pro-democracy organisation the Lincoln Project throws Ivanka Trump’s distance from her father, former President Donald Trump, in his face ahead of her testimony.
The former first daughter is set to testify on Wednesday, despite her withdrawal from her father’s business empire, from New York, and from the public eye altogether.
Read the full story here:
Lincoln Project taunts Trump ahead of Ivanka evidence in $250m fraud trial
Trump allies planning to invoke Insurrection Act if he wins in 2024
02:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s conservative allies are crafting a blueprint for a Republican presidency in 2025 which could include the use of US troops to put down protests and acts of civil disobedience across the US resulting from a Trump 2024 election victory.
In an extensive report published on Sunday, The Washington Post detailed the work being done under the umbrella of “Project 2025”, an effort by a coalition of conservative groups to prepare a policy and governing agenda for a GOP president. Though none of its connections to the Trump campaign are official, the Post reports that the coalition has ties to a number of members of Mr Trump’s inner circle, including most prominently Jeffrey Clark, the former assistant US attorney general who is now facing criminal charges in Fulton County, Georgia.
Mr Clark, who is thought to have been one of the key minds behind the development of the Trump campaign’s effort to overturn the 2020 election after court challenges had failed to do so, serves as a fellow at the Center for Renewing America, one of the groups involved in the effort. According to the Post, Mr Clark is now working on a new “legal” effort — a plan to go after Donald Trump’s enemies, prominent and otherwise, beginning on day one of a second Trump presidency.
Trump may invoke Insurrection Act to bar protests if he wins 2024 race, says report
‘Heir apparent’ Ivanka Trump to take witness stand in her father’s fraud trial
01:45 , Mike Bedigan
Former first daughter Ivanka Trump will take the stand on Wednesday, in a case that could land a significant blow against her family’s business and vast real-estate empire.
Ms Trump previously failed to block a subpoena for her appearance on the witness stand, and she will testify as the final witness for the prosecution.
Her testimony inside a lower Manhattan courtroom arrives two days after Mr Trump’s, whose verbal outbursts from the witness stand this week unloaded on the case, the presiding judge and the attorney general suing him for fraud.
Alex Woodward has the full story:
‘Heir apparent’ Ivanka Trump to testify in her father’s fraud trial
Conservative lawyers look to counter Maga movement with new group
01:15 , Oliver O'Connell
A group of preeminent conservative lawyers who opposed former president Donald Trump’s efforts to manipulate the legal system are launching a new, long-term project aimed at fostering respect for the US Constitution and the rule of law in the legal profession.
The group, which initially began operating in 2018 under the name Checks and Balances, includes preeminent conservative legal figures such as J Michael Luttig, the former Fourth Circuit judge who was shortlisted as a Supreme Court pick during the George W Bush administration, and George Conway, who was former president Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department civil division before he became a prominent critic of the ex-president.
Unlike other groups formed by anti-Trump conservatives during Mr Trump’s presidency, the Checks and Balances group has been a bit of a shoestring operation, until now operating with a small budget raised from its’ members.
But a source familiar with the group’s plans told The Independent that a decision was made by the group’s board to seek outside funding for the purposes of a major relaunch and rebranding operation as the “Society for the Rule of Law,” which has now acquired the proper licenses to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organisation that can undertake some political work. The society’s roll-out will include a “Rule of Law summit” taking place on Wednesday evening in Washington.
Watch: Michael Cohen’s lawyer calls Trump testimony ‘bananas, bonkers, crazytown’
00:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Michael Cohen’s attorney Danya Perry was in the courtroom for Trump’s testimony and here’s how she describes it: bananas, bonkers, crazytown, unhinged pic.twitter.com/PGZkE3fKdS
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 7, 2023
Special counsel plans to call Jan 6 rioters to testify against Trump
Tuesday 7 November 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Court filings in the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump appear to indicate that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution team plan to call January 6 rioters to testify against the former president.
Per the filings, the government plans to include “testimony, video, and photographic evidence that specific individuals who were at the Ellipse when the defendant exhorted them to ‘fight’ at the Capitol then violently attacked law enforcement and breached the Capitol”.
Alan Feuer of The New York Times notes that it also seems to be the case regarding the targeting of former Vice President Mike Pence.
Same thing here with regard to targeting Mike Pence.
