Jan 6 hearings – live: Liz Cheney warns not prosecuting Trump would lead to ‘graver’ threat

January 6 committee vice-chair Liz Cheney has rejected the idea that prosecuting a former president would inflame political tensions in America. Looking the other way from potential criminal activity would lead to a “graver” threat, the congresswoman said.

Meanwhile MrTrump may announce a 2024 bid for the White House as soon as this month, according to new reporting from The New York Times.

Polling shows a narrowing gap with Ron DeSantis, and other potential candidates’ aides told the AP they felt increasingly emboldened.

As speculation about shifts in support grows, Mr Trump has lashed out at Ms Hutchinson on Truth Social and in a Newsmax interview. Calling her a “whack job”, Mr Trump questioned whether she had in fact told the truth under oath. He also claimed that she asked for a job when he decamped to Florida when he left office.

Her testimony that Mr Trump lunged for the wheel of a car and grabbed a Secret Service agent when told he would not be taken to the Capitol on 6 January 2021 has been denied by Tony Ornato, the former agent she told her the story.

Key Points

• Furious Trump rants about Cassidy Hutchinson on Truth Social

• ‘Irate’ Trump grabbed steering wheel, attacked Secret Service agent

• January 6 committee says Trump allies are trying to tamper with testimony

• Adam Kinzinger hails ‘hero’ Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘real patriot'

• New testimony exposes Trump’s political vulnerabilities in 2024 race

• Trump’s altercation with Secret Service detail did happen, according to multiple reports

Liz Cheney says not prosecuting Trump would lead to ‘graver’ threat

19:15 , John Bowden

The Republican vice-chair of the January 6 committee has rejected the idea that prosecuting a former president would inflame political tensions in America.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with ABC News correspondent Jon Karl broadcast on Sunday, Rep Liz Cheney insisted instead that the danger lay in letting Donald Trump get off scot-free for the events leading up to the attack on Congress.

Liz Cheney says not prosecuting Trump would lead to ‘graver’ threat

Law professor who taught attorney general Merrick Garland predicts Trump indictment is coming

17:29 , David Taintor

Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor who taught US attorney general Merrick Garland, told CNN he believes Donald Trump is likely to face criminal charges for his role in the January 6 attack on Congress.

John Bowden has more:

Harvard law professor predicts indictment of Donald Trump is coming

What Mike Pence has said about the January 6 riot

16:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Since leaving office, former Vice President Mike Pence has kept busy, joining the conservative think tanks the Heritage Foundation and the Young America’s Foundation, travelling abroad, making endorsement speeches on behalf of preferred Republican candidates and working on a pair of books.

What Mike Pence has said about the January 6 riot

Is the Trump team attempting to tamper with witnesses?

15:00 , Josh Marcus

The January 6 committee is alarmed that Donald Trump or his allies may be attempting to tamper with the testimony of witnesses participating in the congressional inquiry.

“Most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns,” committee vice chairwoman Liz Cheney said on Tuesday.

January 6 committee worried Trump allies are trying to tamper with witness testimony

What we learned from the latest January 6 hearing

14:35 , John Bowden

From Donald Trump attemping to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle to the former president throwing his lunch against the wall, the latest January 6 hearing included many bombshell revelations.

John Bowden has more:

What we learned from an explosive hearing of the January 6 committee

Cassidy Hutchinson stands by testimony

19:38 , David Taintor

Cassidy Hutchinson, the January 6 committee’s blockbuster witness, is standing by her testimony after unnamed sources attempted to dispute some of her more explosive claims.

In a statement released Wednesday, Ms Hutchinson’s attorneys Jody Hunt and William Jordan said the former White House aide “stands by all of the testimony she provided yesterday, under oath, to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol”.

Read more from Andrew Feinberg:

Former Trump White House aide is standing by testimony amid denials

More on the Georgia grand jury investigation

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:30

The Associated press reports on the Georgia grand jury investigation:

Lawyers representing a former state lawmaker and the state’s lieutenant governor had asked the judge to quash subpoenas for them to testify before the panel, citing legislative privilege and immunity. If he wouldn’t agree to that, they said in a motion filed earlier this week, they urged him to set guidelines for the questioning.

Judge mulls rules for lawmaker special grand jury questions

Did Twitter sleuths find proof of Trump lunging at Secret Service?

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Some on the social media platform believe so.

Read more here:

Twitter users think they’ve found footage of Trump trying to grab steering wheel

Trump social media firm subpoened by feds, stock regulators

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:23

The Associated Press reports:

Donald Trump‘s social media company and some of its employees received subpoenas from both a federal grand jury and securities regulators, according to a public disclosure Friday, possibly delaying or even killing a deal promising a cash infusion needed to take on Twitter.

Trump social media firm subpoened by feds, stock regulators

Trump blasts Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘social climber’ who is ‘living in fantasy land’

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:00 , Eric Garcia

The former president spoke to Newsmax and disputed the story Cassidy Hutchinson said she heard secondhand – that Mr Trump tried to lunge at a US Secret Service agent in his presidential limousine in an attempt to take him to the US Capitol to join his supporters.

Trump blasts Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘social climber’ who is ‘living in fantasy land’

Is Cassidy Hutchinson testimony a ‘smoking gun’ that will lead to Trump facing criminal charges?

Saturday 2 July 2022 19:00 , Andrew Feinberg

More than 18 months after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol at his urging, Mr Trump’s luck may have run out, after a Tuesday hearing of the House January 6 select committee. During that hearing, a 25-year-old former assistant to one of Mr Trump’s closest White House aides unloaded bombshell after bombshell about what he and his closest aides were saying and doing before the violent riot.

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

Trump could make surprise 2024 announcement this month, New York Times reports

Saturday 2 July 2022 17:51 , David Taintor

Donald Trump may launch a surprise 2024 bid as early as this month, according to The New York Times, which reports that the former president could use his newly launched campaign to push back against the damaging revealtions from the House January 6 committee.

Trump may launch surprise bid for White House as soon as this month, report says

GOP donors coalesce around Ron DeSantis

Saturday 2 July 2022 16:30 , Eric Garcia

As the January 6 hearings reveal damning details of Donald Trump’s behaviour around the Capitol riot, some Republican donors are turning away from the former president. The biggest benefactor of that shift appears to be Ron DeSantis.

Republican donors are eyeing Ron DeSantis as damning evidence mounts against Trump

Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and ‘critical race theory’ ban are in effect

Saturday 2 July 2022 15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Parallel efforts from state programmes and activist groups to censor classrooms and rewrite history join a long-running campaign to undermine public schools, Alex Woodward reports.

Why Florida teachers are bracing for ‘straight-up indoctrination’

Kinzinger ribs Fox News political analyst Brit Hum

Saturday 2 July 2022 15:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Rep Adam Kinzinger has poked fun at Fox News’ political analyst Brit Hume’s complaint that the January 6 committee members, Mr Kinzinger included, were all chosen by one party.

