Trump news – live: Trump adviser slams dinner with white supremacist Fuentes as ‘f***ing nightmare’

Donald Trump is once again being accused of antisemitism, this time for hosting a Holocaust denier for dinner at Mar-a-Lago, alongside disgraced rapper and antisemite Kanye West.

Following the controversy, the former president, however, denied knowing that Mr West’s 2024 campaign adviser Nick Fuentes was an outspoken antisemite.

Meanwhile, the rapper Ye has continued to spread his version of the dinner, claiming that Donald Trump shouted at him in response to a proposal that the former president join Mr West as running mate.

At the same time, he said his host was “impressed” by Mr Fuentes’s ideas.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump is facing a second lawsuit from author E Jean Carroll, who accuses him of raping her in a New York department store in the 1990s.

Availing herself of a new state law that came into effect on Thursday, Ms Carroll is suing Mr Trump for rape and sexual assault as well as defamation over recent comments he made calling her a “con job” and accusing her of lying about her allegations.

Key points

• E Jean Carroll files new Trump rape lawsuit

• Justice Department seeks to question Pence

• AG Garland names war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith as Trump probes special counsel

• Pence: Trump’s actions endangered my family

• Appeals court looks poised to toss out special master order

‘Awful lack of judgment’: Republicans hammer Trump over dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and Kanye West

20:42 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is fending off critics on all sides after a deeply controversial meeting with rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye.

The former president is taking fire from all sides over the meeting, partly over Mr West’s recent anti-Jewish rhetoric but mostly due to the attendace of Nick Fuentes, a leader of America’s white nationalist “groyper” movement. Mr Fuentes is an avowed racist who has, among other caustic beliefs, expressed doubt about the Holocaust and supported the concept of segregation in the south, calling the civil rights movement a mistake.

The meeting took place at Mr Trump’s residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, where he now spends much of his time. The residence was recently the site of his 2024 campaign launch, a muted affair that was avoided by his own daughter and former White House adviser, Ivanka Trump.

Read more:

Republicans hammer Trump over dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and Kanye

John Bolton says Trump’s act is ‘old and tired’ while predicting GOP will turn to DeSantis in 2024

17:08 , John Bowden

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton blistered Donald Trump as a has-been and political albatross around the neck of the GOP in a new interview about his former boss’s electoral prospects for 2024.

Mr Trump announced his campaign for president earlier this month, days after the bulk of the midterm elections concluded, and it was clear that a fixation on the 2020 election conspiracies that he espouses hurt GOP candidates in key elections around the country.

Read more:

Bolton says Trump’s act is ‘old and tired’ while predicting GOP will turn to DeSantis

Mike Pompeo decries antisemitism – but doesn’t call out Trump

16:03

Trump calls Kanye West ‘seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black’ amid fallout over dinner

14:58 , John Bowden

Donald Trump sharply criticised rapper Kanye West and ramped up his efforts to distance himself from a recent meeting between the two as the fallout over Mr Trump’s association with Mr West’s campaign advisers continues.

Mr Trump issued a statement via Truth Social calling the rapper a “seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black” and once again denied knowing Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist and racist who latched on to Mr West amid his increasingly erratic spiral into hate speech and the utter destruction of his musical career.

“So I help a seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black, Ye (Kanye West), who has been decimated in his business and virtually everything else, and who has always been good to me, by allowing his request for a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, alone, so that I can give him very much needed “advice.” He shows up with 3 people, two of which I didn’t know, the other a political person who I haven’t seen in years,” claimed the former president.

Read more:

Trump calls Kanye West ‘seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black’

Trump’s ambassador to Israel on dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes: ‘Throw those bums out’

13:14 , David Taintor

David M Friedman, ambassador to Israel in the Trump administration, has urged the former president to “throw those bums out”, with regard to Mr Trump’s dinner with Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

Trump adviser says Mar-a-Lago dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes was a ‘f***ing nightmare’

Saturday 26 November 2022 20:44 , Bevan Hurley

A Donald Trump adviser has reportedly described his Mar-a-Lago dinner with Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes as a “f***ing nightmare”.

Mr Trump has attempted to distance himself from Mr Fuentes after the controversial dinner was first reported by Axios, claiming he had no idea who the Holocaust-denying far-right extremist was.

In several posts to Truth Social describing the Tuesday night dinner, Mr Trump said West showed up with three friends “whom I knew nothing about”.

Read more:

Ivanka and Jared take in the World Cup

Saturday 26 November 2022 16:24

Elon Musk reiterates support for Ron DeSantis

Saturday 26 November 2022 14:36 , David Taintor

Asked whether he would support Republican Ron DeSantis for president in 2024, Elon Musk replied: “Yes”.

Mr Musk’s tweet reiterates the tech mogul’s support for the Florida governor, after Mr Musk said back in June that he would support Mr DeSantis if the Republican does run for president in the next cycle.

California governor Newsom says he won’t challenge Biden in 2024

Saturday 26 November 2022 13:56 , David Taintor

California governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2024 Democratic contender, has told the White House that he would not challenge Joe Biden for the presidency if the sitting president runs for reelection.

“I’ve told everyone in the White House, from the chief of staff to the first lady,” Mr Newsom told Politico of his signalling to the current administration.

Trump-backed Arizona candidate still won’t conceded

Saturday 26 November 2022 13:00 , Josh Marcus

Arizona’s outgoing Republican Governor Doug Ducey congratulated Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs on her victory despite the fact that Republican nominee Kari Lake refused to concede.

Mr Ducey, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, had endorsed Ms Lake’s opponent Karrin Taylor Robson in the gubernatorial primary, before later endorsing Ms Lake in the general election.

But he congratulated Ms Hobbs, the current secretary of state, on her victory.

“All of us have waited patiently for the democratic process to play out,” he said. “The people of Arizona have spoken, their votes have been counted and we respect their decision.”

Eric Garcia has the details.

Outgoing Arizona governor congratulates Katie Hobbs– as Kari Lake refuses to concede

The most direct criminal lawsuit yet against Donald Trump

Saturday 26 November 2022 12:00 , Josh Marcus

Author E Jean Carroll has filed a new lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of raping her in the late 1990s, availing herself of a new state law that allows sexual abuse survivors the chance to file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired.

Ms Carroll is already suing Mr Trump for defamation over his previous claims that she is lying about her allegation, but her new case points to subsequent accusations he levelled more recently in social media posts calling her a “con job”.

The former president has long denied all the allegations against him, and has fought for years to stop Ms Carroll’s case being heard in court.

Ms Carroll claims Mr Trump raped her when the two met in Bergdorf Goodman on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where she alleges he pushed her against a wall, pulled her tights down and forced himself on her.

Andrew Naughtie reporting.

Donald Trump has a very aggressive Thanksgiving message

Saturday 26 November 2022 11:00 , Josh Marcus

Former president Donald Trump launched a Thanksgiving rant on social media and lashed out at one of the prosecutors investigating allegations of misconduct, including tax fraud.

“The Manhattan DA Case should never have been brought,” the 45th president posted on Truth Social on Thursday, adding that it was a “total witch hunt”.