This all suggests we could at trial from any number of J6 rioters, effectively connecting the hundreds of Capitol breach cases w/the Trump case. pic.twitter.com/IKcYamCaVG— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) November 7, 2023
Judge Chutkan grants Trump small deadline extension to pretrial motions, discovery and subpoenas in DC Jan 6 case
Tuesday 7 November 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell
In Donald Trump’s federal election subversion case in Washington, DC, Judge Tanya Chuktan denied the defence team’s request to extend deadlines related to pretrial motions, discovery and subpoenas until 9 February but did permit a two-week extension.
The new timetable is as follows:
Motions to compel shall be filed by November 27, 2023; any oppositions to those motions shall be filed by December 11, 2023; and any replies in support of those motions shall be filed by December 18, 2023.
Motions for Rule 17(c) subpoenas shall be filed by December 13, 2023; any oppositions to those motions shall be filed by December 27, 2023; and any replies in support of those motions shall be filed by January 3, 2024.
Read the judge’s full order here.
Trump falsely claims ‘60 Minutes’ proves Pence could flip election
Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump falsely claimed that an episode of 60 Minutes and a recent federal law clarifying the electoral process backed up his unprecedented theory that former vice-president Mike Pence had the power to stop or overturn the counting of the 2020 election results.
Referring to the December 2022 Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, which was mentioned on a recent 60 Minutes broadcast, Mr Trump argued on Truth Social, “The fact that they had to CLARIFY THE LAW means that there was UNCERTAINTY, which means that it was open to INTERPRETATION. It could have been done!”
Legal scholars dispute this interpretation.
Josh Marcus reports.
Trump falsely claims ‘60 Minutes’ proves Pence could flip election
Watch: Alex Woodward breaks down Trump’s four-hour testimony in his New York fraud trial
Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell
NEW: Special counsel strikes at Trump’s ‘culmination’ of election lies
Tuesday 7 November 2023 22:03 , Oliver O'Connell
Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal judge in Washington DC to reject Donald Trump’s efforts to strike “inflammatory” descriptions of January 6 from the criminal indictment against him, saying Mr Trump is “responsible for the events at the Capitol” thus the statements are relevant.
In a filing sent to Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday, Mr Smith’s office explicitly attributed the ex-president’s behaviour on the days leading up to January 6 to the violent attack on the Capitol.
“Indeed, that day was the culmination of the defendant’s criminal conspiracies to overturn the legitimate results of the presidential election, when the defendant directed a large and angry crowd—one that he had summoned to Washington, DC, and fueled with knowingly false claims of election fraud—to the Capitol to obstruct the congressional certification proceeding,” the special counsel wrote in the filing.
Mr Smith’s office accused Mr Trump of filing a motion to strike inflammatory allegations from the indictment as a way to “distance himself” from the violent attack on the Capitol in a “meritless effort to evade the indictment’s clear allegations.”
In October, Mr Trump asked the court to remove descriptions of the actions that took place on January 6 from the indictment, claiming it was irrelevant to the case against him because he is not charged with responsibility for the actions.
On this day, three years ago...
Tuesday 7 November 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell
How time flies.
It was on this day, three years ago, that Donald Trump’s presidency came crashing down in the parking lot of a landscaping company next to an adult bookstore.
The Independent’s Richard Hall was there for one of the more bizarre moments of the last presidential election.
Here’s the report he filed from Philadelphia in early November 2020:
I saw Trump’s presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Jack Smith doesn’t want Trump trial to turn into a TV spectacle
Tuesday 7 November 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge in Washington DC to prohibit media organisations from televising the criminal trial proceedings in the government’s case against Donald Trump regarding his alleged involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and January 6.
In a filing sent to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday, special counsel Jack Smith cited a longstanding judicial rule that bars the broadcasting of federal criminal trials and said the rule should be no different for the ex-president.
Under Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a court “must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.”
Mr Smith said that the rule is in place purely “to avoid the risks that policymakers have determined cameras pose to the fair administration of justice” and that it should remain for Mr Trump to be fairly prosecuted.
But several media organisations, including The New York Times, The Associated Press, NBC Universal and more, have said the unprecedented case against the ex-president is clearly in the public interest and would benefit from being broadcast.
Read the full article by Ariana Baio.
It’s election day — here are the top races to watch
Tuesday 7 November 2023 21:00 , John Bowden
While various Republicans jockey for position in their party’s ongoing primary and discontent grows among Democrats who fear that the president’s political future is uncertain, voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to decide a set of much smaller contests around the country.
