Jan 6 hearings – live: Committee examining Trump efforts to interfere in Georgia, Arizona elections

The January 6 committee is turning its focus to the states for its next public meeting.

The panel will meet on Tuesday for its fourth public hearing. The subject of the hearing will be Donald Trump’s efforts to personally pressure elected officials in Georgia and Arizona to interfere in the electoral process and overturn his defeat in their respective states.

In Georgia, lawmakers are set to give special attention as several state officials outline how Donald Trump went above and beyond to call on personal loyalties and even threaten criminal prosecution as he coaxed those in the Peach State to do his bidding.

Meanwhile, Rep Adam Kinzinger has published evidence of vivid death threats he has received in recent weeks in response to the panel’s work, which he said was unprecedented in his congressional career.

Key points

• Trump furious ahead of Jan 6 evidence from Georgia GOP election official

• Trump lashes out at ‘political thugs’ on Jan 6 committee trying to ‘criminalise politics’

• Trump accuses Fox of ‘kissing the ass of the enemy’

• Ivanka Trump had ‘bad feeling’ over Pence pressure: claim

• Ginni Thomas agrees to talk to riot committee

Adam Schiff says committee will demonstrate Trump's lies

07:27 , Maroosha Muzaffar

At its fourth televised hearing this month, scheduled for 1pm, the house select committee investigating the Capitol riots of last year will seek to demonstrate that Donald Trump knew — or should have known — that his lies about a stolen election were wrong.

The committee is also expected to highlight the vitriol and death threats that election workers endured because of Mr Trump’s lies.

Representative Adam B Schiff said that the house select committee “will show evidence about what his [Donald Trump’s] own lawyers came to think about this scheme. And we will show courageous state officials who stood up and said they wouldn’t go along with this plan to either call legislatures back into session or decertify the results for Joe Biden.”

ICYMI: Trump’s ‘friend’ dig at Pence was not childish talk but a coded Mafia-style threat, claims Michael Cohen

06:48 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Donald Trump’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen says the former president’s efforts to pressure Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election results included a “Mafia-style” threat.

Mr Cohen, in a video posted on the YouTube channel Meidas Touch, analysed the former president’s speeches before 6 January last year and said: “If anyone knows how Donald Trump speaks in code, it’s me.”

Read the full story here:

Trump’s ‘friend’ dig at Pence was a coded Mafia-style threat, claims Michael Cohen

Why the January 6 committee is focused on Trump’s plot in Georgia

05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The January 6 committee will meet for its fourth public hearing on Tuesday with one state firmly in its crosshairs: Georgia.

The site of a surprise victory for Joe Biden in 2020, the southern state was previously considered a stronghold and reliable source of Electoral College votes for Republican candidates, despite deep Democratic constituencies in Atlanta and some other areas, writes John Bowden.

Read the full story here:

Why the January 6 committee is focused on Trump’s plot in Georgia

Trump mocks Biden again by saying he will 'never ever ride a bicycle'

05:13 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Donald Trump again mocked Joe Biden, who recently fell off his bicycle near his vacation home in Delaware, and said that “I’ll never, ever ride a bicycle.”

During the latest rally on his “America Freedom Tour”, the former president said: “I hope [Biden] has recovered because as you know, he fell off his bicycle. No, I’m serious. I hope he’s okay. Fell off a bicycle. I make this pledge to you today - I will never, ever ride a bicycle.”

Trump asked if he expects to be taken out of Mar-a-Lago ‘in shackles’

04:56 , Graeme Massie

A right-wing radio host complained to Donald Trump about the Jan 6 committee and speculated to Mr Trump that Democrats wanted to see the ex-president in prison.

Wayne Allyn Root made the remark to Mr Trump in an interview with the ex-president for his syndicated radio show The Wayne Allyn Root Show. His complaints centred around the recent arrest and indictment of Peter Navarro, Donald Trump’s ex-trade adviser, for contempt of Congress.

“When they arrest a Peter Navarro, who’s next? You?” Mr Root asked. “Are they gonna try and take you out of Mar-a-Lago in shackles? This is insanity!”