Mr Trump rued: “The DA’s ‘Star’ witness, who has been harassed and brutalised, and is scared beyond belief, has nevertheless totally confirmed our story and defence.”

“This case should be dismissed immediately, and the large, highly paid and ‘prestigious’ accounting firm that we relied on to do their job, but didn’t, should pay us a fortune in damages,” Mr Trump added, attacking the Mazars Group, which used to handle the accounting for his organisation.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the details.

Trump posts angry Thanksgiving message: ‘Give me freedom or give me death’

Pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to contact him as he remains banned from Twitter

Saturday 26 November 2022 10:00 , Josh Marcus

Pillow vendor and 2020 conspiracy mogul Mike Lindell publicly appealed to Elon Musk this week for his Twitter account to be reinstated.

The MyPillow CEO was banned from the platform earlier this year after he created a second account to evade a temporary ban handed down by the platform’s moderators, who had flagged his account for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election.

In a broadcast as part of his “Lindell TV” programme on a right-wing streaming site, he called on Mr Musk to make contact with him and claimed that the billionaire Tesla founder was ignoring him.

“Why don’t you call me up or get ahold of me? I’ve tried to get a hold of you many, many times now,” claims Mr Lindell in the clip. “I was banned from twitter because I had the evidence to save this country and overturn an election.”

Read John Bowden’s full story from Washington.

Conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to call him and reverse Twitter ban

Trump was ‘impressed’ with Holocaust denier dinner guest, Kanye claims

Saturday 26 November 2022 09:00 , Josh Marcus

Kanye West has said Donald Trump is really impressed with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, following his visit to meet the one-time president at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

The rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, made the comments in a two-minute campaign-style teaser video on Twitter.

Ye began by saying the former president was perturbed about being asked to be his running mate in the 2024 presidential elections.

“The thing that Trump was most perturbed about [is] me asking him to be my vice president,” Ye said in the video, titled “Mar-a-Lago debrief”.

“I think that was, like, lower on the list of things that caught him off guard,” the rapper said.

Shweta Sharma has more.

Kanye West says Trump is ‘really impressed’ with white supremacist Nick Fuentes

Elon Musk is starting to sound like Donald Trump on Twitter

Saturday 26 November 2022 08:01 , Josh Marcus

Elon Musk revealed that he believes Twitter should release the chat logs regarding their decision to restrict sharing a story from The New York Post on Hunter Biden’s laptop.

On Wednesday, Mr Musk responded to a tweet from the account @alx asking for the new owner of Twitter to look into the company’s decision to not allow people to tweet The Post’s story.

“Raise your hand if you think @ElonMusk should make public all internal discussions about the decision to censor the @NYPost’s story on Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 Election in the interest of Transparency,” @ALX tweeted.

Mr Musk responded shortly thereafer in kind: “This is necessary to restore public trust.”

Elon Musk says Twitter should release logs on censoring Hunter Biden laptop story

What really happened at Trump and Ye’s Mar-a-Lago dinner?

Saturday 26 November 2022 07:00 , Josh Marcus

Kanye West has claimed that Donald Trump flew into a rage over the rapper’s plans to run for president in 2024 as they had dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

West, who legally changed his name to Ye, described the chaotic exchange in a two-minute campaign-style teaser video posted to Twitter on Thursday evening, two days after his visit to Trump’s home in Florida.

The rapper had previously said that he’d used the occasion to ask Mr Trump to be his running mate in 2024. According to West’s video, Mr Trump unsurprisingly does not want him to run at all.

“When Trump started basically screaming at the table telling me I was gonna lose, I mean, has that ever worked for anyone in history? I’m like, ‘wait, hold on Trump, you’re talking to Ye,’” he said laughing.

Shweta Sharma and Megan Sheets have the story.

Kanye West says Trump screamed at him over 2024 presidential run at Mar-a-Lago dinner

Trump keeps cozying up to white supremacists. Why?

Saturday 26 November 2022 06:00 , Josh Marcus

On Friday, former president Donald Trump denied knowing who white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes was after Axios reported that he dined with the noted racist and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”

Of course, Mr Fuentes has been a prominent figure for years. In the days after the 2020 presidential election, he led the “Million MAGA March,” calling it “MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE.”

The former president’s words were familiar to anyone who has paid attention to how he has denied any knowledge about white supremacist and extremist groups. His campaign announcement where he called immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border as drug dealers, criminals and rapists emboldened numerous white nationalists, antisemites and other extremist groups like the Proud Boys.

Eric Garcia has this analysis.

Trump once again does his two-step with white supremacists

Is Trump only surrounded by yes men?

Saturday 26 November 2022 05:00 , Josh Marcus

A billionaire member of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club says the twice-impeached ex-president’s life in Florida is filled with sycophants and hangers-on but lacking in any actual friendships.

Mr Trump decamped to Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021 despite having spent nearly his entire life in New York City, where his family’s real estate and licensing business empire has been based for decades. He switched his primary residence to the Sunshine State in a fit of pique over investigations into his business practices by a series of New York law enforcement agencies and has made his home at Mar-a-Lago an integral part of his political life as he looks to return to the White House.

But one member of the ex-president’s club, Jeff Greene, told the Financial Times Mr Trump’s life there appears to consist mostly of encounters with people he keeps around to shower him with praise.

“It’s all transactional. They want to be around him because he’s the ex-president,” Mr Greene said. “He likes people to defer to him … and tell him how good he is.”

Read Andrew Feinberg’s full story.

Donald Trump prefers company of sycophants and has no friends, Mar-a-Lago member says

Eric Trump tries to skirt Donald Trump draft-dodging allegations

Saturday 26 November 2022 04:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s middle son Eric Trump has claimed that the ex-president, who escaped service in the Vietnam War after a doctor claimed he suffered from bone spurs, somehow “fought” for the US despite never spending a single day in uniform.

The Trump Organization executive made the outrageous claim in a video posted to social media by attorney Ron Fillipowski.

Eric Trump tells an interviewer who is shown speaking to him remotely: “My father fought for this country. Tom Brady always fought and played for his team.”

Continuing, Mr Trump adds that his father is “playing for Team America”.

Andrew Feinberg reporting.

Eric Trump claims draft-dodging father ‘fought for this country’

Trump claims ignorance that he was meeting with Holocaust denier at Mar-a-Lago

Saturday 26 November 2022 03:00 , Josh Marcus

Former president Donald Trump said he “knew nothing” about white supremacist Nick Fuentes before he and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, dined together at Mar-a-Lago.

The former president made a statement on his networking platform Truth Social after Axios reported that Mr Fuentes and Ye dined with Mr Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida estate.

“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”

In a second statement on Friday, Mr Trump further described the meeting, writing on Truth Social that Ye approached him “for advice concerning some of his difficulties, in particular having to do with his business.”

Eric Garcia has the full story.

Trump says he ‘knew nothing about’ antisemite Nick Fuentes before Mar-a-Lago event

Republicans blast Trump meeting with antisemites

Saturday 26 November 2022 02:00 , Josh Marcus

Republican Jewish leaders are condemning the rapper Ye for working with white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes on a 2024 presidential campaign, but declined to call out Donald Trump, who met with both men on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

“We strongly condemn the virulent antisemitism of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes and call on all political leaders to reject their messages of hate and refuse to meet with them,” the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) told Axios in a statement.