But while the stakes may be slightly lower than the presidential race, the relevance of Tuesday’s vote will still be felt in the everyday lives of millions of Americans. Voters in three states are set to make key decisions that will shape the future of their state’s politics — and in a fourth, they ponder the question of whether to reshape their state’s constitution.
Two of Tuesday’s states-to-watch are set to be major battlegrounds next year as well. As such, many will be looking for signs of Joe Biden’s strength — or, perhaps, his weakness — as the races conclude on Tuesday night. With recent polling indicating a fraying of the coalition that drove Mr Biden to the White House in 2020, a win (or wins) for Republicans could be a bad headline for the president at absolutely the worst possible time.
The Independent is here as your source for thoughtful analysis of tonight’s contests, however they end up being decided. Here’s what we are looking at:
Abortion, Elvis and clues to 2024: The top races to watch on Election Day
Why is the testimony of Trump’s children important to his New York civil fraud trial?
Tuesday 7 November 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell
The main focus on Donald Trump’s myriad of legal woes shifted to Lower Manhattan in October as his civil fraud case came to trial at New York state’s Supreme Court.
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the case against the Trump Organization and maintains that between 2011 and 2021 the company falsified financial statements regarding the development of several real estate projects and artificially inflated Mr Trump’s net worth in order to get better financing terms from banks and insurance companies.
This was done by over-stating valuations of the former president’s most prestigious holdings including his triplex penthouse at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Their entire New York real estate empire is already in peril after a pre-trial ruling included the cancellation of their business licences in the state.
As the prosecution’s case draws to a close, three of his adult children are taking the stand to testify under oath, which begs the question: how are they wrapped up in all this and why is their testimony important at the trial?
Why are Trump’s children testifying at New York civil fraud trial?
Trump continues to rail against civil case
Tuesday 7 November 2023 20:29 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump continues to complain about the premise of the case against him on his social media platform, first posting a copy of the disclaimer that was included in the Trump Organization’s statements of financial condition.
The disclaimer forms part of the evidence in the case, but nevertheless the former president wanted to give a copy directly to Judge Arthur Engoron.
Here’s what Mr Trump posted today:
This is the Paper that I wanted to submit that the Judge refused to take, because he doesn’t want anybody to know about the Disclaimer Clause at the beginning of each Financial Statement. This is just part of it! That case is a disgrace to the Legal and Judicial System of New York. Hopefully the Appellate Courts will stop this travesty of Justice that everybody is watching and fully understanding!
He then wrote:
I am worth Billions of Dollars more than what is on my financial Statements - they are very conservative (Therefore, NO FRAUD!) - and the CORRUPT & RACIST NEW YORK STATE A.G., Letitia Peekaboo James, working in close coordination with the TRUMP HATING, RADICAL LEFT JUDGE, and the Biden White House, refuses to drop the NO JURY ALLOWED CASE that was brought using a Statute never used for this before. In fact, no such lawsuit has ever been brought by the Attorney General’s Office! It is a mockery of our Judicial and Legal System. Something must be done to stop the Fascists. MAGA!
Analysis: GOP candidates have learned from Trump’s legal woes and are condemning Jan 6 – with one exception...
Tuesday 7 November 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell
All but one of the Republican candidates appeared to have learned from former President Donald Trump’s deepening legal woes as they appeared for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.
Former Vice President Mike Pence stood firmly behind his decision to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory despite mounting pressure from Mr Trump and his supporters, which included violent threats to his life.
Mr Pence was praised by the candidates next to him on the debate stage, apart from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who came out swinging with conspiracy theories making the rounds on rightwing social media on a variety of topics.
Mr Ramaswamy instead called on Mr Pence to commit to pardoning Mr Trump.
Republican candidates are condemning Jan 6 – aside from Vivek Ramaswamy
Jimmy Kimmel jokes about tell-tale sign Trump was rattled in court
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:57 , Oliver O'Connell
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s appearance on the witness stand at his civil fraud trial, joking that there was one tell-tell sign that the former president was rattled during his courtroom testimony.
Mr Trump is currently on trial in New York on civil fraud charges in a case brought against him by the state’s Attorney General Letitia James.
The former president, the Trump Organizations and its associates are accused of deceiving banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth on his financial statements.