Mr Hume wrote: “I’ve covered Washington for more than 50 years, including 11 years covering Congress specifically. I’ve never seen a committee all of whose members were chosen by one party, and where there is no cross-examination or any attempt to present both sides.”

The Illinois congressman replied: “Hey Brit. It’s been all Republicans testifying. Definitely one sided, just not in how you think it is.”

He continued: “And as you well know, Kevin McCarthy took his ball and went home,” adding: “You all sound nervous.”

Multiple reports: Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony of Trump’s altercation with Secret Service detail did happen

Saturday 2 July 2022 14:50 , Oliver O'Connell

The story of an altercation between former president Donald Trump and members of his Secret Service detail on the day of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was widely repeated and discussed by Secret Service agents and other law enforcement officials when it happened, according to multiple reports.

Andrew Feinberg has the story from Washington, DC.

Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony of Trump’s altercation with Secret Service confirmed

Trump-endorsed candidate Blake Masters picks up endorsement from publisher of neo-Nazi site

Saturday 2 July 2022 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Less than a week after he picked up a coveted endorsement from Donald Trump, Arizona GOP Senate hopeful Blake Masters also secured the backing of an infamous neo-Nazi troll who runs a racist news site named for the Nazi newspaper Der Sturmer.

According to Jewish Insider, Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin said he “[could not] give a more forceful endorsement” of Mr Masters and called for “anyone in Arizona” who is not a known neo-Nazi adherent to reach out to the Republican candidate’s campaign with queries as to “what kind of help” he might need.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Arizona GOP senate hopeful picks up endorsement from publisher neo-Nazi website

Twitter users think they’ve found footage of Trump trying to grab steering wheel

Saturday 2 July 2022 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Twitter users believe they’ve found footage of Donald Trump allegedly trying to grab the steering wheel in the presidential SUV after his speech at the Ellipse on January 6 2021 that preceded the attack on Congress by his supporters.

The alleged altercation took place when Mr Trump’s security detail refused to take him to the Capitol.

Gustaf Kilander reports on what they’ve found.

Twitter users think they’ve found footage of Trump trying to grab steering wheel

Poll: Half of Americans say Trump should be charged for Capitol riot

Saturday 2 July 2022 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

About half of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, a new poll shows.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 per cent of US adults say the Republican former president should be charged with a crime for his role, while 31 per cent say he should not be charged. An additional 20 per cent say they don’t know enough to have an opinion. While 58 per cent say Trump bears a great deal or quite a bit of responsibility for what happened that day.

The poll was conducted after five public hearings by the House committee investigating January 6, which has sought to paint Trump’s potential criminal culpability in the events that led to deadly insurrection. But it was taken before Tuesday’s surprise hearing featuring former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Her explosive testimony provided the most compelling evidence yet that the former president could be linked to a federal crime, experts say.

Views on Trump’s criminal liability break down predictably along party lines, with 86 per cent of Democrats but only 10 per cent of Republicans saying Trump should be charged with a crime. Among Republicans, 68 per cent say he should not be charged and 21 per cent say they don’t know. Still, the fact that nearly half the country believes he should be prosecuted is a remarkable position for the former president, pointing to the difficulties he could face if he makes another run at the White House in 2024.

AP

Trump pilloried for ‘gaslighting’ Newsmax attack on Cassidy Hutchinson

Saturday 2 July 2022 13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The response to Donald Trump’s Newsmax interview has been highly negative – and given that the January 6 committee has described efforts to intimidate Ms Hutchinson and possibly others into withholding their testimony, some have even accused him of trying to up that pressure on her in public.

Other critics on social media lambasted him for “gaslighting” his audience as he simultaneously claimed not to know Ms Hutchinson while simultaneously offering up a vivid character assassination.

Andrew Naughtie reports:

Donald Trump pilloried for ‘gaslighting’ Newsmax attack on Cassidy Hutchinson

Arizona Senate president who ordered 2020 election audit cooperating with FBI Jan 6 probe

Saturday 2 July 2022 12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann has recieved a subpoena from a Washington DC grand jury as part of the FBI investigation into the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol.

According to CBS 5 in Phoenix, officials have confirmed that Ms Fann is cooperating with the probe and has turned over emails and text messages to FBI agents.

Andrew Feinberg has the story:

Arizona Senate president Karen Fann cooperating with FBI January 6 probe

DeSantis closing gap with Trump in latest national poll

Saturday 2 July 2022 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Per Yahoo News:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now trails Donald Trump by just 9 percentage points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll — the only single-digit gap between the two potential rivals in any major national survey to date.

In a striking sign of vulnerability for the former president — and a possible warning that his vice-like grip on the GOP base is slipping — less than half of registered voters who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents say they would choose Trump (45%) over DeSantis. Another 36% say they would pick DeSantis, while 18% say they’re not sure yet.

New testimony exposes Trump’s political vulnerabilities in 2024 race

Saturday 2 July 2022 10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Stunning new revelations about former President Donald Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election have exposed growing political vulnerabilities just as he eyes another presidential bid.

A former White House aide this week described Trump as an unhinged leader with no regard for the safety of elected officials in either party as he clung to power on Jan. 6, 2021. The testimony from the congressional panel investigating the Capitol attack provided a roadmap for prosecutors to potentially charge Trump with a crime, some legal experts say.

Republican voters — and Trump’s would-be rivals in the 2024 presidential race — took notice.

Trump's vulnerabilities for 2024 mount after new testimony

Jan 6 trials: Former Trump appointee claims political persecution

Saturday 2 July 2022 09:00 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the many 6 January rioters facing trial is claiming he is being treated unfairly because he previously served in the Trump administration.

Federico Klein, who is accused of hitting police officers with a riot shield as he and other Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, claims he is receiving disproportionately harsh judicial treatment, pointing to the violent protests in Portland in the summer of 2020 as a point of comparison – though prosecutors point out that the federal courthouse attacked by left-wing protesters there was “largely vacant” during their demonstrations.

Graig Graziosi writes about Mr Klein’s story.

Former Trump appointee to stand trial for role in Capitol riot

Trump’s motorcade freakout: Is Tony Ornato lying?

Saturday 2 July 2022 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Two former officials in the Trump White House are casting doubt on the trustworthiness of Tony Ornato, the Secret Service official who this week denied one of the most shocking stories from Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony: that then-President Donald Trump physically lunged at an agent or attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle when he was driven away from the Capitol on 6 January 2021.

Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence on issues of homeland security, tweeted that her former colleague Mr Ornato “sure seems to deny conversations he’s apparently had” with other Trump White House officials.

“Those of us who worked [with] Tony know where his loyalties lie,” she added. “He should testify under oath.”

Ex-White House communications director Alyssa Farah added bluntly: “Tony Ornato lied about me too.”

“During the protests at Lafayette sq in 2020, I told Mark Meadows & Ornato they needed to warn press staged there before clearing the square. Meadows replied: ‘we aren’t doing that.’ Tony later lied &said the exchange never happened. He knows it did,” she tweeted.