The Department of Justice has described Mr Fuentes as a “white supremacist,” and the right-wing media host has denied the Holocaust, urged the GOP to focus on “Jewish control” of society, and believes there’s a “white genocide” going on.

The former president said in a statement on Tuesday that he was unaware that Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, would bring Mr Fuentes to their meeting.

More details in our full report.

GOP Jewish Coalition slams Ye and Nick Fuentes for antisemitism but ignores Trump

Elon Musk says he’s ‘fine with Trump not tweeting'

Saturday 26 November 2022 01:40 , Josh Marcus

Elon Musk recently made the highly controversial decision to reinstate Donald Trump’s Twitter account, but the former president has kept off his previously favourite platform so far.

Trump reinstated to Twitter by Elon Musk after two-year ban

Instead, Mr Trump confined his posting to Truth Social, the Twitter-clone he funded himself after being pushed off mainstream social networks following the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Mr Musk says he doesn’t mind the radio silence.

“I’m fine with Trump not tweeting,” the Twitter owner wrote on Friday in a tweet. “The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service. Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America.”

As Donald Trump eyes another White House run, a reminder of all the legal jeopardy he faces

Saturday 26 November 2022 01:20 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is facing an estimated 20 major lawsuits and investigations at the moment, leaving him more vulnerable than he has been in years, given that he no longer has the protection of being in the White House.

Here’s our roundup of the most important suits.

Here are all 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

Most recently, writer E Jean Carroll filed an action accusing Mr Trump of raping her in the 1990s, which he denies.

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under NY’s Adult Survivors Act

Donald Trump rails against new special prosecutor and Hunter Biden in Truth Social post

Saturday 26 November 2022 01:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump expressed his fury on Friday that another special prosecutor from the Justice Department is investigating him, this time for his potential crimes in trying to overturn the 2020 election results.

“Joe Biden said he is running for President, so why isn’t he appointing a Special Counsel to look into the criminal actions of him and his son, Hunter?” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“There has never been anything like it in the history of our Country, and amazingly, it is perfectly documented for all to see,” he added. “Maybe Trump Hater Jack Smith, who should never be allowed to work on anything having to do with me because of his and his family’s anger, hatred, and bias, should be looking into the Biden Crime Family instead? Great idea!”

Here’s more information on the new special counsel investigation.

Garland names war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel for Trump probes

WATCH: Kanye West campaign video describes meeting with Trump

Saturday 26 November 2022 00:40 , Josh Marcus

Rapper and fashion designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, shared a campaign-style video on Thursday describing his 2024 aspirations, as well as his account of a meeting this week with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

In the clip, Mr West says Mr Trump unloaded on the hip-hop star, told him he would lose in 2024, and made insulting remarks about Kim Kardashian.

Mr Trump has denied this took place.

Watch the full video here.

Another denial from Trump

Saturday 26 November 2022 00:20 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is in damage-control mode, after his Tuesday meeting with rapper Ye and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes has attracted controversy.

Earlier today, the former president denied knowing Mr Fuentes would be at the meeting.

It’s a line he continued with an afternoon post on Truth Social, his social network.

Here’s Mr Trump’s full (second) statement on the meeting:

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was asking me for advice concerning some of his difficulties, in particular having to do with his business. We also discussed, to a lesser extent, politics, where I told him he should definitely not run for President, “any voters you may have should vote for TRUMP.” Anyway, we got along great, he expressed no anti-Semitism, & I appreciated all of the nice things he said about me on “Tucker Carlson.” Why wouldn’t I agree to meet? Also, I didn’t know Nick Fuentes.

Special counsel overseeing DOJ’s Trump investigation is tougher than a ‘pit bull’ colleagues say

Saturday 26 November 2022 00:00 , Josh Marcus

Andrew Weissmann, a former top prosecutor working on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s Russia ties, says Jack Smith, the new special counsel investigating the former president’s potential role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is a fearsome adversary.

“I was described by Steve Bannon (and, sigh, many others) as a pit bull,” Mr Weissmann wrote recently on Twitter. “Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy. So tenacious and fearless. And apolitical and ethical.”

Here’s our piece looking into the new special counsel—and how he could come after Trump.

Who is Jack Smith? Prosecutor overseeing Trump probes has experience in major cases

Trump once again does his two-step with white supremacists

Friday 25 November 2022 23:40 , Josh Marcus

On Friday, former president Donald Trump denied knowing who white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes was after Axios reported that he dined with the noted racist and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”

Of course, Mr Fuentes has been a prominent figure for years. In the days after the 2020 presidential election, he led the “Million MAGA March,” calling it “MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE.”

The former president’s words were familiar to anyone who has paid attention to how he has denied any knowledge about white supremacist and extremist groups. His campaign announcement where he called immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border as drug dealers, criminals and rapists emboldened numerous white nationalists, antisemites and other extremist groups like the Proud Boys.

Read Eric Garcia’s full analysis here.

Trump once again does his two-step with white supremacists

New York Times columnist argues invoking obscure constitutional provision to keep Trump out of office

Friday 25 November 2022 23:20 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump dodged impeachment convictions twice related to his time in the White House.

On Thursday, a New York Times columnist argued that because Republicans largely refuse to go against Mr Trump, there’s another constitional provision that should be revoked to keep Mr Trump out of power, given his past inciting violence and doubting the 2020 election results.

As writer Jesse Wegman writes, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment “bars from public office anyone who, ‘having previously taken an oath’ to support the Constitution, ‘engaged in insurrection or rebellion’ or gave ‘aid or comfort’ to America’s enemies.”

“And yet despite its clarity and good sense, the provision has rarely been invoked,” he adds.

“The first time, in the aftermath of the Civil War, it was used to disqualify thousands of Southern rebels, but within four years, Congress voted to extend amnesty to most of them. It was used again in 1919 when the House refused to seat a socialist member accused of giving aid and comfort to Germany in World War I.”

However, things on that front are beginning to change.

This fall, a county commissioner was removed from office under the provision, after he participated in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

‘Cowboys for Trump’ founder barred from public office after joining Jan 6 riot

Trump allies say Nick Fuentes meeting is ‘f***ing nightmare’ for 2024 campaign

Friday 25 November 2022 23:00 , Josh Marcus

Trump allies say the ex-president’s meeting this week with rapper Ye and his right-wing 2024 presidential campaign adviser Nick Fuentes, a known Holocaust denier, is a “nightmare” for Mr Trump going forward.

“This is a f***ing nightmare,” an anonymous adviser told NBC News. “If people are looking at [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis to run against Trump, here’s another reason why.”

Mr Trump has downplayed the meeting, saying he didn’t know Fuentes would be there, and the conversation they all had was “uneventful.”“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about,” Trump said Friday in a statement on his Truth Social platform.“We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful,” Trump said. “They then left for the airport.”

Here’s our reporting on the meeting.