Mr Trump has denied the allegations, and has instead claimed that his assets were actually undervalued as he took to the stand in court on Monday, giving rambling and chaotic responses to the state’s questions.
His appearance was the talk of the day, with Mr Kimmel poking fun at the former president on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night.
Jimmy Kimmel jokes about tell-tale sign Trump was rattled in trial testimony
Conservative lawyers look to counter Maga movement with new group
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell
A group of preeminent conservative lawyers who opposed former president Donald Trump’s efforts to manipulate the legal system are launching a new, long-term project aimed at fostering respect for the US constitution and the rule of law in the legal profession.
The group, which initially began operating in 2018 under the name Checks and Balances, includes preeminent conservative legal figures such as J Michael Luttig, the former Fourth Circuit judge who was shortlisted as a Supreme Court pick during the George W Bush administration, and George Conway, who was former president Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department civil division before he became a prominent critic of the ex-president.
Unlike other groups formed by anti-Trump conservatives during Mr Trump’s presidency, the Checks and Balances group has been a bit of a shoestring operation, until now operating with a small budget raised from its’ members.
But a source familiar with the group’s plans told The Independent that a decision was made by the group’s board to seek outside funding for the purposes of a major relaunch and rebranding operation as the “Society for the Rule of Law,” which has now acquired the proper licenses to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organisation that can undertake some political work. The society’s roll-out will include a “Rule of Law summit” taking place on Wednesday evening in Washington.
Read Andrew Feinberg’s report from Washington, DC.
Watch: Michael Cohen’s lawyer calls Trump testimony ‘bananas, bonkers, crazytown’
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:37 , Oliver O'Connell
Michael Cohen’s attorney Danya Perry was in the courtroom for Trump’s testimony and here’s how she describes it: bananas, bonkers, crazytown, unhinged pic.twitter.com/PGZkE3fKdS
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 7, 2023
Trump allies planning to invoke Insurrection Act if he wins in 2024
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s conservative allies are crafting a blueprint for a Republican presidency in 2025 which could include the use of US troops to put down protests and acts of civil disobedience across the US resulting from a Trump 2024 election victory.
In an extensive report published on Sunday, The Washington Post detailed the work being done under the umbrella of “Project 2025”, an effort by a coalition of conservative groups to prepare a policy and governing agenda for a GOP president. Though none of its connections to the Trump campaign are official, the Post reports that the coalition has ties to a number of members of Mr Trump’s inner circle, including most prominently Jeffrey Clark, the former assistant US attorney general who is now facing criminal charges in Fulton County, Georgia.
Mr Clark, who is thought to have been one of the key minds behind the development of the Trump campaign’s effort to overturn the 2020 election after court challenges had failed to do so, serves as a fellow at the Center for Renewing America, one of the groups involved in the effort. According to the Post, Mr Clark is now working on a new “legal” effort — a plan to go after Donald Trump’s enemies, prominent and otherwise, beginning on day one of a second Trump presidency.
Trump may invoke Insurrection Act to bar protests if he wins 2024 race, says report
Special counsel plans to call Jan 6 rioters to testify against Trump
Tuesday 7 November 2023 19:09 , Oliver O'Connell
Court filings in the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump appear to indicate that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution team plan to call January 6 rioters to testify against the former president.
Per the filings, the government plans to include “testimony, video, and photographic evidence that specific individuals who were at the Ellipse when the defendant exhorted them to ‘fight’ at the Capitol then violently attacked law enforcement and breached the Capitol”.
Alan Feuer of The New York Times notes that it also seems to be the case regarding the targeting of former Vice President Mike Pence.
Same thing here with regard to targeting Mike Pence.
This all suggests we could at trial from any number of J6 rioters, effectively connecting the hundreds of Capitol breach cases w/the Trump case. pic.twitter.com/IKcYamCaVG— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) November 7, 2023
Tuesday 7 November 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s lawyer attacks ‘unhinged’ New York judge in civil fraud trial
Zelensky tells Trump to come to Ukraine after he claims he could stop war in a day
Tuesday 7 November 2023 18:22 , Oliver O'Connell
Ukraine’s president has a message for Donald Trump: Come visit if you think you will be so much help.
Volodymyr Zelensky threw down part challenge, part invitation on Sunday during an interview with Meet the Press on NBC.
“Former President Trump said that [in] about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war,” Mr Zelesnky told NBC’s Kristin Welker, noting that President Joe Biden, his likely 2024 opponent, had already visited. “So he’s very welcome as well... I invite President Trump.”