John Bowden reports:

Trump asked if he expects to be taken out of Mar-a-Lago ‘in shackles’

Kinzinger shares death threat sent to him and his family

04:12 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: January 6 committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger admitted to receiving a death threat in the mail for his work on the panel investigating the Capitol attack.

One of two Republicans on the committee along with congresswoman Liz Cheney, Mr Kinzinger shared a picture of the threat on Twitter.

“This threat that came in, it was mailed to my house,” the Illinois Republican said in an interview on Sunday. “We got it a couple of days ago, and it threatens to execute me, as well as my wife and 5-month-old child”.

Mr Kinzinger continued by saying he had “never seen or had anything like that” before, despite his long-running condemnation of former president Donald Trump.

Gino Spocchia has more.

Adam Kinzinger receives death threat in mail to family home amid Jan 6 hearings

Poll: Most Americans think Trump should face Jan 6 charges

03:01 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: While Donald Trump insists to his followers that the 6 January committee is subjecting him to a “witch hunt”, it seems that most Americans disagree, with a new poll indicating that the majority think he should face criminal charges over the insurrection.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the Justice Department could bring such charges whether or not the committee decides to make a criminal referral, a decision on which its members have differed in public.

Read more:

Majority of Americans believe Trump should face charges for January 6, poll finds

Trump incredibly calls Jan 6 crowd ‘well behaved’ hours before fourth hearing connecting him to insurrection

02:31 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump has called his January 6 crowd “well behaved” hours before the fourth House hearing connecting him to the insurrection.

The one-term president defended his supporters’ actions, despite more than 140 police officers being injured in the line of duty in the riot that followed his “Stop the Steal” rally.

Trump incredibly calls Jan 6 crowd ‘well behaved’ hours before next hearing

Twitter adds warning to Greitens ad

02:02 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Twitter has joined Facebook in enforcing its rules against Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens over an ad appearing to call for “hunting” of Republicans who are in his eyes insuffiiciently conservative.

But unlike Facebook, Twitter has elected to only place a warning on the tweet itself, while allowing the video to remain.

Read more about the ad from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

Facebook removes Eric Greitens’ ad about ‘hunting’ ‘Republicans in Name Only’

Facebook confirms removal of Eric Greitens ad

01:07 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: A spokesperson for Facebook parent company Meta confirmed the removal of an ad published by Eric Greitens’ Senate campaign on Monday due the ad’s shocking imagery and messaging.

In the ad, Mr Greitens and a squad of heavily-armed men in military-style gear breach an empty house while Mr Greitens declares he is “hunting” RINO’s - “Republicans in Name Only”.

"We removed this video for violating our policies prohibiting violence and incitement,” a spokesperson for Meta told CNN.

Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

GOP Senate candidate sparks outrage for ad about ‘hunting’ ‘Republicans in Name Only’

Analysis: Five Senate races to watch in November

Tuesday 21 June 2022 00:05 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: The midterms are expected to see the Republican Party take control of the House of Representatives, but the Senate is a slightly different matter. As Eric Garcia writes, some of the GOP’s chosen candidates have problems serious enough that they could lose winnable races, allowing Democrats to hold and even flip crucial states that might decide the balance of power in the upper chamber.

Read his full analysis below.

The five Senate races to watch in November, from Dr Oz to Herschel Walker

Why the January 6 committee is focused on Trump’s plot in Georgia

Monday 20 June 2022 23:20 , John Bowden

In the weeks after his shocking defeat Mr Trump poured much of his time and energy into Georgia and two of its top elected officials: Gov Brian Kemp, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Mr Raffensperger will testify before the committee on Tuesday as the panel shifts its focus towards Mr Trump’s covert efforts to directly interfere in the legally-outlined process for certifying the lawful election results in the state.

Read more about the ex-president’s attempts to thwart the will of Georgia’s voters (as well as the committee’s interest in his work) in The Independent:

Why the January 6 committee is focused on Trump’s plot in Georgia

‘This is starting to resonate’: Morning Joe revels in Jan 6 poll

Monday 20 June 2022 22:50 , John Bowden

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough told viewers on Monday that a poll showing just one in five Republicans taking the actions of Donald Trump on Jan 6 seriously was good news for the party if it sought to break the stranglehold the former president has on its base.