John Bowden takes a look.

Two former Trump aides accuse Tony Ornato of having lied previously

Trump cultist MAGA pastor calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘lying witch’

Saturday 2 July 2022 06:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Small town Mississippi preacher turned viral video MAGA pastor Shane Vaughn blasted former Trump staffer Cassidy Hutchinson in an unhinged rant after the ex-aide to then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows shared explosive testimony with the House Select Committee investigating the attack on Congress on January 6 2021.

Mr Vaughn called Ms Hitchinson a “little witch,” among other things, during a video posted on FirstHarvest.tv, which has since made the rounds on Twitter.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Trump cultist MAGA pastor calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘lying witch’

Report: Cassidy Hutchinson’s previous lawyer was paid by pro-Trump group

Saturday 2 July 2022 05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s bombshell testimony before the House January 6 select committee came after she ditched a lawyer with deep connections to former president Donald Trump, who was being paid by his political operation.

According to The New York Times, the ground-breaking testimony only became possible after Ms Hutchinson fired her previous attorney, Stephen Passantino.

Mr Passantino, who served in the White House counsel’s office during Mr Trump’s presidency, represented Ms Hutchinson through her first three sessions with the panel, with his legal fees being paid by one of a number of pro-Trump organisations that have sprung up as part of a support network for the former president and his allies.

But for Ms Hutchinson’s fourth appearance before the select committee, she instead hired Jody Hunt, an Alston and Bird partner who had served in the Trump Justice Department under former attorney general Jeff Sessions.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Trump paid Cassidy Hutchinson legal fees before she secured new lawyer for hearing

Trump claims Cassidy Hutchinson applied to work for him after Jan 6

Saturday 2 July 2022 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Along with his Newsmax interview ranting about her supposed irrelevance, Donald Trump has continued his tirade against Cassidy Hutchinson on Truth Social, going beyond basic character assassination to raise the question of whether she lied under oath this week. (There is no evidence to suggest she did so.)

Eric Garcia has more.

Trump claims Cassidy Hutchinson applied to work for him after Jan 6 in latest attack

Will Trump face criminal charges from ‘smoking gun’ Cassidy Hutchinson testimony?

Saturday 2 July 2022 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, two impeachment inquiries led by House Democrats, and a two-year special counsel probe led by a legendary former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His eponymous real estate company, the Trump Organization, currently awaits trial on tax fraud charges, and more than a few of his former close associates have spent time in federal prison for things done while in his employ.

But after each one, the former president has emerged unscathed, often claiming that the lack of consequences for him means he has been exonerated.

His response to facing the scrutiny of any governmental authority has been remarkably consistent. No matter the subject under investigation, he describes it as a “witch hunt”, tells his followers that the investigators are biased against him, and convinces himself that the results, no matter how much wrongdoing might come to light, are illegitimate.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg looks at whether his luck may have run out...

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Saturday 2 July 2022 03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump took a Newsmax reporter to task during an interview that aired Thursday on the right-wing network over his boss’s refusal, like Fox News, to continue platforming lies about the 2020 election.

The ex-president was being interviewed by Rob Finnerty when he posited that news networks including Newsmax itself were “afraid of getting sued” if they platformed the long-debunked conspiracies about voter fraud, foreign interference, and other falsehoods spread by the Trump campaign after the 2020 election.

Read more:

Donald Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire armed security

Saturday 2 July 2022 02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, whose testimony to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot made him a household name in US politics last week, told the BBC on Wednesday night that he now needs multiple armed guards to protect his safety.

“My life changed about a week ago and I now literally have two armed guards outside this studio right now that follow me around everywhere,” Mr Holder said on the programme.

Abe Asher has the story.

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire two armed guards

Trump blasts Jan 6 witness as ‘social climber’ living in ‘fantasy land’

Saturday 2 July 2022 01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump pushed back against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson after her explosive testimony before the select committee investigating the January 6 riot.

The former president spoke to Newsmax and disputed the story Ms Hutchinson said she heard secondhand – that Mr Trump tried to lunge at a US Secret Service agent in his presidential limousine in an attempt to take him to the US Capitol to join his supporters.

“Is there something wrong with her?” Mr Trump said.

Eric Garcia reports:

Trump blasts Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘social climber’ who is ‘living in fantasy land’

Liz Cheney: Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Saturday 2 July 2022 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep Liz Cheney said on Thursday that the Jan 6 committee will consider criminal referrals for attempts by members of Trumpworld to intimidate or affect the testimony of witnesses before their panel.

Ms Cheney told Good Morning America: “It’s something we take very seriously. And it’s something that people should be aware of. It’s a very serious issue, and I would imagine the Department Justice would be very interested in and we’ll take that very seriously as well.”

The attempts they have witnessed so far “gives us a real insight into how people around the former president are operating”, she added.

John Bowden reports on what the Wyoming Republican said:

Liz Cheney denounces Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee

Saturday 2 July 2022 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has issued a subpoena commanding former Trump White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to give evidence in a deposition set for 6 July.

Mr Cipollone, who served as former president Donald Trump’s top White House lawyer from 2019 to the end of his term in 2021, met with committee investigators for an informal interview on 13 April, but has heretofore refused repeated requests for him to sit for a deposition or give evidence in a public hearing.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

January 6 committee subpoenas ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone

Opinion: Republicans wanted another January 6 after Roe v Wade was overturned. They didn’t get it

Friday 1 July 2022 23:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Republicans wanted another January 6 after Roe’s overturn. They didn’t get it

ICYMI: Cassidy Hutchinson stands by testimony

Friday 1 July 2022 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Cassidy Hutchinson is standing by her description of a confrontation between former president Donald Trump and Secret Service agents who were refusing to heed his command to drive him to the Capitol during the Jan 6 riot.

Andrew Feinberg in Washington, DC, has the story:

Former Trump White House aide is standing by testimony amid denials

Opinion: This Independence Day, I’m not proud to be an American. But I do have a plan

Friday 1 July 2022 22:50 , Oliver O'Connell

This Independence Day, I’m not proud to be an American. There is no democracy here

‘Supreme Court is now the Fox News of justice’ says Jon Stewart

Friday 1 July 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Jon Stewart has hit out at the US Supreme Court, calling it “the Fox News of justice”, after it overturned Roe v Wade.

On 24 June, the current Court reversed that landmark 1973 decision, which previously ensured the constitutional right to abortion in America.

Speaking on his podcast, The Problem with Jon Stewart, on Thursday (30 June), the comedian and political commentator broke down the controversial decision. He started by critiquing the judicial confirmation process.

Inga Parkel reports:

Jon Stewart says ‘Supreme Court is now the Fox News of justice’

Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and ‘critical race theory’ ban are in effect

Friday 1 July 2022 22:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Parallel efforts from state programmes and activist groups to censor classrooms and rewrite history join a long-running campaign to undermine public schools, Alex Woodward reports.