The Ukrainian leader’s words hold a double-edged meaning. The invitation primarily serves as a response to Mr Trump’s ongoing comments about the Ukraine-Russia war, which he has laid at the feet of the Biden administration to play into the narrative of a “world falling apart” under the Democratic president’s leadership.
Watch: Alex Woodward breaks down Trump’s four-hour testimony in his New York fraud trial
Tuesday 7 November 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell
ICYMI: Red-faced Trump rages at judge during historic fraud trial testimony
Tuesday 7 November 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s trial following years of fraud allegations repeatedly ordered his attorneys to “control” him for his evasive and meandering answers on the witness stand.
Within the first hour of Mr Trump’s testimony on Monday, an increasingly frustrated Judge Arthur Engoron and counsel with the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James tried to get him to answer questions about his net worth and assets without giving speeches from the stand.
His answers are not only “nonresponsive, they’re repetitive”, said Judge Engoron, who warned that the former president’s ongoing rants could be negatively used against him in a case that endangers his business empire.
Over the next several hours, he accused Ms James of trying to “demean” and “hurt” him politically, slammed her as a “political hack”, called the case a “disgrace” and told a lawyer with Ms James’s office that he should be “ashamed” of himself.
Alex Woodward filed this report from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
Red-faced Trump rages at judge during historic fraud trial testimony
Brutal compilation of Trump gaffes released by DeSantis campaign
Tuesday 7 November 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Ron DeSantis’ campaign has unleashed a brutal and comprehensive list of gaffes made by Donald Trump as the pair continue to vie to be successful in their bid to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
On Monday an X account operated by the Florida governor’s campaign team posted a long compilation of “fumbles, accidents and confused moments” by the former president so far this year.
The post claimed that the slip-ups were the reason why Mr Trump’s “handlers” “won’t let him debate”. Mr Trump has not taken part in any public debates with other GOP nomination hopefuls, having skipped two so far.
Mike Bedigan reports.
DeSantis campaign unleashes brutal compilation of Trump gaffes
On this day, three years ago...
Tuesday 7 November 2023 16:56 , Oliver O'Connell
How time flies.
It was on this day, three years ago, that Donald Trump’s presidency came crashing down in the parking lot of a landscaping company next to an adult bookstore.
The Independent’s Richard Hall was there for one of the more bizarre moments of the last presidential election.
Here’s the report he filed from Philadelphia in early November 2020:
I saw Trump’s presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Former Trump White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin also had some thoughts on the anniversary:
3 years ago today and somehow, nearly my entire Party has lined back up behind Trump. We’ve learned nothing. https://t.co/3PlaAvrJvu
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) November 7, 2023
Special counsel responds to Trump’s attempt to dismiss January 6 case
Tuesday 7 November 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Prosecutors with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office are calling on Judge Tanya Chutkan to reject former president Donald Trump’s effort to have the election subversion and conspiracy charges against him dismissed, writing in a Monday court filing that Mr Trump “stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes” and pointing out that cases cited by the ex-president’s lawyers don’t support the arguments they’ve made.
“No other president has engaged in conspiracy and obstruction to overturn valid election results and illegitimately retain power. The indictment squarely charges the defendant for this conduct, and the defendant’s constitutional and statutory challenges to it are meritless,” they said.
Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden report from Washington, DC:
Jack Smith responds to Trump’s attempt to dismiss January 6 case
Alina Habba says New York AG Letitia James ‘just not that bright’
Tuesday 7 November 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump‘s attorney, Alina Habba, said the New York attorney general prosecuting the case against the former president was “just not that bright.”
She made the comments on Monday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is spearheading the former president’s civil trial. She has accused Mr Trump and the Trump Organisation of inflating the value of his assets in order to secure better loans, and then devaluing his asset cost to avoid paying taxes. A judge already found Mr Trump liable for fraud, and which may end with the further dismantling of his businesses in New York.
Ms Habba appeared on Newsmax on Monday to assure the network’s viewers that Ms James does not have a case against Mr Trump.
The Independent Debate: Should Trump abandon his 2024 run for president?
Tuesday 7 November 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell
As Mr Trump’s legal battles grow more complex, many are wondering whether he will win the nomination and campaign for the election as a convicted criminal.
We want to know if you think the time is up for Trump. With the accusations surrounding the former president is it time he threw in the towel and sought a desk job away from the limelight and politics?