His remarks came on the heels of an ABC News/Ipsos poll over the weekend that found 19 per cent of GOP voters believing that Mr Trump should face charges over his actions leading up to and during the Capitol riot.

Explaining that the results amounted to a massive shift within his party’s base, Mr Scarborough declared: “[T]his is starting to resonate. This is starting to sink in.”

Read more from The Independent’s Graig Graziosi:

Joe Scarborough revels in poll showing Jan 6 hearings hurting Trump

What to expect at Tuesday’s January 6 committee hearing

Monday 20 June 2022 22:18 , John Bowden

Tuesday’s meeting of the January 6 commitee will take the focus out of Washington, DC to Georgia and Arizona — two states where Donald Trump attempted to pressure local officials to interfere in the certification of election results reporting his defeat.

The unprecedented campaign by a sitting president to meddle in the official processs in order to stave off his defeat was made clear in a now-infamous phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s top voting official in which Mr Trump urged him to “find” more than 11,000 votes.

Read more about what to expect tomorrow from The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg:

Fourth Jan 6 hearing to show Trump knew his lies put election workers at risk

GOP effort to bus migrants out of Texas is racking up costs

Monday 20 June 2022 21:15 , John Bowden

Greg Abbott’s plan to charter buses to transport undocumented migrants out of his state has already cost the state nearly $3m - and transported a proportionately-low number of migrants for that total.

What the White House once derided as a “publicity stunt” has led to less than 2,000 migrants leaving the state over the course of two months.

Read more in The Independent:

Texas’s Greg Abbott has spent more than $3m busing migrants out of the state

Texas’s Republican Party affirms support for election fraud lies

Monday 20 June 2022 19:52 , John Bowden

The Republican Party of Texas met over the weekend and laid out its party platform. At the top of the list: a full-throated endorsement of the false claim that Joe Biden was elected president in part or entirely due to fraud.

Somehow, that wasn’t the most shocking part of the party’s far-right platform, which has been wholly overtaken by the right-wing fringe of the conservative movement.

The Independent’s Andrew Naughtie breaks down the Texas GOP’s new extreme bent:

Five shocking proposals from the Texas GOP’s radical new platform

Trump-backed candidate who joined anti-drag panic used to frequent drag shows

Monday 20 June 2022 19:06 , John Bowden

A Republican candidate for governor in Arizona running with the support of Donald Trump is being branded a hypocrite after it was revealed that she previously attended drag shows and was a fan of the art before joining the right-wing fearmonguering over the issue that has erupted in the past year.

Kari Lake is now blaming the media for exposing her sudden change of views.

Read more from The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm:

Trump-backed Arizona governor candidate branded a ‘hypocrite’ by drag queen

Hardcore Republican posts ad threatening “RINOs"

Monday 20 June 2022 17:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Controversial Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens has refused to drop out of his Republican primary despite being accused of horrific domestic abuse. And as he and his rival candidates jockey for a possible Trump endorsement, he has released a stunningly militaristic campaign ad that features him and several armed troops (of some kind) storming into a house, rifles blazing, in seach of a RINO.

It’s worth remembering that just days ago, the 6 January committee unveiled a devastating account of how Donald Trump helped spur a violent mob of supporters into hunting down Mike Pence. Some, the panel said, clearly intended to hurt or kill him if they found him.

Trump-backed candidate branded ‘hypocrite’ by drag queen who performed at her birthday

Monday 20 June 2022 16:00 , Andrew Naughtie

An Arizona gubernatorial candidate with a reputation as a hardcore right-winger has been branded a hypocrite by a drag queen who performed at her birthday.

Republican Kari Lake, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, tweeted that drag queens have been “welcomed” into public school classrooms while God was “kicked out” by politicians who “took down our Flag and replaced it with a rainbow”.

However, Richard Stevens - more famously known by the drag name he’s performed under for more than two decades, Barbra Seville - took it upon himself to provide the receipts.

“I’ve performed for Kari’s birthday, I’ve performed in her home (with children present,) and I’ve performed for her at some of the seediest bars in Phoenix,” he wrote on Facebook.