Why Florida teachers are bracing for ‘straight-up indoctrination’

Democrats energised by tight race in Nebraska

Friday 1 July 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A special election in Nebraska was supposed to be an easy win for House Republicans. It instead was the tightest race in decades in the GOP-dominated district, boosting confidence among Democrats hoping to energize voters by tapping into public outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.

Republicans still won the open seat as expected, but the margin surprised even some Democrats who have grown accustomed to lopsided, morale-crushing defeats.

Democrats energized by tight race in GOP-leaning Nebraska

Carl Bernstein calls Trump a ‘mad king’ and ‘seditious’ after bombshell Jan 6 hearing

Friday 1 July 2022 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Cassidy Hutchinson’s powerful testimony to the January 6 committee gave the clearest account yet of Donald Trump as an unhinged, lawless president, Carl Bernstein says.

“She gave a picture of a Mad King,” the legendary Watergate journalist told CNN on Tuesday night.

“The whole idea is now absolutely confirmed, proven, he is a criminal and a seditious president of the United States.”

Bevan Hurley has the story:

Watergate journalist Bernstein calls Trump a ‘mad king’ after bombshell Jan 6 hearing

Lawyer says Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee

Friday 1 July 2022 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell

The lawyer for Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said the conservative activist has “serious concerns” about testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Mark Paoletta sent an eight-page letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, to the committee as it has sought her testimony. Mr Paoletta specifically cited how Supreme Court Justices have been subjected to threats after a draft opinion of the court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“I would also note that this has been a particularly stressful time as the Thomases have been subjected to an avalanche of death threats and other abuse by the unprecedented assault on the conservative Supreme Court Justices and their families”, the letter said.

Eric Garcia reports:

Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee, lawyer says

Multiple reports: Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony of Trump’s altercation with Secret Service detail did happen

Friday 1 July 2022 21:12 , Oliver O'Connell

The story of an altercation between former president Donald Trump and members of his Secret Service detail on the day of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was widely repeated and discussed by Secret Service agents and other law enforcement officials when it happened, according to multiple reports.

Andrew Feinberg has the story from Washington, DC.

Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony of Trump’s altercation with Secret Service confirmed

Kinzinger ribs Fox News political analyst

Friday 1 July 2022 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Rep Adam Kinzinger has poked fun at Fox News’ political analyst Brit Hume’s complaint that the January 6 committee members, Mr Kinzinger included, were all chosen by one party.

Mr Hume wrote: “I’ve covered Washington for more than 50 years, including 11 years covering Congress specifically. I’ve never seen a committee all of whose members were chosen by one party, and where there is no cross-examination or any attempt to present both sides.”

The Illinois congressman replied: “Hey Brit. It’s been all Republicans testifying. Definitely one sided, just not in how you think it is.”

He continued: “And as you well know, Kevin McCarthy took his ball and went home,” adding: “You all sound nervous.”

Trump-endorsed candidate Blake Masters picks up endorsement from publisher of neo-Nazi site

Friday 1 July 2022 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Less than a week after he picked up a coveted endorsement from Donald Trump, Arizona GOP Senate hopeful Blake Masters also secured the backing of an infamous neo-Nazi troll who runs a racist news site named for the Nazi newspaper Der Sturmer.

According to Jewish Insider, Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin said he “[could not] give a more forceful endorsement” of Mr Masters and called for “anyone in Arizona” who is not a known neo-Nazi adherent to reach out to the Republican candidate’s campaign with queries as to “what kind of help” he might need.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Arizona GOP senate hopeful picks up endorsement from publisher neo-Nazi website

Twitter users think they’ve found footage of Trump trying to grab steering wheel

Friday 1 July 2022 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Twitter users believe they’ve found footage of Donald Trump allegedly trying to grab the steering wheel in the presidential SUV after his speech at the Ellipse on January 6 2021 that preceded the attack on Congress by his supporters.

The alleged altercation took place when Mr Trump’s security detail refused to take him to the Capitol.

Gustaf Kilander reports on what they’ve found.

Twitter users think they’ve found footage of Trump trying to grab steering wheel

Poll: Half of Americans say Trump should be charged for Capitol riot

Friday 1 July 2022 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

About half of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, a new poll shows.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 per cent of US adults say the Republican former president should be charged with a crime for his role, while 31 per cent say he should not be charged. An additional 20 per cent say they don’t know enough to have an opinion. While 58 per cent say Trump bears a great deal or quite a bit of responsibility for what happened that day.

The poll was conducted after five public hearings by the House committee investigating January 6, which has sought to paint Trump’s potential criminal culpability in the events that led to deadly insurrection. But it was taken before Tuesday’s surprise hearing featuring former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Her explosive testimony provided the most compelling evidence yet that the former president could be linked to a federal crime, experts say.

Views on Trump's criminal liability break down predictably along party lines, with 86 per cent of Democrats but only 10 per cent of Republicans saying Trump should be charged with a crime. Among Republicans, 68 per cent say he should not be charged and 21 per cent say they don’t know. Still, the fact that nearly half the country believes he should be prosecuted is a remarkable position for the former president, pointing to the difficulties he could face if he makes another run at the White House in 2024.

AP

Former Trump aides say Secret Service agent who denied Jan 6 claims has lied before

Friday 1 July 2022 20:23 , Oliver O'Connell

On Wednesday, two former high-ranking former White House officials added their voices to the chorus supporting Cassidy Hutchinson’s recollection of events between Donald Trump and the Secret Service on 6 January 2021.

Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence on issues of homeland security, tweeted that her former colleague Tony Ornato “sure seems to deny conversations he’s apparently had” with other Trump White House officials.

“Those of us who worked [with] Tony know where his loyalties lie,” she added. “He should testify under oath.”

Ex-White House communications director Alyssa Farah added bluntly: “Tony Ornato lied about me too.”

She tweeted: “During the protests at Lafayette sq in 2020, I told Mark Meadows & Ornato they needed to warn press staged there before clearing the square. Meadows replied: ‘we aren’t doing that.’ Tony later lied &said the exchange never happened. He knows it did.”

The select committee’s vice chair, Liz Cheney, has also vouched for Ms Hutchinson’s credibility.

John Bowden has the full details:

Two former Trump aides accuse Tony Ornato of having lied previously

Trump pilloried for ‘gaslighting’ Newsmax attack on Cassidy Hutchinson

Friday 1 July 2022 20:04 , Oliver O'Connell

The response to Donald Trump’s Newsmax interview has been highly negative – and given that the January 6 committee has described efforts to intimidate Ms Hutchinson and possibly others into withholding their testimony, some have even accused him of trying to up that pressure on her in public.

Other critics on social media lambasted him for “gaslighting” his audience as he simultaneously claimed not to know Ms Hutchinson while simultaneously offering up a vivid character assassination.