Or do you believe there’s still merit in bringing Mr Trump back to the White House?
Here’s how to have your say:
Tell us if Donald Trump should abandon a second run for president
Seven key takeaways from Trump’s chaotic day of testimony
Tuesday 7 November 2023 15:15 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump’s testimony in his high profile civil fraud case was, fittingly, not short of confrontation – with proceedings devolving into the typical bouts of name-calling and inflammatory rhetoric favoured by the former president.
On Monday Mr Trump took the stand in the New York trial, in which he is accused of overvaluing the worth of multiple properties in his portfolio.
Until he was called to the stand, he had been under no obligation to attend the trial which he has claimed is affecting his 2024 presidential bid – though he has appeared at court several times previously.
Despite being hit with $15,000 fines for breaching a gag order imposed by judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case, Mr Trump did not hold back after taking to the stand on Monday.
Here are some of the stand-out moments from his testimony.
Seven key moments from Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial testimony
Voices: Whinging into the void on the Day of the Don
Tuesday 7 November 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Alex Woodward was in court on Monday and watched the former President howl and rage on the witness stand:
Former president Donald Trump’s day on the witness stand was always headed this way: belligerence and disdain for everyone and everything around him.
This time, the cameras were steps outside the courtroom. There was no one to impress, no one to cheer him on, and only a roomful of his perceived enemies – lawyers and journalists – staring back at him.
Over the last six weeks, Trump has relied on a courtroom in lower Manhattan as a campaign platform to spin a trial targeting his vast real-estate business into evidence of a political conspiracy against him. For nearly four hours on the witness stand on Monday, he got his biggest stage yet, and he stood on it alone.
Read more...
Donald Trump’s day on the witness stand was a performance for his campaign
Voices: Trump is having a great week...right?
Tuesday 7 November 2023 14:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Ahmed Baba writes:
Donald Trump seemed to be riding high while heading into court on Monday morning to testify in his civil fraud trial. Over the weekend, a poll was dominating the news cycle. A poll which apparently filled him with this confidence.
The New York Times/Siena College results found Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in five of six key battleground states. Trump held leads in Arizona (+5%), Georgia (+6%), Michigan (+5%), Nevada (+11%), Pennsylvania (+4%). Biden led Wisconsin with +2%.
Of course, we have to take all polls with a grain of salt, especially this far from election day. Remember the 2022 red wave that never hit our shores? I prefer to look at real-world, recent election results for insight into where the electorate stands.
In any case, Donald Trump clearly felt emboldened. Trump has long held the belief that his legal troubles would help his 2024 campaign, and his team likely looked at the new poll as vindication of that belief. But if we scrutinize his approach and look deeper into the results, there are flashing red warning lights for Trump.
Read more...
Trump is having a great week...right?
In pictures: Trump testifies at New York civil fraud trial
Tuesday 7 November 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Special counsel responds to Trump’s attempt to dismiss January 6 case
Tuesday 7 November 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Prosecutors with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office are calling on Judge Tanya Chutkan to reject former president Donald Trump’s effort to have the election subversion and conspiracy charges against him dismissed, writing in a Monday court filing that Mr Trump “stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes” and pointing out that cases cited by the ex-president’s lawyers don’t support the arguments they’ve made.
“No other president has engaged in conspiracy and obstruction to overturn valid election results and illegitimately retain power. The indictment squarely charges the defendant for this conduct, and the defendant’s constitutional and statutory challenges to it are meritless,” they said.
In the 79-page filing opposing two separate motions filed by Mr Trump’s legal team, Assistant Special Counsels James Pierce and John Pellettieri and Senior Assistant Special Counsels Thomas Windom and Molly Gaston noted that the indictment returned against the ex-president by a Washington, DC grand jury over the summer accused him of “perpetrating an unprecedented campaign of deceit to attack the very functioning of the federal government to collect, count, and certify votes; to obstruct the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the election results are certified; and to disenfranchise millions of voters”.
They further described Mr Trump actions as part of “a concerted criminal effort to overturn the presidential election results and prevent the lawful transfer of power to his successor”.
Trump blames Biden for New York civil fraud case
Tuesday 7 November 2023 13:00 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump took aim at his usual political rivals on Monday night after his chaotic testimony in the New York civil fraud trial that threatens to topple his business empire.
