Trump calls Jan 6 a ‘beautiful day’ during CNN town hall
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A top attorney to former President Donald Trump is leaving his legal defence effort, and blaming Mr Trump’s top aide Boris Epshteyn for supposedly being dishonest and unforthcoming in his work to assist the ex-president’s lawyers with his defence against an investigation into whether he retained classified documents illegally.
His exit comes as the National Archives announced it found a trove of records proving that Donald Trump and his advisors knew they were breaking rules by taking those classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report.
The agency sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing it had found 16 records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president.
“The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records,” wrote archivist Debra Steidel Wall.
These records will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s handling of classified documents.
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Damning new evidence spells trouble for Trump in Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe
Donald Trump’s legal troubles could be hotting up after the National Archives found a trove of records proving the former president knew he shouldn’t have taken classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report.
The National Archives sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing that it had found 16 presidential records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was in the White House.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 14:00
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The most disturbing allegations from the Giuliani lawsuit
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and personal attorney to Donald Trump, has been hit by a $10m sexual assault and harassment lawsuit from a former aide who worked for him between 2019 and 2021.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 13:00
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ICYMI: New Hampshire college condemns Trump after ‘deeply troubling’ CNN town hall on its campus
The New Hampshire college that hosted Donald Trump’s CNN town hall has condemned the former president for the “deeply troubling” event.
Saint Anselm College criticised both the comments of the ex-president and the reactions to his statements by the Trump-friendly audience in the auditorium.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 12:00
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Bill Barr indicates classified documents investigation could be bad for Trump
Bill Barr, the former Attorney General under the Trump administration and Bush administration, indicated that the classified documents investigation into Donald Trump could be bad news for the former president.
While speaking with CBS on Thursday, Mr Barr said the situation could ‘expose’ Mr Trump if he ‘played games’ after the government requested the classified documents.
“He was given a long time to send them back. And they were subpoenaed. And I’ve said all along that he wouldn’t get in trouble, probably, just for taking them, just as Biden I don’t think is going to get in trouble or Pence is not going to get in trouble.”
“The problem is what did he do after the government asked for them back and subpoenaed them? And if there’s any games being played there, he’s going to be very exposed,” Mr Barr said.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 11:00
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ICYMI: More Trump indictments would give Biden and Democrats huge 2024 boost, poll finds
President Joe Biden would be vaulted to a massive lead over Donald Trump if the former president faces further criminal charges from the federal and state criminal investigations into his conduct, according to a new poll obtained by The Independent.
The poll of 1,571 registered voters was conducted by WPA Research, a Republican polling firm. The CEO of WPA is an adviser to Never Back Down, the Super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but the survey was conducted independently without his input and was not sponsored by the Super PAC.
It found that voters currently prefer Mr Biden over Mr Trump by a margin of 47 per cent to 40 per cent, including a 14-point lead for the sitting president among registered independents.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 10:00
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Court finds FBI improperly used surveillance tool on Jan. 6 suspects, racial justice protests
FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when they searched a vast repository of foreign intelligence for information related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a heavily blacked-out court order released Friday.
FBI officials said the violations predated a series of corrective measures that started in the summer of 2021 and continued last year.
But the problems could nonetheless complicate FBI and Justice Department efforts to receive congressional reauthorization of a warrantless surveillance program that law enforcement officials say is needed to counterterrorism, espionage and international cybercrime.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 09:00
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Prosecutor suggests any indictments in Trump election investigation would likely come in August
The Georgia prosecutor investigating whether former president Donald Trump and his allies broke the law while trying to overturn his 2020 election in Georgia is seemingly hinting that any grand jury indictments in the case would likely come in August.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter on Thursday to other Fulton County judges indicating that she plans to have much of her staff work remotely during the first three weeks of August.
In the letter, Ms Willis asked that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time.
“Thank you for your consideration and assistance in keeping the Fulton County Judicial Complex safe during this time,” Willis wrote in the letter, first reported by The New York Times.
The Georgia investigation is one of several that threatens his campaign for 2024 president.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 08:00
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DeSantis privately shares Trump cannot win election, report says
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is confident in his abilities to win the 2024 presidential election, according to statements he made on a call as heard by The New York Times.
On Thursday, Mr DeSantis reportedly called donors and supporters to unofficially declare his campaign.
On the call, Mr DeSantis allegedly said, “You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,- Biden, Trump and me.”
“And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him,” Mr DeSantis added.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 07:00
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Trump whines that he is a ‘victim’ of ‘weaponisation of justice’
Donald Trump has again complained that he is the “victim” of what Republicans baselessly claim is the “weaponisation” of the federal government.
The one-term president made the remark in response to the Jim Jordan-led House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing on Thursday.
The committee descended into chaos with lawmakers shouting at each other as two suspended FBI agents and one fired agent spoke about how the agency had retaliated against them for claims they had made about it.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 06:00
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Trump could be handed Georgia indictment this summer
The Georgia prosecutor investigating former president Donald Trump and his allies’ possible interference in the 2020 election has indicated there could be an indictment by August.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to Fulton County judges asking to not schedule trials during the first three weeks of August and announced remote working days for most of her staff.
Already, Ms Willis has requested additional security around the courthouse.
Ms Willis and her office have spent more than two years investigating the case.
Graig Graziosi21 May 2023 04:59
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-desantis-karen-mcdougal-news-today-b2342869.html