Johanna Chisholm has the story.

Trump-backed Arizona governor candidate branded a ‘hypocrite’ by drag queen

Cruz called ‘coward and a liar’ by right-wing activist

Monday 20 June 2022 15:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Rep Dan Crenshaw was not the only lawmaker accosted by right-wing social media activist Alex Stein at the Republican Party of Texas convention in Houston.

Mr Stein also shouted abuse at Senator Ted Cruz whom he called a coward and a globalist, asked how he can like Donald Trump after he called his wife ugly, and reminded him of his vacation in Cancun during the 2021 Texas power crisis in record low temperatures.

In a video clip posted to Twitter by Mr Stein, he begins by saying: “If you care about America, why did you do that to your constituents in the freezing cold?”

‘Coward and liar’ Ted Cruz slammed over Trump and Cancun by right-wing activist

Jan 6 hearing recap: Trump and Eastman put pressure on Pence

Monday 20 June 2022 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The January 6th Committee has published a recap video of key moments from Thursday’s hearing.

The focus of the third public hearing in the committee’s investigation focused on how Donald Trump plotted with lawyer John Eastman to pressure Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

What the president wanted the vice president to do was not only unconstitutional but led to the violent attack on The Capitol, the committee asserts.

‘Pouring gasoline on the fire’: Trump knew election plot was illegal but egged on riot

Monday 20 June 2022 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The third public hearing into the Capitol riot heard evidence that Donald Trump was repeatedly told his plan to overturn the election result was illegal, even by the lawyer urging him to do so.

Attorney John Eastman also asked for a pardon after pushing a scheme to pressure then vice president Mike Pence into unilaterally rejecting electoral votes from swing states won by Joe Biden.

Video depositions made public by the House January 6 select committee revealed that Mr Trump knew the plan to have his vice-president commandeer the 6 January 2021 session of Congress and declare themselves winners of the election violated the law.

The Independent’s Washington team recap Thursday’s bombshell hearing.

Trump knew plan for Pence to reject electoral votes was illegal but pushed it anyway

Watch: Jamie Raskin on Trump’s “admission of guilt”

Monday 20 June 2022 13:18 , Andrew Naughtie

6 January committee member Jamie Raskin, who led the House team in the second Trump impeachment, yesterday appeared on NBC News to address the former president’s various rantings about his panel’s work and the recent hearings, which have offered a devastating account of how the Trump inner circle tried to force Mike Pence to throw out the 2020 election result in Congress.

Watch his remarks below:

Dr Oz appears to edit Juneteenth message to remove word ‘equality'

Monday 20 June 2022 13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A Pennsylvania US Senate candidate’s effort to celebrate Juneteenth on Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform ended in awkwardness when commenters noticed a key word omitted from the final draft.

In a “Truth” posted by Mehmet Oz, better known as TV’s Dr Oz, on Sunday the Republican candidate proclaimed that “[o]ur country is better because of our freedoms, and our unity”.

But Twitter and Truth Social users including left-leaning activist Ron Filipkowski noted that an original draft of the message, which was “truthed” and then deleted, also listed one other virtue to be celebrated on Juneteenth: Equality.

John Bowden reports:

Dr Oz appears to edit his Juneteenth message to remove the word ‘equality’

Trump mocks ‘stupid’ Fox News for booking Bill Maher as a guest

Monday 20 June 2022 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In a speech in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, Donald Trump hit out at Fox News for booking the liberal comedian Bill Maher as a guest, calling the network “stupid”.

Maher may have upset Mr Trump and been on his mind by saying on air that Florida governor Ron DeSantis would make a better Republican president than he would because “he’s not certifiably insane, that’s a great one to start off with”.

Read more:

Trump mocks ‘stupid’ Fox News for booking Bill Maher as a guest

Poll shows most Americans back charges for Trump as Kinzinger suggests ex-president guilty of seditious conspiracy

Monday 20 June 2022 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A key Republican member of the January 6 committee is laying out the message that the panel’s lawmakers are pushing as they press forward with public hearings: Donald Trump should face criminal charges for his role in the attack on Congress.

