Trump says there were no documents found at Mar-a-Lago, just ‘cool’ empty folders marked classified
A judge in Georgia is set to hear arguments on Tuesday over the public release of a grand jury report following an eight-month probe into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state.
The panel heard testimony and evidence about the abuse and harassment of election workers, a fake elector scheme, and Mr Trump’s infamous phone call to election officials to “find” enough votes for his victory.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump – who appears ready to ditch his Truth Social posting regimen and return to Twitter as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president – is facing questions after posing for a photograph and flashing “thumbs up” with a notorious Philadelphia mob boss at his Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach earlier this month.
Joey “Skinny Joe” Merlino was imprisoned for nearly 12 years after he was convicted in 2001 of racketeering charges including extortion, bookmaking and receiving stolen property.
And it comes as four members of the far-right, anti-government militia group the Oath Keepers have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy in relation to the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Trump campaign denies he knew convicted mob boss he posed with in photo
Less than three months after he was seen dining with antisemitic rapper Kanye West and notorious white nationalist Nick Fuentes, former president Donald Trump has been photographed with a convicted mob boss who spent more than a decade in prison on racketeering charges.
On Monday, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a photograph it obtained of Mr Trump, clad in dark pants, a white golf shirt and his signature “Make America Great Again” headgear, standing between two men at his Florida golf club.
Read the full story by Andrew Feinberg here:
Maroosha Muzaffar24 January 2023 08:30
‘Trump thinks Politico journalists should be jailed. This should be a turning point’
Clayton Weimers with Reporters Without Borders writes in The Independent that it is “difficult to overstate the danger to democracy” presented by Trump’s rhetoric, which does not constitute mere “idle talk”:
At a time when it matters more than ever for democracies such as the US to lead by example, Trump’s words and actions send the signal that the values of free expression don’t matter. Would-be strongmen around the world — from former Philippines president Duterte to recently ousted Bolsanaro in Brazil — have taken their cues from Trump.
Alex Woodward24 January 2023 10:00
Trump declared winner of golf tournament at his club – despite missing first day
Golf-loving former US president Donald Trump has claimed another victory in a competitive tournament at one of his clubs in Florida – despite missing the first day of the weekend-long tournament.
He announced his win in the Senior Club Championship at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida on his social media platform Truth Social.
Mr Trump’s announcement, however, may have come as a surprise to those following his movements this weekend, since a video appeared online of him delivering a eulogy at the funeral of the North Carolina vlogger Diamond on Saturday.
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar24 January 2023 09:58
Judge to hold hearing over Georgia special grand jury report
A judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney will hear arguments from the district attorney’s office, news outlets and potentially other parties before making a decision on the release of the report. The special grand jury, whose work was overseen by McBurney, recommended that the report be made public.
Read the full story here:
Judge to hold hearing over Georgia special grand jury report
A judge is set to hear arguments on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia
Maroosha Muzaffar24 January 2023 09:30
ICYMI: White House says Trump call to jail Supreme Court leak journalists is an ‘insult to the rule of law’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told The Independent during a briefing last week that President Biden “believes the freedom of press is part of the bedrock of American democracy”.
“That is something that he truly believes and that we should continue to fight for,” Ms Jean-Pierre told The Independent when asked about Trump’s persistent threats to jail reporters who refuse to five up their sources of the Roe v Wade “leak”.
“Calling for egregious abuses of power in order to suppress the constitutional rights of reporters is an insult. It is a complete insult to the rule of law and undermines fundamental American values and traditions,” she added.
Alex Woodward24 January 2023 09:00
‘Amid Trump’s threats, the US needs to do more to protect journalists’
Writing for The Independent’s Voices, Chris Blackhurst says:
What is worrying here is that Trump mused about putting reporters in jail while he was president, that he discussed with his advisors how to bypass the First Amendment, and his reign coincided with record arrests of journalists and numerous other attempts to curb their freedom. And it ended with the Capitol Hill insurrection and rioters smashing camera equipment and writing “Murder the Media” on the democratic citadel itself.
If Trump was a lone has-been I would not be so bothered. But he’s not, not yet. He may come again and besides he still has his support. What is more, in launching his anti-press diatribes, he is choosing to do so on the highly-charged ground of Roe v Wade. If anything played into the hands of Trump, the conspirator-general, it is that one.
Alex Woodward24 January 2023 08:00
Four members of the Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy for roles in Jan 6 attack
Four members of the far-right, anti-government militia group the Oath Keepers have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
The verdict comes nearly two months after the group’s founder was convicted of the same crime in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol.
A jury agreed that defendants Joseph Hackett, Roberto Minuta, David Moerschel and Edward Vallejo – led by group leader Stewart Rhodes – plotted to violently stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election on 6 January 2021 and joined a mob fuelled by Donald Trump’s persistent lie that the election was stolen from him.
All four defendants were also found guilty on 23 January of conspiracy to obstruct Congress and conspiracy to destroy federal property.
Read the full story by Alex Woodward here:
Maroosha Muzaffar24 January 2023 07:30
ICYMI: Trump schedules appearance in New Hampshire to kick off 2024 campaign before South Carolina event
Trump will head to early-primary state New Hampshire for his first appearance on the 2024 campaign trial, just hours before his planned stop in South Carolina on Saturday.
The former president will deliver remarks to the New Hampshire GOP.
“We are excited to welcome President Trump back to the Granite State to be the keynote speaker at our 2023 Annual Meeting,” according to a statement from New Hampshire Republican Chairman Stephen Stepanek. “President Trump has long been a strong defender of New Hampshire’s First in the Nation Primary Status and we are excited that he will join us to deliver remarks to our Members.”
The state’s three-term Republican governor, Chris Sununu, is a vocal Trump critic who allegedly once called the former president “f****** crazy” and has urged his party to find another candidate in 2024.
“I don’t think he can win in November of ‘24,” he said last month. “He could be the nominee. But I do not believe, and I think most people would agree, he’s just going to … be able to close the deal.”
Alex Woodward24 January 2023 07:00
Judge to hold hearing over Georgia special grand jury report
A judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney will hear arguments from the district attorney’s office, news outlets and potentially other parties before making a decision on the release of the report. The special grand jury, whose work was overseen by McBurney, recommended that the report be made public.
Read the full story by Kate Brumback here:
Judge to hold hearing over Georgia special grand jury report
A judge is set to hear arguments on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia
Maroosha Muzaffar24 January 2023 06:30
ICYMI: Four members of the Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy for roles in Jan 6 attack
Four members of the far-right, anti-government militia group the Oath Keepers have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
The verdict comes nearly two months after the group’s founder was convicted of the same crime in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol.
A jury agreed that defendants Joseph Hackett, Roberto Minuta, David Moerschel and Edward Vallejo – led by group leader Stewart…
Read More:Donald Trump news today: Trump in mob boss photo scandal as Georgia judge weighs whether to release grand jury report
2023-01-24 12:00:00