Trump says he ‘knew nothing about’ antisemite Nick Fuentes before Mar-a-Lago event

GOP Jewish Coalition slams Ye and Nick Fuentes for antisemitism but ignores Trump

Trump says he ‘knew nothing about’ white supremacist Nick Fuentes before Mar-a-Lago event

Friday 25 November 2022 22:40 , Josh Marcus

Former president Donald Trump said he “knew nothing” about white supremacist Nick Fuentes before he and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, dined together at Mar-a-Lago.

The former president made a statement on his networking platform Truth Social after Axios reported that Mr Fuentes and Ye dined with Mr Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida estate.

“This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”

More details in our full report.

Trump says he ‘knew nothing about’ antisemite Nick Fuentes before Mar-a-Lago event

ICYMI: Kanye West’s disquieting “campaign” video

Friday 25 November 2022 22:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Disgraced anti-semite, widely lauded rapper and sometime presidential candidate Kanye West claims to be ramping up for another White House run, this time with the support of two of the US’s most notorious right-wing trolls: Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos. Here’s a video he put out musing on a visit the three apparently took to Mar-a-Lago.

Eric Trump claims draft-dodging father ‘fought for this country’ and compares him to Tom Brady

Friday 25 November 2022 21:40 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s middle son Eric Trump has claimed that the ex-president, who escaped service in the Vietnam War after a doctor claimed he suffered from bone spurs, somehow “fought” for the US despite never spending a single day in uniform.

The Trump Organization executive made the outrageous claim in a video posted to social media by attorney Ron Fillipowski.

Eric Trump tells an interviewer who is shown speaking to him remotely: “My father fought for this country. Tom Brady always fought and played for his team.”

Continuing, Mr Trump adds that his father is “playing for Team America”.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Eric Trump claims draft-dodging father ‘fought for this country’

Trump’s Thanksgiving message

Friday 25 November 2022 21:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Former president Donald Trump launched a Thanksgiving rant on social media and lashed out at one of the prosecutors investigating allegations of misconduct, including tax fraud.

“The Manhattan DA Case should never have been brought,” the 45th president posted on Truth Social on Thursday, adding that it was a “total witch hunt”.

Mr Trump rued: “The DA’s ‘Star’ witness, who has been harassed and brutalised, and is scared beyond belief, has nevertheless totally confirmed our story and defence.”

“This case should be dismissed immediately, and the large, highly paid and ‘prestigious’ accounting firm that we relied on to do their job, but didn’t, should pay us a fortune in damages,” Mr Trump added, attacking the Mazars Group, which used to handle the accounting for his organisation.

In another post, Mr Trump said: “Give me freedom or give me death.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

Trump posts angry Thanksgiving message: ‘Give me freedom or give me death’

Trump prefers company of sycophants and has no friends, Mar-a-Lago member says

Friday 25 November 2022 20:47 , Josh Marcus

A billionaire member of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club says the twice-impeached ex-president’s life in Florida is filled with sycophants and hangers-on but lacking in any actual friendships.

Mr Trump decamped to Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021 despite having spent nearly his entire life in New York City, where his family’s real estate and licensing business empire has been based for decades.

He switched his primary residence to the Sunshine State in a fit of pique over investigations into his business practices by a series of New York law enforcement agencies and has made his home at Mar-a-Lago an integral part of his political life as he looks to return to the White House.

Andrew Feinberg has the full story.

Trump claims ignorance after meeting with antisemites Ye and Nick Fuentes causes controversy

Friday 25 November 2022 20:25 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump says he wasn’t aware that Nick Fuentes was a known Holocaust denier and antisemite before meeting with him.

On Tuesday, the former president met with the rapper and fashion designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has taken on Mr Fuentes to advise the hip-hop star’s 2024 presidential campaign.

The three spoke with each other during a meeting on Tuesday at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

“Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago,” Mr Trump said in a statement. “Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about.”

Herschel Walker offers to debate MSNBC host

Friday 25 November 2022 20:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Permanently beleagued Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who is stuck polling behind incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock in their runoff contest, has been hesitant to participate in any debates with his rival – but he appears more keen to sit down with MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid, who said she is happy to have him on the show any time:

Billionaire neighbour: Trump has no friends

Friday 25 November 2022 19:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Speaking to the Financial Times, one of Donald Trump’s richest neighbours in Florida has described the former president’s social life – and going by his description, it’s a lonely one.

“I don’t think he has any friends,” said Jeff Greene. “I mean honestly, I have this friend who . . . plays golf with him all the time but you know, he never went to the White House. I don’t even think he was even invited.

“It’s all transactional. They want to be around him because he’s the ex-president. He likes people to defer to him . . . and tell him how good he is.”

Read the interview here.

Catch up: E Jean Carroll’s new Trump lawsuit

Friday 25 November 2022 18:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Author E Jean Carroll has filed a new lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of raping her in the late 1990s, availing herself of a new state law that allows sexual abuse survivors the chance to file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired.

Ms Carroll is already suing Mr Trump for defamation over his previous claims that she is lying about her allegation, but her new case points to subsequent accusations he levelled more recently in social media posts calling her a “con job”.

The former president has long denied all the allegations against him, and has fought for years to stop Ms Carroll’s case being heard in court.

Read more:

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under NY’s Adult Survivors Act

West v Trump: far-right adviser claims ex-president is “wounded” by encounter

Friday 25 November 2022 17:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Besides associating himself with notorious racist Nick Fuentes, Kanye West has apparently hired professional far-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos as an adviser to his supposed campaign. Having appeared in the video Mr West released yesterday – looking far less flamboyant than usual in a muted suit and alt-right-style undercut – he is now giving statements on behalf of whatever it is Mr West is doing, and not to Donald Trump’s benefit.

Who else might Elon Musk let back on Twitter?

Friday 25 November 2022 16:10 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump may not have availed himself of Elon Musk’s generous decision to allow him back on Twitter, but disgraced rapper Kanye West is already embracing his unlocked account, giving him a platform for what may yet turn out to be a sincere effort at mounting a 2024 presidential campaign.

But while Mr Trump and Mr West may be the two most conspicuous returnees, there are various others in their neck of the political woods awaiting the chance to return. Martyn Landi takes a look at who might yet benefit from the erratic Mr Musk’s impulsive thinking:

Who could return to Twitter under Elon Musk’s suspension ‘amnesty’?

Who is Nick Fuentes?

Friday 25 November 2022 15:35 , Andrew Naughtie

Kanye West claims that on his recent trip to Florida, he took with him to Mar-a-Lago Nick Fuentes, a notorious far-right racist who has made a career of blurring the line between trolling and actual incitement to violence.

At his America First conference this year, he hosted none other than extremist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – something not lost on Adam Kinzinger, who is calling out his colleagues for allowing their party to become even fleetingly hopsitable to Mr Fuentes and his ilk.

Mar-a-Lago documents: Special counsel Jack Smith pushes back on Trump

Friday 25 November 2022 15:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Jack Smith was appointed as independent special counsel in two Trump investigations just a week ago, but he is already pushing back on arguments that the former president’s lawyers are making in court.

Here’s an example from the latest turn in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, in which the Department of Justice is trying to get the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to abolish the special master appointed by a lower-court judge to review everything seized in the August search of Donald Trump’s Florida residence.