Rep Adam Kinzinger made the case that there was enough evidence to charge the former president with the highest of charges pursued by the Justice Department in relation to the January 6 attack thus far, that of criminal seditious conspiracy, during an interview Sunday on ABC’s This Week.

“I certainly think the president is guilty of knowing what he did — seditious conspiracy, being involved in these kinds of different segments of pressuring DOJ, Vice President [Pence], et cetera,” said Mr Kinzinger.’

John Bowden has the latest from Washington, DC.

Kinzinger says Trump guilty of seditious conspiracy as most Americans back charges

Watch: Dan Crenshaw and staff harassed at Texas GOP convention

Monday 20 June 2022 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton hits out at ‘self-righteous’ Justice Alito

Monday 20 June 2022 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton has hit out at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and warned that many rights are “at risk” if Roe v Wade is overturned.

The former Secretary of State spoke out about the impending threat to abortion rights in America in an interview with the Financial Times, as the nation’s highest court is on the cusp of striking down the landmark ruling.

“The level of insidious rulemaking to further oppress women almost knows no end,” she said.

Ms Clinton blasted Justice Alito, who authored the Supreme Court’s leaked draft majority opinion overturning Roe, as “one of those self-righteous types” who has long railed against “letting women into the eating clubs”.

Rachel Sharp reports:

Hillary Clinton hits out at Samuel Alito over Roe v Wade ruling

Watch: Trump says he’s ‘most popular person’ with Hispanic community

Monday 20 June 2022 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump pledges to 'never ride a bicycle' after Biden fall

Monday 20 June 2022 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump pledges to 'never ride a bicycle' after Biden fall

Watch: Adam Schiff says Mike Pence could be subpoenaed

Monday 20 June 2022 06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Biographer claims Ivanka had a ‘bad feeling’ her father was setting up Mike Pence on Jan 6

Monday 20 June 2022 05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Tim O’Brien, author of TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald, has suggested the former president’s older daughter had a “bad feeling” about the pressure her father was putting on Mike Pence in the days leading up to 6 January.

Clips of Ivanka Trump’s testimony have been played at the public hearings into the Capitol riot, which have also heard that Mr Trump was told repeatedly his scheme to get Vice President Pence to send back electors to the states – in the hope of overturning the election result – was illegal.

Ivanka had ‘bad feeling’ Trump was setting up Pence on Jan 6, biographer claims

Trump mocks Biden falling off bike with fake video of him doing it

Monday 20 June 2022 04:32 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Donald Trump is mocking Joe Biden for falling off his bike, via his platform, Truth Social, where fake clips of the former president causing the accident are doing the rounds.

Mr Biden was on a trip to Delaware when the tumble was caught on camera, but he is doing “fine”.

In the fake version, Trump can be seen taking a powerful swing on his golf club, with the ball’s distance hitting the current President and causing him to fall. The clip is now being widely-shared among Trump supporters.

See the video here:

Trump mocks Biden falling off bike with fake video of him doing it

Hillary Clinton rules out running for White House again

Monday 20 June 2022 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton has ruled out another run for the White House saying that it would be “disruptive” to compete against President Joe Biden.

The former Secretary of State told the Financial Times that the possibility of her running again was “out of the question” following her 2016 loss to Donald Trump as she said that she expects Mr Biden to run for a second term.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Hillary Clinton rules out 2024 run saying it would be ‘disruptive’ to Biden

House committee to reveal evidence of Trump’s failed efforts to overturn election, committee member says

Monday 20 June 2022 04:24 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Representative Adam Schiff said on Sunday that the 6 January committee investigating the Capitol riot will reveal evidence that Donald Trump was involved in an effort to overturn the election by appointing pro-Trump electors in states won by Joe Biden.

During an interview with CNN, Mr Schiff said: “Yes, we’ll show evidence of the president’s involvement in this scheme.”

He added: “We’ll also again show evidence about what his own lawyers came to think about this scheme. And we’ll show courageous state officials who stood up and said they wouldn’t go along with this plan to either call legislatures back into session or decertify the results for Joe Biden.”