Andrew Naughtie reports:

Donald Trump pilloried for ‘gaslighting’ Newsmax attack on Cassidy Hutchinson

Arizona Senate president who ordered 2020 election audit cooperating with FBI Jan 6 probe

Friday 1 July 2022 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann has recieved a subpoena from a Washington DC grand jury as part of the FBI investigation into the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol.

According to CBS 5 in Phoenix, officials have confirmed that Ms Fann is cooperating with the probe and has turned over emails and text messages to FBI agents.

Andrew Feinberg has the story:

Arizona Senate president Karen Fann cooperating with FBI January 6 probe

Watch: Alleged Proud Boys members pepper sprayed outside California drag show

Friday 1 July 2022 19:27 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis closing gap with Trump in latest national poll

Friday 1 July 2022 19:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Per Yahoo News:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now trails Donald Trump by just 9 percentage points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll — the only single-digit gap between the two potential rivals in any major national survey to date.

In a striking sign of vulnerability for the former president — and a possible warning that his vice-like grip on the GOP base is slipping — less than half of registered voters who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents say they would choose Trump (45%) over DeSantis. Another 36% say they would pick DeSantis, while 18% say they’re not sure yet.

New testimony exposes Trump’s political vulnerabilities in 2024 race

Friday 1 July 2022 18:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Stunning new revelations about former President Donald Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election have exposed growing political vulnerabilities just as he eyes another presidential bid.

A former White House aide this week described Trump as an unhinged leader with no regard for the safety of elected officials in either party as he clung to power on Jan. 6, 2021. The testimony from the congressional panel investigating the Capitol attack provided a roadmap for prosecutors to potentially charge Trump with a crime, some legal experts say.

Republican voters — and Trump’s would-be rivals in the 2024 presidential race — took notice.

Trump's vulnerabilities for 2024 mount after new testimony

Jan 6 trials: Former Trump appointee claims political persecution

Friday 1 July 2022 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the many 6 January rioters facing trial is claiming he is being treated unfairly because he previously served in the Trump administration.

Federico Klein, who is accused of hitting police officers with a riot shield as he and other Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, claims he is receiving disproportionately harsh judicial treatment, pointing to the violent protests in Portland in the summer of 2020 as a point of comparison – though prosecutors point out that the federal courthouse attacked by left-wing protesters there was “largely vacant” during their demonstrations.

Graig Graziosi writes about Mr Klein’s story.

Former Trump appointee to stand trial for role in Capitol riot

Friday 1 July 2022 18:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump’s motorcade freakout: Is Tony Ornato lying?

Friday 1 July 2022 17:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Two former officials in the Trump White House are casting doubt on the trustworthiness of Tony Ornato, the Secret Service official who this week denied one of the most shocking stories from Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony: that then-President Donald Trump physically lunged at an agent or attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle when he was driven away from the Capitol on 6 January 2021.

Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence on issues of homeland security, tweeted that her former colleague Mr Ornato “sure seems to deny conversations he’s apparently had” with other Trump White House officials.

“Those of us who worked [with] Tony know where his loyalties lie,” she added. “He should testify under oath.”

Ex-White House communications director Alyssa Farah added bluntly: “Tony Ornato lied about me too.”

“During the protests at Lafayette sq in 2020, I told Mark Meadows & Ornato they needed to warn press staged there before clearing the square. Meadows replied: ‘we aren’t doing that.’ Tony later lied &said the exchange never happened. He knows it did,” she tweeted.

John Bowden takes a look.

Two former Trump aides accuse Tony Ornato of having lied previously

Trump cultist MAGA pastor calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘lying witch’

Friday 1 July 2022 17:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Small town Mississippi preacher turned viral video MAGA pastor Shane Vaughn blasted former Trump staffer Cassidy Hutchinson in an unhinged rant after the ex-aide to then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows shared explosive testimony with the House Select Committee investigating the attack on Congress on January 6 2021.

Mr Vaughn called Ms Hitchinson a “little witch,” among other things, during a video posted on FirstHarvest.tv, which has since made the rounds on Twitter.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Trump cultist MAGA pastor calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘lying witch’

Report: Cassidy Hutchinson’s previous lawyer was paid by pro-Trump group

Friday 1 July 2022 17:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s bombshell testimony before the House January 6 select committee came after she ditched a lawyer with deep connections to former president Donald Trump, who was being paid by his political operation.

According to The New York Times, the ground-breaking testimony only became possible after Ms Hutchinson fired her previous attorney, Stephen Passantino.

Mr Passantino, who served in the White House counsel’s office during Mr Trump’s presidency, represented Ms Hutchinson through her first three sessions with the panel, with his legal fees being paid by one of a number of pro-Trump organisations that have sprung up as part of a support network for the former president and his allies.

But for Ms Hutchinson’s fourth appearance before the select committee, she instead hired Jody Hunt, an Alston and Bird partner who had served in the Trump Justice Department under former attorney general Jeff Sessions.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Trump paid Cassidy Hutchinson legal fees before she secured new lawyer for hearing

Trump-backed candidate gets neo-Nazi endorsement

Friday 1 July 2022 16:40 , Andrew Naughtie

Jewish Insider reports that Blake Masters, whom Donald Trump has backed to take on Democratic Senator Mark Kelly this November, has received an unedifying endorsement from the extreme right of the political spectrum.

Speaking up in Mr Masters’ favour is Andrew Anglin, the notorious publisher of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website. “I cannot give a more forceful endorsement,” he wrote, “and I demand that anyone in Arizona (who is not some kind of known neo-Nazi or whatever) get in contact with his campaign and see what kind of help he needs.”

The Republican primary is on 2 August. So far, Mr Masters is thought to be in the lead.

Trump takes Cassidy Hutchinson hate to Truth Social

Friday 1 July 2022 16:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Along with his Newsmax interview ranting about her supposed irrelevance, Donald Trump has continued his tirade against Cassidy Hutchinson on Truth Social, going beyond basic character assassination to raise the question of whether she lied under oath this week. (There is no evidence to suggest she did so.)

Eric Garcia has more.

Trump claims Cassidy Hutchinson applied to work for him after Jan 6 in latest attack

Kinzinger weighs in on Cheney debate

Friday 1 July 2022 15:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Liz Cheney brought a tough attitude to her Wyoming primary debate last night, facing down several challengers with her insistence that Donald Trump is lying about the 2020 election and that his behaviour leading up to the Capitol riot makes him a threat to the American republic. This predictably did not sway any of her opponents, who stuck to the former president’s line.

Among those laying into her Trump-aligned rival, Harriet Hageman, was 6 January committee colleague Adam Kinzinger, the only other Republican on the panel investigating the riot. Unlike Ms Cheney, he is retiring from Congress this year.

A Cheney-supporting anti-Trump campaign group, the Republican Accountability Project, has put out a compliation of some highlights (or rather, lowlights) of the encounter last night, which saw Ms Cheney’s rivals variously flailing for answers or spouting outright lies.