This week’s hearings in that matter did not augur well for Mr Trump. Andrew Feinberg reports:

‘What are we doing here?’ Judges look inclined to toss Trump special master order

Kanye West alleges argument at Mar-a-Lago

Friday 25 November 2022 14:25 , Andrew Naughtie

Kanye West has claimed that Donald Trump flew into a rage over the rapper’s plans to run for president in 2024 as they had dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

West, who legally changed his name to Ye, described the chaotic exchange in a two-minute campaign-style teaser video posted to Twitter on Thursday evening, two days after his visit to Trump’s home in Florida.

The rapper had previously said that he’d used the occasion to ask Mr Trump to be his running mate in 2024. According to West’s video, Mr Trump unsurprisingly does not want him to run at all.

“When Trump started basically screaming at the table telling me I was gonna lose, I mean, has that ever worked for anyone in history? I’m like, ‘wait, hold on Trump, you’re talking to Ye,’” he said laughing.

Shweta Sharma and Megan Sheets report:

Kanye West says Trump screamed at him over 2024 presidential run at Mar-a-Lago dinner

Kinzinger calls out Cruz on “politicized FBI” claim

Friday 25 November 2022 13:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Ted Cruz is among the many Republicans who have leapt to Donald Trump’s defence after the Department of Justice appointed Jack Smith as a special prosecutor to oversee two investigations into the former president. He is now claiming that the FBI has been weaponised by Democrats (presumably in the “deep state”) to unjustly crack down on Mr Trump and other right-wingers – but not everyone in his party is convinced by his stories.

Kanye West shares story flattering neo-Nazi Fuentes

Friday 25 November 2022 13:20 , Andrew Naughtie

After being seen arriving in Florida with Nick Fuentes, one of the US’s most notorious avowed white nationalists, Kanye West has claimed he brought his apparent associate to a meeting with Donald Trump – and he has now shared an article claiming Mr Fuentes may play an official role in a West ‘24 presidential campaign.

The story comes from an outlet associated with Tim Pool, a left-turned-right YouTuber with a long history of bigoted and incendiary remarks who recently appeared to blame the victims of the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs for bringing the massacre on themselves.

Trump’s latest rant against special prosecutor

Friday 25 November 2022 12:50 , Andrew Naughtie

The appointment of Jack Smith as a special prosecutor to oversee two major Justice Department investigations into Donald Trump has sent the former president into a fury, as legal developments not in his favour generally do – and in his campaign to delegitimise Mr Smith, he is invoking not just well-worn subjects like the Steele dossier and Hunter Biden’s laptop, but also a strange conspiracy theory that Mr Smith is under the sway of Barack Obama and Eric Holder – who stepped down as attorney general in 2015.

Friday 25 November 2022 12:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Staff members at the House select committee investigating the January 6 riots at the US Capitol are reportedly angry at Liz Cheney for her push to focus on former president Donald Trump in the final report.

Ms Cheney, the Republican vice-chair of the panel, has left staffers rankled in the panel by exerting high levels of control of the investigation and the final report, members of the panel told The Washington Post, with one staffer even derisively referring to the committee as the “Cheney 2024 campaign”.

Read more about the behind-the-scenes deliberations and dynamics of the committee vowing to hold Donald Trump and the Maga movement accountable for the attack on Congress:

Jan 6 panel staff angry at Liz Cheney for ‘focusing too much on Trump’, report says

Next act for Sarah Palin unclear after Alaska House losses

Friday 25 November 2022 11:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Sarah Palin’s attempt to return to political life ended in failure this week as she lost a second election in less than 12 months to Mary Peltola, the newly-elected congresswoman for Alaska.

Now the Trump-backed former governor’s path forward is unclear, as her efforts to venture into the reality TV business went nowhere and she is no longer a fixture on right-leaning news networks.

Read more in The Independent:

Next act for Palin unclear after Alaska House losses

Kanye West says he asked Donald Trump to be his 2024 presidential running mate

Friday 25 November 2022 11:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Kanye West revealed that he has asked former US president Donald Trump to be his “running mate” for the 2024 presidential elections.

In a tweet shared on Wednesday, the 45-year-old rapper said he visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for the first time and made the request during a meeting with the former president.

Mr West famously met with Mr Trump in the Oval Office during his presidency, and also at Trump Tower in New York during the 2016 election.

“What you guys think [Trump’s] response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?” Ye, who ran for office in 2020, asked.

Kanye West says he asked Donald Trump to be his 2024 presidential running mate

Musk says granting 'amnesty' to suspended Twitter accounts

Friday 25 November 2022 10:20 , John Bowden

Elon Musk says he will begin granting “amnesty” to banned Twitter accounts next week as his reign at the company has seen it plummet in value while content moderation has virtually evaporated.

The controversial CEO made the latest decision after it won a Twitter poll on his feed; the spur-of-the-moment announcement comes while advertisers have been fleeing the platform in droves.

Read more:

Musk says granting 'amnesty' to suspended Twitter accounts

MSNBC reporter launches blistering takedown of Kari Lake’s ‘Trumpism’ after Arizona governor election loss

Friday 25 November 2022 09:20 , John Bowden

A reporter with MSNBC ranted about all of Kari Lake’s mini scandals during a live shot after the Arizona Republican was declared the loser of the state’s gubernatorial race.

Ms Lake earned the ire of reporters by singling journalists out at press conferences for mockery while they attempted to do their jobs; she also often repeated Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Watch the clip below and read more from Johanna Chisholm:

MSNBC reporter launches blistering takedown of Kari Lake after election loss

Lara Trump issues dark warning to DeSantis over 2024 primary

Friday 25 November 2022 08:20 , John Bowden

Lara Trump has issued a dark warning to Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, saying it would be “nicer” for him to stay out of the 2024 race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Seeing Mr DeSantis as his top rival within the party, Donald Trump and his allies have attempted to keep him on the sidelines, often mentioning his 2018 endorsement of Mr DeSantis when he first ran for Florida governor.

Read more from Gustaf Kilander:

Lara Trump issues dark warning to DeSantis about 2024 race

Pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to contact him as he remains banned from Twitter

Friday 25 November 2022 07:20 , John Bowden

Pillow vendor and 2020 conspiracy mogul Mike Lindell publicly appealed to Elon Musk this week for his Twitter account to be reinstated.

In a broadcast as part of his “Lindell TV” programme on a right-wing streaming site, he called on Mr Musk to make contact with him and claimed that the billionaire Tesla founder was ignoring him.

Read more about his increasingly desperate antics in The Independent:

Conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to call him and reverse Twitter ban

Kanye West posts video about Mar-a-Lago visit

Friday 25 November 2022 06:20 , John Bowden

Rapper Ye, better known as Kanye West, posted a video late Thursday evening shot after his visit with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

In the video, West described why he went to the former president’s residence with Nick Fuentes, an infamous white nationalist, whom he described as someone Mr Trump respected.

And he said that Mr Trump yelled at him, telling the rapper that his 2024 run was a mistake.

Watch below:

GOP megadonor splits with Trump: Time for ‘new generation of leaders’

Friday 25 November 2022 05:20 , John Bowden

An influential conservative donor has announced that he was not supporting Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a stance that shows just how deep the fractures within the GOP may run after last week’s midterms.