Taking to Truth Social, Mr Trump sought to blame President Joe Biden for the legal case.
“I spent the whole day in Manhattan Court, compliments of my Political Opponent, Crooked Joe Biden. Legal Scholars agree that this is a case that should have never been brought, and it wouldn’t have if I wasn’t running (and winning!) for President. MAGA!” he wrote.
In another post, he lashed out at his GOP rival Ron DeSantis – and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for endorsing him.
“Why would anybody endorse Ron DeSanctimonious, who is like a wounded bird falling from the sky? His Poll numbers are terrible, he is totally against Ethanol, and fought to destroy Social Security and Medicare. Well, the “Nation’s most unpopular governor,” Kim Reynolds of Iowa, just endorsed him. What’s that all about?” he ranted.
Red-faced Trump rages at judge
Tuesday 7 November 2023 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s trial following years of fraud allegations repeatedly ordered his attorneys to “control” him for his evasive and meandering answers on the witness stand.
Within the first hour of Mr Trump’s testimony on Monday, an increasingly frustrated Judge Arthur Engoron and counsel with the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James tried to get him to answer questions about his net worth and assets without giving speeches from the stand.
His answers are not only “nonresponsive, they’re repetitive,” said Judge Engoron, who warned that the former president’s ongoing rants could be negatively used against him in a case that endangers his business empire.
Over the next several hours, he accused Ms James of trying to “demean” and “hurt” him politically, slammed her as a “political hack”, called the case a “disgrace” and told a lawyer with Ms James’s office that he should be “ashamed” of himself.
Gesturing with his hands as he fumed on the witness stand, he turned his complaints towards the judge.
Alex Woodward filed this report from the New York State Supreme Court.
Red-faced Trump rages at judge during historic fraud trial testimony
WATCH: Kayleigh McEnany slams Trump's courtroom sketch
Tuesday 7 November 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp
‘Walmart Melania’: Casey DeSantis gushes about her nickname
Tuesday 7 November 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey DeSantis says she “loves” her nickname “Walmart Melania,” explaining that she appreciates being likened to the former first lady because she’s “gorgeous,” while the women’s husbands, Mr DeSantis and former President Trump, compete for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“You know it’s funny, these hits from the media. Some of them are so funny they are just laughable,” Ms DeSantis said to a crowd at the Florida Republican Party’s “Freedom Summit” in Kissimmee.
She recalled when her friend called to tell her the media was “hitting” her. Ms DeSantis told the crowd, “They’re ‘hitting’ me? Like what did I do? I’m just standing up for parents’ rights and the innocence of our children, those sorts of things, but they’re hitting me?”
That’s when her friend let her in on the press’s nickname for Florida’s First Lady: “Walmart Melania.”
Casey DeSantis gushes about her ‘Walmart Melania’ nickname
Fox News host blasts Trump’s courtroom sketch ‘a travesty’
Tuesday 7 November 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp
Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany has said that Donald Trump needed a “better sketch artist” when he took the stand in his $250m New York civil fraud trial – slamming the depiction of the former president as “a travesty”.
During Fox News’ The Five on Monday night, Ms McEnany was asked if she had advice for her former boss amid the court case which threatens to topple his business empire.
Ms McEnany, who worked as White House press secretary in the Trump administration, went on to complain about the courtroom sketch of the former president on the stand.
“Keep doing what he’s doing,” she said.
“Look, I would advise him to ask for a better sketch artist, because I think that does not look like my former boss,” she said, laughing.
Read the full story here:
Fox News host blasts Trump’s courtroom sketch ‘a travesty’
Trump allies plan to invoke Insurrection Act if he wins in 2024
Tuesday 7 November 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s conservative allies are crafting a blueprint for a Republican presidency in 2025 which could include the use of US troops to put down protests and acts of civil disobedience across the US resulting from a Trump 2024 election victory.
In an extensive report published on Sunday, The Washington Post detailed the work being done under the umbrella of “Project 2025”, an effort by a coalition of conservative groups to prepare a policy and governing agenda for a GOP president. Though none of its connections to the Trump campaign are official, the Post reports that the coalition has ties to a number of members of Mr Trump’s inner circle, including most prominently Jeffrey Clark, the former assistant US attorney general who is now facing criminal charges in Fulton County, Georgia.