GOP Governor condemns Trump for 6 January behaviour

Friday 1 July 2022 15:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a conservative who some suspect of positioning himself for a presidential run, has made what in his party counts as a radical break with Donald Trump, telling CBS News that the former president is a “threat to our democracy” and that he should not be supported as a potential 2024 nominee.

Hutchinson viewing figures released

Friday 1 July 2022 14:30 , Andrew Naughtie

The viewing figures for this week’s sensational 6 January committee hearing with Cassidy Hutchinson are out, and according to the Los Angeles Times, they have set a new record for the panel’s daytime sessions.

Donald Trump has derided the panel for its supposedly low ratings, but as the Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona points out, “his” viewers are it seems just switching their TVs off when the sessions are broadcast, meaning it’s the committee’s Fox News ratings that look anaemic.

Alleged Whitmer kidnap plotters to face new trial

Friday 1 July 2022 14:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Before 6 January, political violence among supporters of Donald Trump had been slowly on the rise for some time. One of the most infamous cases was the 2020 kidnap plot against Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic Michigan governor whom some on the hardcore right viewed as a “traitor” because of her tough Covid-19 policies.

Now, two men who stand accused of being ringleaders in the plan to abduct and possibly execute her look set to face a new trial. A previous jury proved unable to reach a verdict in their case, resulting in a mistrial being declared, but US district judge Robert Jonker denied the request and demanded a new trial instead to start “as soon as we can,” according to the Detroit News.

“A rational jury, in my view, could still rule against Mr Fox, rule against Mr Croft,” Mr Jonker said. “We will need to have another jury weigh the evidence.”

Stuti Mishra has more.

New trial ordered for two alleged ringleaders in Michigan governor kidnapping plot

Rudy Giuliani shills for MyPillow sandals

Friday 1 July 2022 13:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Rudy Giuliani has rounded off a torrid week by tweeting out a promotion for flip-flops produced by MyPillow, the company founded by unhinged entrepreneur and pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell.

The former New York mayor is currently facing serious legal jeopardy over his role in the effort to subvert the 2020 election. Mr Lindell’s pillows were recently dropped by Walmart after years of pressure because of his relentless false statements about the election and alleged support for implementing martial law to keep Donald Trump in power.

Will Trump face criminal charges from ‘smoking gun’ Cassidy Hutchinson testimony?

Friday 1 July 2022 13:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Former president Donald Trump has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, two impeachment inquiries led by House Democrats, and a two-year special counsel probe led by a legendary former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His eponymous real estate company, the Trump Organization, currently awaits trial on tax fraud charges, and more than a few of his former close associates have spent time in federal prison for things done while in his employ.

But after each one, the former president has emerged unscathed, often claiming that the lack of consequences for him means he has been exonerated.

His response to facing the scrutiny of any governmental authority has been remarkably consistent. No matter the subject under investigation, he describes it as a “witch hunt”, tells his followers that the investigators are biased against him, and convinces himself that the results, no matter how much wrongdoing might come to light, are illegitimate.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg looks at whether his luck may have run out...

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock with strong Georgia lead

Friday 1 July 2022 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Raphael Warnock has a strong lead in Georgia as voters come to terms with the repeal of federal abortion protections by the Supreme Court and the GOP dream of retaking the Senate appears to be getting further away.

A Quinnipiac poll of registered voters puts the reverend at 54 per cent in the state, a whopping 10 points above his GOP challenger Herschel Walker.

John Bowden has the story.

Poll shows Democrat Warnock with strong Georgia lead as voters reckon with Roe repeal

Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Friday 1 July 2022 12:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Former President Donald Trump took a Newsmax reporter to task during an interview that aired Thursday on the right-wing network over his boss’s refusal, like Fox News, to continue platforming lies about the 2020 election.

The ex-president was being interviewed by Rob Finnerty when he posited that news networks including Newsmax itself were “afraid of getting sued” if they platformed the long-debunked conspiracies about voter fraud, foreign interference, and other falsehoods spread by the Trump campaign after the 2020 election.

Read more:

Donald Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire armed security

Friday 1 July 2022 11:30 , Andrew Naughtie

British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, whose testimony to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot made him a household name in US politics last week, told the BBC on Wednesday night that he now needs multiple armed guards to protect his safety.

“My life changed about a week ago and I now literally have two armed guards outside this studio right now that follow me around everywhere,” Mr Holder said on the programme.

Abe Asher has the story.

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire two armed guards

Trump blasts Jan 6 witness as ‘social climber’ living in ‘fantasy land’

Friday 1 July 2022 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump pushed back against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson after her explosive testimony before the select committee investigating the January 6 riot.

The former president spoke to Newsmax and disputed the story Ms Hutchinson said she heard secondhand – that Mr Trump tried to lunge at a US Secret Service agent in his presidential limousine in an attempt to take him to the US Capitol to join his supporters.

“Is there something wrong with her?” Mr Trump said.

Eric Garcia reports:

Trump blasts Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘social climber’ who is ‘living in fantasy land’

Liz Cheney: Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Friday 1 July 2022 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep Liz Cheney said on Thursday that the Jan 6 committee will consider criminal referrals for attempts by members of Trumpworld to intimidate or affect the testimony of witnesses before their panel.

Ms Cheney told Good Morning America: “It’s something we take very seriously. And it’s something that people should be aware of. It’s a very serious issue, and I would imagine the Department Justice would be very interested in and we’ll take that very seriously as well.”

The attempts they have witnessed so far “gives us a real insight into how people around the former president are operating”, she added.

John Bowden reports on what the Wyoming Republican said:

Liz Cheney denounces Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee

Friday 1 July 2022 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has issued a subpoena commanding former Trump White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to give evidence in a deposition set for 6 July.

Mr Cipollone, who served as former president Donald Trump’s top White House lawyer from 2019 to the end of his term in 2021, met with committee investigators for an informal interview on 13 April, but has heretofore refused repeated requests for him to sit for a deposition or give evidence in a public hearing.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

January 6 committee subpoenas ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone

Cassidy Hutchinson stands by testimony

Friday 1 July 2022 07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Cassidy Hutchinson is standing by her description of a confrontation between former president Donald Trump and Secret Service agents who were refusing to heed his command to drive him to the Capitol during the Jan 6 riot.

Andrew Feinberg in Washington, DC, has the story:

Former Trump White House aide is standing by testimony amid denials

House inquiry suggests Trump trying to influence witness testimonies

Friday 1 July 2022 07:42 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The House inquiry suggests that former president Donald Trump’s political organisations and his allies have paid or committed to cover the legal fees of more than a dozen witnesses called in the Jan 6 congressional investigation.

The New York Times reported that the House select committee might believe that Mr Trump is trying to influence the testimonies.

Oath Keepers to tell jury they believed former president would federalise them

Friday 1 July 2022 07:26 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The Oath Keepers will tell a jury they really believed former president Donald Trump would turn them into his own, personal militia on 6 January last year.