In terms of overall monetary support, the blow to Mr Trump’s campaign finances will be minimal. But there’s a greater significance at play here; the announcement from a major GOP donor came the morning after Mr Trump officially entered the 2024 presidential race.

John Bowden looks into the growing GOP fractures for The Independent:

GOP megadonor splits with Trump: Time for ‘new generation of leaders’

The rise of the ‘crazy caucus’: All the ways the GOP could upend America now that they’ve won the House

Friday 25 November 2022 04:20 , John Bowden

How bad could things get for the US now that Republicans – as expected – will take control of the House of Representatives in January after the midterm elections?

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg looked at all the ways that the GOP, with a far-right faction feeling increasingly emboldened thanks to their ability to hijack the party’s agenda, could gum up the works and cause a two-year headache for Joe Biden.

Read more:

All the ways the GOP could upend America now that they’ve won the House

Trump accused of ‘stealing’ from Herschel Walker campaign with deceptive fundraising emails

Friday 25 November 2022 03:20 , John Bowden

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s campaign has accused Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, of “deceptive” fundraising.

Scott Paradise, Mr Walker’s campaign manager, called out Republicans who advertised fundraising for Mr Walker and called on them to share more of the money, NBC News reported.

Read more from Eric Garcia in The Independent:

Trump accused of ‘stealing’ from Herschel Walker campaign with fundraising emails

Georgia ban on Saturday voting before Warnock vs Walker runoff would ‘irreparably harm’ voters, judge rules

Friday 25 November 2022 02:20 , John Bowden

Raphael Warnock’s campaign was victorious last week in a crucial lawsuit against a state law banning early in-person voting on the Saturday after a holiday, allowing voters to head back to the polls on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Senator Warnock remains in a nailbiter against Herschel Waklker, a former pro footballer-turned Trump acolyte and GOP candidate for US Senate. Should Mr Warnock win, Democrats will expand their majority by one seat in the upper chamber in a final refutation of the “red wave” predicted by Republicans this year.

Read more:

Georgia judge allows early voting on Saturday before Warnock v Walker runoff election

Herschel Walker tells bizarre story about vampires and werewolves

Friday 25 November 2022 01:20 , John Bowden

Herschel Walker veered into a strange and seemingly inexplicable tangent about vampires, werewolves and faith while the Republican Senate candidate rallied in Georgia ahead of his runoff election in December against Sen Raphael Warnock.

The former professional football player delivered the bizarre commentary while standing at the pulpit at an event held in McDonough, Georgia on Wednesday.

Read more:

Herschel Walker references vampires and werewolves in bizarre speech

Less than 20 Kari Lake supporters turn out for statehouse protest against her Arizona governor election loss

Friday 25 November 2022 00:20 , John Bowden

A small but vocal group of election deniers rallied outside the state capitol in Arizona to protest Kari Lake’s loss in the gubernatorial race against Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs.

Approximately 15 people gathered at the Arizona state capitol on Tuesday, with some waving flags emblazoned with pro-Trump messages and “SOS”.

Ms Lake has refused to concede her race and raised allegations of voter suppression — but she does not have the backing of other Republicans in the state, including, crucially, Gov Doug Ducey.

Less than 20 Kari Lake supporters turn out for protest against Arizona election loss

Thursday 24 November 2022 23:20 , John Bowden

Arizona’s Republican governor congratulated the Democratic victor of the state’s gubernatorial race this week after her defeat of Kari Lake, a Trump-backed Republican candidate who made headlines for battling with reporters and insisting that the 2020 election was stolen.

Ms Lake continues to insist that her race was the target of voter suppression tactics after some Lake supporters complained about long lines and issues with printers at precincts — though very few have said they were unable to vote entirely.

Read more in The Independent:

Outgoing Arizona governor congratulates Katie Hobbs– as Kari Lake refuses to concede

Trump holds comfortable lead over DeSantis in 2024 primary poll

Thursday 24 November 2022 22:20 , John Bowden

Donald Trump still holds a comfortable lead over Ron DeSantis in the first major post-midterms poll of the hypothetical 2024 Republican primary field, but don’t count the Florida governor out yet.

The ex-president led his opponent by 30 points in an Emerson College survey of likely GOP primary voters released on Tuesday. Mr DeSantis was supported by 25 per cent of respondents to Mr Trump’s 55 per cent, a sign of both the ex-president’s continued political strength as well as the rapidly growing star power of the Florida governor in GOP circles.

John Bowden dives into the poll’s significance for The Independent:

Trump holds comfortable lead over DeSantis in 2024 primary poll

Thursday 24 November 2022 21:18 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump has been invited back to Twitter by the platform’s new CEO, Elon Musk, but has thus far declined to return. Instead he’s spending his time on his own social media site, Truth Social, where he has posted some truly strange things in the last several months.

Mr Trump regularly "re-truths" posts that sing his praises, but one of his most recent posts includes an edited video featuring a bizarre mashup of scenes from movies in which characters watch in rapturous glee as the former president gives speeches and brags about himself.

Read more:

Trump posts bizarre video manipulating famous movie scenes into fans fawning over him

Pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to contact him as he remains banned from Twitter

Thursday 24 November 2022 20:21 , John Bowden

Pillow vendor and 2020 conspiracy mogul Mike Lindell publicly appealed to Elon Musk this week for his Twitter account to be reinstated.

The MyPillow CEO was banned from the platform earlier this year after he created a second account to evade a temporary ban handed down by the platform’s moderators, who had flagged his account for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election.

In a broadcast as part of his “Lindell TV” programme on a right-wing streaming site, he called on Mr Musk to make contact with him and claimed that the billionaire Tesla founder was ignoring him.

Read more:

Conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell begs Elon Musk to call him and reverse Twitter ban

Kanye West says he asked Donald Trump to be his 2024 presidential running mate

Thursday 24 November 2022 19:20 , John Bowden

Kanye West revealed that he has asked former US president Donald Trump to be his “running mate” for the 2024 presidential elections.

The exchange apparently occurred when Mr West travelled to Mar-a-Lago with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who marched at the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“What you guys think [Trump’s] response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?” Ye, who ran for office in 2020, asked his fans on Twitter.

Read more:

Kanye West says he asked Donald Trump to be his 2024 presidential running mate

Elon Musk claims Twitter hate speech impressions have fallen amid ongoing questions about moderation

Thursday 24 November 2022 18:40 , John Bowden

Elon Musk claims that total impressions for tweets containing hate speech have fallen since he took over as CEO and implemented a number of widely controversial changes, such as reversing Donald Trump’s ban from the platform.

In the days after Mr Musk became the owner and chief executive of Twitter, it saw a vast surge in the amount of hate speech being posted on the site. Many users gleefully took advantage of Mr Musk’s commitment to minimise content moderation by posting racial slurs and other offensive content.

But Mr Musk says that trend has since been reversed.