Mr Clark, who is thought to have been one of the key minds behind the development of the Trump campaign’s effort to overturn the 2020 election after court challenges had failed to do so, serves as a fellow at the Center for Renewing America, one of the groups involved in the effort. According to the Post, Mr Clark is now working on a new “legal” effort — a plan to go after Donald Trump’s enemies, prominent and otherwise, beginning on day one of a second Trump presidency.
Trump may invoke Insurrection Act to bar protests if he wins 2024 race, says report
Should Donald Trump abandon a second run for president? Join The Independent Debate
Tuesday 7 November 2023 10:00 , Rachel Sharp
As Donald Trump’s legal battles grow more complex, many are wondering whether he will win the nomination and campaign for the election as a convicted criminal.
We want to know if you think time is up for Trump. With the accusations surrounding the former president is it time he threw in the towel and sought a desk job away from the limelight and politics?
Or do you believe there’s still merit in bringing Mr Trump back to the White House?
We want to know your thoughts...
Tell us if Donald Trump should abandon a second run for president
‘Control him’: Judge tells off Trump and his attorney in court
Tuesday 7 November 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of Donald Trump repeatedly admonished him to keep his answers concise Monday, reminding him that “this is not a political rally” as the former president and leading Republican presidential candidate testified in a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.
“We don’t have time to waste. We have one day to do this,” an exasperated Judge Arthur Engoron said. At another point, turning to Trump’s attorney, the judge said, “I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will.”
The exchanges underscored Trump’s unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting governed by rules of evidence and legal protocol. But while his presence on the stand was a vivid reminder of the legal woes he faces as he vies to reclaim the White House in 2024, it also functioned as a campaign platform to raise anew his claims of political persecution at the hands of government lawyers and judges.
Axelrod suggests Biden should drop out of 2024 presidential race
Tuesday 7 November 2023 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell
A former adviser to Barack Obama has suggested Joe Biden should drop out of the 2024 presidential race in the wake of polling that shows the President would lose to Donald Trump in five key states.
A new poll from The New York Times and Siena College showed the incumbent trails his 2020 challenger in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
David Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to President Obama, said the poll was a sign of “legitimate concern” would send “tremors of doubt” through the Democrats.
Writing on X/Twitter, he said it was “very late to change horses”, but added: “Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying. But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.
“Only Joe Biden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”
Obama adviser suggests Biden should drop out of 2024 presidential race
Meanwhile, in DC...
Tuesday 7 November 2023 06:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Prosecutors with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office are calling on Judge Tanya Chutkan to reject former president Donald Trump’s effort to have the election subversion and conspiracy charges against him dismissed, writing in a Monday court filing that Mr Trump “stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes” and pointing out that cases cited by the ex-president’s lawyers don’t support the arguments they’ve made.
“No other president has engaged in conspiracy and obstruction to overturn valid election results and illegitimately retain power. The indictment squarely charges the defendant for this conduct, and the defendant’s constitutional and statutory challenges to it are meritless,” they said.
In the 79-page filing opposing two separate motions filed by Mr Trump’s legal team, Assistant Special Counsels James Pierce and John Pellettieri and Senior Assistant Special Counsels Thomas Windom and Molly Gaston noted that the indictment returned against the ex-president by a Washington, DC grand jury over the summer accused him of “perpetrating an unprecedented campaign of deceit to attack the very functioning of the federal government to collect, count, and certify votes; to obstruct the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the election results are certified; and to disenfranchise millions of voters”.
They further described Mr Trump actions as part of “a concerted criminal effort to overturn the presidential election results and prevent the lawful transfer of power to his successor”.
Tuesday 7 November 2023 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s lawyer attacks ‘unhinged’ New York judge in civil fraud trial
Abortion is back on the ballot in two battleground states
Tuesday 7 November 2023 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Voters are headed to the polls in two states where the “Dobbs Effect” will face its latest test.
A year after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ended federal protections for abortion in Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the issue of abortion is back on the ballot in two battleground states that will each play a major role in next year’s presidential election.
In Ohio, voters will consider an amendment to the state constitution enshrining “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom” as a right of all Ohioans, allowing for some limits on the practice of abortion but generally protecting it from an all-out ban or severe restrictions.
And in Virginia, the state’s Republican governor is rallying his party around a 15-week abortion ban, and encouraging a perception of the state House of Delegates and Senate as either a green light or a roadblock ahead of the implementation of that legislation. Republicans took the governor’s mansion and House of Delegates in 2021, leaving Democrats in control of just one corner of government.