It was reported that lawyers for Elmer Stewart Rhodes will tell jurors that the far-right group believed Mr Trump would federalise them.

They will argue at their 28 September trial that this, and not sedition, was their lawful reason to be at the Capitol on 6 January.

The jurors will be told that the far-right extremists believed that the former president would invoke the Insurrection Act as they gathered at the Capitol and turn them into his own, ultra-loyal federal militia.

Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era immigration policy

Friday 1 July 2022 07:12 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The US Supreme Court on Thursday said that Joe Biden can end the controversial Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy.

This is a big win for the Biden immigration agenda as the administration has suffered several losses in lower courts in its efforts to reverse Trump’s policies related to immigration.

Lawyer: Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee

Friday 1 July 2022 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The lawyer for Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said the conservative activist has “serious concerns” about testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Mark Paoletta sent an eight-page letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, to the committee as it has sought her testimony.

Eric Garcia reports:

Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee, lawyer says

Donald Trump Jr calls Cassidy Hutchinson ‘coffee girl’

Friday 1 July 2022 05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump Jr has joined the chorus of allies of his father in claiming that the January 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson made up her testimony.

The ex-president’s eldest son went further, referring to the former aide to President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as a “coffee girl”.

Donald Trump Jr calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘coffee girl’ in attack on Jan 6 testimony

In deleted tweet, Giuliani appears to admit asking Trump for pardon before claiming he never did

Friday 1 July 2022 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s attempt at joining his Trumpworld compatriots in attacking House January 6 select committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday went awry. He posted a tweet denying allegations that he’d asked for a presidential pardon, which was worded in a way that seemed to confirm the claim.

Andrew Feinberg reports on what the former president’s lawyer said:

Giuliani appears to admit asking Trump for a pardon before claiming he never did

Former Trump aides accuse Secret Service agent who denied Jan 6 claims of having lied

Friday 1 July 2022 04:24 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Two former officials in the Trump White House are casting doubt on the trustworthiness of Tony Ornato, the Secret Service official who this week denied that then-President Donald Trump physically lunged at an agent or attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle during a confrontation that occurred on January 6.

Mr Ornato, currently the assistant director of the Secret Service’s Office of Training, vaulted into political relevance this week after a former aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows testified to the Jan 6 committee that she had been told by the agent on the day of the attack on Congress about the confrontation.

It apparently erupted in an SUV transporting Mr Trump after the president grew enraged at his agents’ refusal to take him to the US Capitol, where thousands of his supporters would soon riot and storm the building.

Read the full story by John Bowden here:

Two former Trump aides accuse Tony Ornato of having lied previously

Will Trump face criminal charges from ‘smoking gun’ Cassidy Hutchinson testimony?

Friday 1 July 2022 04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, two impeachment inquiries led by House Democrats, and a two-year special counsel probe led by a legendary former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His eponymous real estate company, the Trump Organization, currently awaits trial on tax fraud charges, and more than a few of his former close associates have spent time in federal prison for things done while in his employ.

But after each one, the former president has emerged unscathed, often claiming that the lack of consequences for him means he has been exonerated.

His response to facing the scrutiny of any governmental authority has been remarkably consistent. No matter the subject under investigation, he describes it as a “witch hunt”, tells his followers that the investigators are biased against him and convinces himself that the results, no matter how much wrongdoing might come to light, are illegitimate.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg looks at whether his luck may have run out...

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Friday 1 July 2022 03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump took a Newsmax reporter to task during an interview that aired Thursday on the right-wing network over his boss’s refusal, like Fox News, to continue platforming lies about the 2020 election.

The ex-president was being interviewed by Rob Finnerty when he posited that news networks including Newsmax itself were “afraid of getting sued” if they platformed the long-debunked conspiracies about voter fraud, foreign interference, and other falsehoods spread by the Trump campaign after the 2020 election.

Read more:

Donald Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock with strong Georgia lead

Friday 1 July 2022 02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Raphael Warnock has a strong lead in Georgia as voters come to terms with the repeal of federal abortion protections by the Supreme Court and the GOP dream of retaking the Senate appears to be getting further away.

A Quinnipiac poll of registered voters puts the reverend at 54 per cent in the state, a whopping 10 points above his GOP challenger Herschel Walker.

John Bowden has the story.

Poll shows Democrat Warnock with strong Georgia lead as voters reckon with Roe repeal

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire armed security

Friday 1 July 2022 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, whose testimony to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot made him a household name in US politics last week, told the BBC on Wednesday night that he now needs multiple armed guards to protect his safety.

“My life changed about a week ago and I now literally have two armed guards outside this studio right now that follow me around everywhere,” Mr Holder said on the programme.

Abe Asher has the story.

Jan 6 filmmaker forced to hire two armed guards

AOC: At ‘bare minimum’ pro-Trump colleagues who sought pardons should be expelled from Congress

Friday 1 July 2022 01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a message for her fellow Democrats in Congress: It’s time to get serious.

The New York lawmaker appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday after a jaw-dropping hearing held by the special committee investigating January 6, where she said it was time for Democrats to start acting on the evidence they already had.

John Bowden reports:

AOC says pro-Trump colleagues who sought pardons should be expelled from Congress

Nevada GOP candidate for governor to pay for statewide recount

Friday 1 July 2022 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A candidate for Nevada governor who lost this month’s Republican primary election by just over 11 percentage points, or nearly 26,000 votes, will pay for a statewide recount after he objected to the outcome and made numerous unproven claims about the election process.

Nevada’s Secretary of State told county clerks Wednesday to begin conducting a recount this week, at a cost of $190,960 to Reno attorney Joey Gilbert.

Nevada GOP governor candidate to pay for statewide recount

Trump blasts Jan 6 witness as ‘social climber’ living in ‘fantasy land'

Thursday 30 June 2022 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump pushed back against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson after her explosive testimony before the select committee investigating the January 6 riot.

The former president spoke to Newsmax and disputed the story Ms Hutchinson said she heard secondhand – that Mr Trump tried to lunge at a US Secret Service agent in his presidential limousine in an attempt to take him to the US Capitol to join his supporters.

“Is there something wrong with her?” Mr Trump said.

Eric Garcia reports:

Trump blasts Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘social climber’ who is ‘living in fantasy land’

Liz Cheney: Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Thursday 30 June 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep Liz Cheney said on Thursday that the Jan 6 committee will consider criminal referrals for attempts by members of Trumpworld to intimidate or affect the testimony of witnesses before their panel.

Ms Cheney told Good Morning America: “It’s something we take very seriously. And it’s something that people should be aware of. It’s a very serious issue, and I would imagine the Department Justice would be very interested in and we’ll take that very seriously as well.”

The attempts they have witnessed so far “gives us a real insight into how people around the former president are operating”, she added.