Read more:

Elon Musk claims Twitter hate speech impressions have fallen

Mary Peltola and Lisa Murkowski dealt Trump a double defeat in Alaska – and leave Sarah Palin out in the cold

Thursday 24 November 2022 18:09 , John Bowden

Donald Trump just suffered a two-pronged defeat in Alaska, his latest setback in his efforts to reshape the GOP in his image and prove the strength of his brand nationwide.

Mary Peltola defeated Sarah Palin for a second time in Alaska’s at-large congressional race, while Lisa Murkowski fought back a Trump-backed GOP challenger.

The Independent’s Eric Garcia dives in to the final days of the midterm elections:

How Peltola and Murkowski dealt Trump a double defeat in Alaska

Ducey congratulates Dobbs as Lake keeps up fight

Thursday 24 November 2022 16:55 , Andrew Naughtie

Arizona’s outgoing Republican Governor Doug Ducey congratulated Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs on her victory despite the fact that Republican nominee Kari Lake refused to concede.

Mr Ducey, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, had endorsed Ms Lake’s opponent Karrin Taylor Robson in the gubernatorial primary, before later endorsing Ms Lake in the general election.

But he congratulated Ms Hobbs, the current secretary of state, on her victory.

“All of us have waited patiently for the democratic process to play out,” he said. “The people of Arizona have spoken, their votes have been counted and we respect their decision.”

Eric Garcia writes:

Outgoing Arizona governor congratulates Katie Hobbs– as Kari Lake refuses to concede

Why do Democrats want Trump’s tax returns?

Thursday 24 November 2022 16:25 , Andrew Naughtie

Since he was first running for president, Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, falsely claiming he could not do so because he was under audit by the IRS (he was not, and that would not prevent him from releasing them anyway). He has since spent years fighting Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to stop them obtaining a copy of the returns – and he appears to have finally lost the battle, with the Supreme Court this week clearing the release of the returns to Congress.

Here’s John Bowden to explain what it all means.

Why do Democrats care about Donald Trump’s tax returns?

Club Q shooting: “Stop the steal” lawyer Jenna Ellis spreads hateful message

Thursday 24 November 2022 15:55 , Andrew Naughtie

Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell may be better known, but lawyer Jenna Ellis played just as central a role in the post-2020 election “stop the steal” effort as they did – but having failed across the board in her legal machinations between November 2020 and January 2021, she is now reduced to spouting conspiracy theories and hateful right-wing rhetoric.

Here she is with her take on the Club Q shooting in Colorado, which saw five people at an LGBT+ bar murdered by a single gunman before other patrons stopped him in his tracks:

Greene and Lake join Mar-a-Lago singalong

Thursday 24 November 2022 15:25 , Andrew Naughtie

Criminal investigation and political decline may be hanging in the air at Mar-a-Lago, but various figures on the extreme right are still more than happy to make the journey to Donald Trump’s Florida laager for a hangout with the former president.

And in this case, “Journey” is the key word:

Analysis: How Trump lost in Alaska

Thursday 24 November 2022 14:55 , Andrew Naughtie

With Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola now re-elected for a full term and Senator Lisa Murkowski seeing off a right-wing rival, Alaska has joined various other states in declining to elect Donald Trump’s chosen candidates. In today’s Inside Washington dispatch, Eric Garcia takes a look at what it means:

Read the full piece below.

How Peltola and Murkowski dealt Trump a double defeat in Alaska

Tensions reported between Cheney and Jan 6 committee staff

Thursday 24 November 2022 14:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Staff members at the House select committee investigating the January 6 riots at the US Capitol are reportedly angry at Liz Cheney for her push to focus on former president Donald Trump in the final report.

Ms Cheney, the Republican vice-chair of the panel, has left staffers rankled in the panel by exerting high levels of control of the investigation and the final report, members of the panel told The Washington Post.

Several staffers believe that the outgoing Wyoming representative is morphing the committee into a vehicle for her own political future, it reported.

Shweta Sharma reports:

Jan 6 panel staff angry at Liz Cheney for ‘focusing too much on Trump’, report says

Kanye West spotted en route to Mar-a-Lago accompanied by notorious white supremacist

Thursday 24 November 2022 13:50 , Andrew Naughtie

It appears that Kanye West’s tweet about visiting Mar-a-Lago may have been for real – at least judging by reports that he was spotted at the golf club. However, a more disturbing detail is that he was seen arriving at a Miami airport with Nick Fuentes, a notorious white nationalist and out-and-out racist who has carved out a niche as one of the far right’s most extreme outriders.

Mr Fuentes is particularly versed in the style of right-wing activism that deliberately obscures the line between sincere belief and trollish provocation. Among other things, he has extolled the virtues of beating wives to keep them in line, urged right-wingers to discuss the issue of “Jewish control”, and dwelled on the matter of “racial differences in intelligence”. He is also a longtime promoter of false claims the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

GOP governor bucks Trump to congratulate Dem governor-elect

Thursday 24 November 2022 13:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Doug Ducey, the Republican governor of Arizona, landed himself in Donald Trump’s bad graces by refusing to help overturn the 2020 election result in his state – and now he’s once again flying in the face of his party’s hardline orthodoxy by congratulating his Democratic successor, Katie Hobbs, even as her Republican rival, Kari Lake, maintains falsely that the election was stolen from her:

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump

Thursday 24 November 2022 12:53 , Andrew Naughtie

Author E Jean Carroll has filed a new lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of raping her in the late 1990s, availing herself of a new state law that allows sexual abuse survivors the chance to file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired.

Ms Carroll is already suing Mr Trump for defamation over his previous claims that she is lying about her allegation, but her new case points to subsequent accusations he levelled more recently in social media posts calling her a “con job”.

The former president has long denied all the allegations against him, and has fought for years to stop Ms Carroll’s case being heard in court.

Read more:

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under NY’s Adult Survivors Act

Woman convicted of storming Pelosi's office in Jan. 6 attack

Thursday 24 November 2022 12:20 , John Bowden

A Pennsylvania woman linked to the far-right “Groyper” extremist movement has been convicted of several federal charges related to her actions on January 6.

Riley June Williams joined a mob's attack on the Capitol after attending the “Stop the Steal” rally, where then-President Donald Trump addressed thousands of supporters earlier that day. Entering Pelosi’s office, she found a laptop on a table and told another rioter, “Dude, put on gloves,” before someone with a black gloved hand removed the computer, according to prosecutors.

Williams later bragged online that she stole Pelosi’s gavel, laptop and hard drives and that she “gave the electronic devices, or attempted to give them, to unspecified Russian individuals,” prosecutors said in a June 2022 court filing. To date, they haven’t been recovered.

Read more about the sentence she could face and her involvement in the far-right’s hate movements:

Woman convicted of storming Pelosi's office in Jan. 6 attack

Manhattan prosecutors re-examining Trump hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, report says

Thursday 24 November 2022 11:50 , Andrew Naughtie

Prosecutors working under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr are reportedly re-examining whether criminal charges can be brought against former president Donald Trump as a result of $130,000 payment his company made to cover up his affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

According to the New York Times, Mr Bragg’s office has recently sought to jump-start a long-dead investigation into the payments, which federal prosecutors used as evidence to prosecute Mr Trump’s ex-attorney, Michael Cohen, for campaign finance law violations.

Read more from Andrew Feinberg:

Manhattan prosecutors re-examining Trump’s Stormy Daniels hush-money payments: report

Aspiring country singer charged for threats to kill fact-checkers and FBI agent over Trump ‘slander’

Thursday 24 November 2022 11:20 , John Bowden

A North Carolina MAGA supporter and an aspiring country singer has been charged for allegedly threatening to kill an FBI agent as well as fact-checkers for slandering Donald Trump.

He faces more than a decade in prison if convicted.

Read more about the escalating threats faced by FBI agents after their raid of Mar-a-Lago in September:

MAGA fan charged for threats to kill fact-checkers and FBI agent over Trump ‘slander’

John Oliver blasts Elon Musk for ‘decimating his staff and degrading Twitter’

Thursday 24 November 2022 10:20 , John Bowden

On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight (20 November), host John Oliver said Twitter has been a “total mess” since new CEO Elon Musk took the reins, arguing that “many of the worst people on Twitter” seem to think his takeover is a sign that they can unleash vitriol.

“One analysis [found] the use of a racial slur spiking nearly 500 percent in the 12 hours after his deal was finalised, which is pretty shocking,” the host said, “even for a website where a regular trending topic is sometimes just ‘The Jews’.

“You’ll log in and see 30,000 people tweeting about ‘The Jews’ on a Tuesday afternoon, and you do not want to click to find out why.”

Read more:

John Oliver blasts Elon Musk for ‘decimating his staff and degrading Twitter’

NewsWorldAmericasUS politics Ivanka Trump tried to escape judge’s order to monitor Trump family finances, report says

Thursday 24 November 2022 09:20 , John Bowden

Former White House aide Ivanka Trump attemped to wriggle her way out of a court order appointing a special monitor to oversee the major transactions of the Trump Organization and individuals with connections to the company, according to The Daily Beast.

The news outlet reported on Monday that the ex-president’s eldest daughter sought through letters from her attorneys to the court to have her name removed from the order, a step that her two brothers Eric and Donald Jr did not take as the New York attorney general’s lawsuit against the company progresses.

John Bowden has more on Ivanka Trump’s latest effort to distance herself from her own family after a disastrous end to four years in the White House:

Ivanka Trump tried to escape judge’s order to monitor family finances, report says

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under New York’s Adult Survivors Act

Thursday 24 November 2022 22:53 , John Bowden

Author E Jean Carroll has filed a new lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of raping her in the late 1990s, availing herself of a new state law that allows sexual abuse survivors the chance to file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired.

Ms Carroll is already suing Mr Trump for defamation over his previous claims that she is lying about her allegation, but her new case points to subsequent accusations he levelled more recently in social media posts calling her a “con job”.

Read more about the latest legal fight that Donald Trump and his legal team find themselves battling:

E Jean Carroll files new rape lawsuit against Trump under NY’s Adult Survivors Act

Prosecution rests in Trump Organization tax fraud case after just two witnesses

Thursday 24 November 2022 08:20 , John Bowden

The New York City prosecutors hoping to convict former president Donald Trump’s eponymous real estate and licensing company of violating state tax laws by paying for apartments, cars and other benefits to top executives without reporting the cost as compensation finished presenting their case against the Trump Organization on Monday.

Prosecutors rested their case earlier than expected after presenting testimony from two of the company’s top executives over the last eight days in court.

Among those who testified was Allen Weisselberg, the company’s former CFO.

Read more from Andrew Feinberg about New York’s efforts to prosecute the Trump Organization:

Prosecution rests in Trump Organization tax fraud case after just two witnesses

Conservatives complain about Trump special counsel wife’s links to Michelle Obama

Thursday 24 November 2022 07:20 , John Bowden

Conservatives are furious after it was revealed that the wife of the prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to determine whether Donald Trump will face any criminal charges is apparently a Democratic donor who was involved in a documentary about Michelle Obama.

Jack Smith, a career prosecutor at the Justice Department, was tapped by Mr Garland to make the decision regarding Mr Trump’s legal fate earlier this month. It notably followed the announcement by Mr Trump that he would seek the White House a third time.

Read more about how Mr Smith is connected to Ms Obama as well as Joe Biden, the man Mr Trump has accused of weaponising the Justice Department:

Conservatives complain about Trump special counsel wife’s links to Michelle Obama

Trump rages at Bill Barr for saying it was increasingly likely ex-president would face criminal charges

Thursday 24 November 2022 06:20 , John Bowden

Calling him “sloppy,” “weak” and a “disgruntled former employee”, Donald Trump laid into his former attorney general this week after Bill Barr suggested that he thought it was now likely that federal prosecutors would indict him over his retention of documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Mr Trump also claimed that the Mar-a-Lago documents case was a hoax. “He knows nothing about the document hoax, and as a lawyer and former AG, shouldn’t be talking.”

Read more about Mr Trump’s latest meltdown in response to the betrayal of a former ally:

Trump rages at Bill Barr for saying ex-president would face criminal charges

Judge warns Trump he needs to lawyer up days before E Jean Carroll expected to file rape case

Thursday 24 November 2022 05:20 , John Bowden

A federal judge warned Donald Trump to decide on his lawyers, and fast, ahead of a coming suit from writer E Jean Carroll accusing Mr Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.

The warning came on Tuesday, during a conference in a defamation suit Ms Carroll filed after Mr Trump called the writer’s allegations, first aired in an excerpt of her memoir published in New York magazine, false and an attempt to drum up publicity.

“Your client has known this is coming for months, and he would be well-advised to decide who’s representing him in it,” US district judge Lewis Kaplan told Alina Habba, the former president’s attorney in the defamation case, on Tuesday.

Read more about the case’s new developments in The Independent:

Judge warns Trump he needs to lawyer up before expected E Jean Carroll rape case

Why do Democrats care about Donald Trump’s tax returns?

Thursday 24 November 2022 04:20 , John Bowden

The Supreme Court has dealt a final blow to Donald Trump in his years-long battle to shield his tax returns from Congress.

It was a victory for Democrats on an issue that seems almost antique now — the issue of Mr Trump’s finances took a back seat for many in the media and Democrats especially after January 6 and Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

With the House Ways and Means Committee now set to receive copies of Mr Trump’s tax returns from numerous years, it’s worth looking back to refresh our memories of exactly why those documents are so important.

Why do Democrats care about Donald Trump’s tax returns?

Tucker Carlson guest says shootings will continue until ‘evil agenda’ of gender affirming care ends

Thursday 24 November 2022 03:20 , John Bowden

Twitter users who came out in support of gay and transgender Americans reacted with shock and disgust after a guest on Tucker Carlon’s immensely popular Fox show claimed that more attacks like the Colorado Springs shooting would occur unless doctors ceased performing voluntary gender-affirming care for any American.

It was a moment viewed as a direct threat of violence by those who circulated the video on Twitter and came as some conservatives loudly protested being linked to the same rhetoric that is now blamed for inspiring the attack.

Read more about the right’s response to what is increasingly looking like the most violent act specifically targeting a gay community since the Pulse nightclub shooting:

Fox guest says shootings will continue until ‘evil agenda’ of transgender care ends