John Bowden reports on what the Wyoming Republican said:

Liz Cheney denounces Trump as ‘domestic threat’ trying to ‘unravel’ US rule of law

Ex-Secret Service agent as Trump’s girth would prevent him grabbing steering wheel

Thursday 30 June 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In her testimony to the House select committee on the US Capitol riot, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that former president Donald Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent and tried to take control of the steering wheel of the vehicle after he was told he would not be joining his supporters at the Capitol.

But in interviews with Insider, former Secret Service agents had a hard time imagining the episode.

“Trump’s not a little guy, right? And the space to actually be able to lunge towards the wheel is not that big,” one former agent told Insider. “I don’t mean to sound disparaging to the former president, but just his girth would prevent him from actually getting to the steering wheel.”

Abe Asher has the story:

Trump’s ‘girth’ would prevent him grabbing steering wheel, ex-agent says

Ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone subpoenaed by Jan 6 committee

Thursday 30 June 2022 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has issued a subpoena commanding former Trump White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to give evidence in a deposition set for 6 July.

Mr Cipollone, who served as former president Donald Trump’s top White House lawyer from 2019 to the end of his term in 2021, met with committee investigators for an informal interview on 13 April, but has heretofore refused repeated requests for him to sit for a deposition or give evidence in a public hearing.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

January 6 committee subpoenas ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone

Jan 6 committee ‘seemed to know’ Hutchinson testimony would ‘refresh’ memories of others

Thursday 30 June 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Bulwark columnist Amanda Carpenter notes that the January 6 committee appears to have known that Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony might cause others to rethink their testimony or refresh their memories.

Rep Adam Kinzinger also said as much during an appearance on The Late Show on Wednesday night.

Cassidy Hutchinson stands by testimony

Thursday 30 June 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Cassidy Hutchinson is standing by her description of a confrontation between former president Donald Trump and Secret Service agents who were refusing to heed his command to drive him to the Capitol during the Jan 6 riot.

Andrew Feinberg in Washington, DC, has the story:

Former Trump White House aide is standing by testimony amid denials

Adam Kinzinger hails ‘hero’ Cassidy Hutchinson as ‘real patriot'

Thursday 30 June 2022 21:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger — one of the two members of his party on the January 6 committee — praised Cassidy Hutchinson for her testimony on The Late Show with Steven Colbert on Wednesday.

Mr Kinzinger called Ms Hutchinson a “brave American” for coming forward and testifying with far more courage than those in positions of power during her time at the White House.

He revealed that since her testimony others have come forward to clarify their statements or have remembered being part of something they had forgotten about.

On Thursday, the Illinois Republican followed up with a tweet that read: “I want to again say, Cassidy Hutchinson is a hero and a real patriot (not a faux “patriot” that hates America so much they would attempt a coup).”

He continued: “Of course they will try to bully and intimidate her. But she isn’t intimidated. More courage than most in GOP.”

Lawyer: Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee

Thursday 30 June 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The lawyer for Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said the conservative activist has “serious concerns” about testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Mark Paoletta sent an eight-page letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, to the committee as it has sought her testimony.

Eric Garcia reports:

Ginni Thomas has ‘serious concerns’ about testifying to Jan 6 committee, lawyer says

Donald Trump Jr calls Cassidy Hutchinson ‘coffee girl’

Thursday 30 June 2022 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump Jr has joined the chorus of allies of his father in claiming that the January 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson made up her testimony.

The ex-president’s eldest son went further, referring to the former aide to President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as a “coffee girl”.

Donald Trump Jr calls Cassidy Hutchinson a ‘coffee girl’ in attack on Jan 6 testimony

In deleted tweet, Giuliani appears to admit asking Trump for pardon before claiming he never did

Thursday 30 June 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s attempt at joining his Trumpworld compatriots in attacking House January 6 select committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday went awry. He posted a tweet denying allegations that he’d asked for a presidential pardon, which was worded in a way that seemed to confirm the claim.

Andrew Feinberg reports on what the former president’s lawyer said:

Giuliani appears to admit asking Trump for a pardon before claiming he never did

Will Trump face criminal charges from ‘smoking gun’ Cassidy Hutchinson testimony?

Thursday 30 June 2022 20:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, two impeachment inquiries led by House Democrats, and a two-year special counsel probe led by a legendary former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His eponymous real estate company, the Trump Organization, currently awaits trial on tax fraud charges, and more than a few of his former close associates have spent time in federal prison for things done while in his employ.

But after each one, the former president has emerged unscathed, often claiming that the lack of consequences for him means he has been exonerated.

His response to facing the scrutiny of any governmental authority has been remarkably consistent. No matter the subject under investigation, he describes it as a “witch hunt”, tells his followers that the investigators are biased against him and convinces himself that the results, no matter how much wrongdoing might come to light, are illegitimate.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg looks at whether his luck may have run out...

Will Cassidy Hutchinson testimony lead to criminal charges for Donald Trump?

Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Thursday 30 June 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump took a Newsmax reporter to task during an interview that aired Thursday on the right-wing network over his boss’s refusal, like Fox News, to continue platforming lies about the 2020 election.

The ex-president was being interviewed by Rob Finnerty when he posited that news networks including Newsmax itself were “afraid of getting sued” if they platformed the long-debunked conspiracies about voter fraud, foreign interference, and other falsehoods spread by the Trump campaign after the 2020 election.

Read more:

Donald Trump begs Newsmax to not cut him off and broadcast his election lies

Trump continues to rant about Hutchinson testimony

Thursday 30 June 2022 19:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has continued to rant about Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony to the January 6th committee claiming: “Her whole story was made up, including the fact that I wanted guns to be standing all around me, during my speech. Who would want that?”

The statement from the former president was accompanied by a tweet from alt-right political activist Jack Posobiec that further claims that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone was not at the executive mansion when Ms Hutchinson said she spoke with him.

He accuses the committee of ignoring media inquiries about the discrepancy and accuses Ms Hutchinson of making up the conversation.

Mr Cipollone has been subpoenaed by the committee to answer further questions following the latest testimony from the Trumpworld insider who once worked for then-chief of staff Mark Meadows.

A further post on Truth Social by Mr Trump replays two of the former president’s other deflective accusations: “Everyone must remember, this is all about massive Election Fraud which took place and which the Unselect Committee refuses to discuss. Likewise, they refuse to discuss the 10-20,000 soldiers that I offered 4 days earlier to secure the Capitol. Pelosi and the Mayor of DC, who are in charge of security, turned it down.”

Earlier, Mr Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr, joined in the attacks on Ms Hutchinson, posting on Truth Social: “It’s pretty surreal watching the CNNs of the world still pretending that there aren’t multiple actual witnesses willing to testify that the fake bombshell hearsay testimony they’re salivating over isn’t demonstrably false and that their dream witness/coffee girl perjured herself!”

Trump complains Jan 6 committee and networks should be analysing election numbers

Thursday 30 June 2022 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

“Nobody wants to have a country where they think the elections are rigged and stolen, so they should be going over and analysing the numbers,” says former president Donald Trump urging the news networks and Republican politicians to side with him on election conspiracy theories.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website