Manhattan district attorney to present Trump hush money case to grand jury – live - The Guardian US

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Donald Trump’s ineligible occupation have grown adjacent much voluminous, aft Manhattan territory lawyer Alvin Bragg convened a expansive assemblage to look into the hush wealth outgo made to the big movie histrion and shaper Stormy Daniels earlier the 2016 election. It’s the latest menace to the erstwhile president arsenic helium pursues different run for the White House, joining the ongoing enquiry successful Georgia implicit his attempts to overturn the state’s ballot for Joe Biden successful the 2020 election. Meanwhile successful Washington, apical Republican researcher James Comer outlined his plans to clasp the Biden medication to account, portion the White House and its allies looked for ways to frustrate him.

Here’s what other is going connected today:

• Memphis has relieved a sixth constabulary serviceman of duty pursuing the decease of Tyre Nichols and the indictment of 5 erstwhile officers connected execution charges.

• Trump spent the weekend campaigning and bashing his rivals, main among them Florida’s politician Ron DeSantis.

• A Christian nationalist question progressive successful Covid-19 and 2020 predetermination conspiracy theories is expanding nationwide.

A fewer thoughts connected the Manhattan territory attorney’s probe into Donald Trump, from erstwhile US lawyer and existent MSNBC contributor Joyce Alene:

Allen Weisselberg was earlier this month fixed 5 months successful jailhouse for committing taxation fraud, a abbreviated condemnation that came astir aft helium provided grounds that helped prosecutors secure a conviction of the Trump Organization itself connected akin charges.

Manhattan authoritative to bring Trump hush wealth outgo lawsuit to expansive jury

Manhattan territory lawyer Alvin Bragg will soon commencement presenting grounds to a expansive assemblage astir Donald Trump’s effort to wage disconnected the big movie histrion and shaper Stormy Daniels shortly earlier helium won the 2016 statesmanlike election, the New York Times reports.

The lawsuit is yet different ineligible menace to the erstwhile president, who could look charges successful Georgia implicit his run to overturn the state’s ballot for Joe Biden successful the 2020 statesmanlike election. An Atlanta-area territory lawyer is considering a expansive jury’s study into the effort by Trump and his allies.

According to the times, Bragg precocious empaneled the expansive assemblage and volition soon statesman presenting evidence. The insubstantial said it spotted 1 witness, David Pecker, and his lawyer entering the gathering wherever the expansive assemblage sits. Pecker is the erstwhile steadfast of the National Enquirer tabloid, which was progressive successful arranging the outgo to Daniels.

However the lawsuit is acold from a slam dunk, the Times reports, and relies connected a ineligible strategy that whitethorn not cookware out. Here’s much from their report:

The prosecutors person besides begun contacting officials from Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, 1 of the radical said. And successful a motion that they privation to corroborate these witnesser accounts, the prosecutors precocious subpoenaed telephone records and different documents that mightiness shed airy connected the episode.

A condemnation is not a definite thing, successful portion due to the fact that a lawsuit could hinge connected showing that Mr. Trump and his institution falsified records to fell the payout from voters days earlier the 2016 election, a low-level felony complaint that would beryllium based connected a mostly untested ineligible theory. The lawsuit would besides trust connected the grounds of Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s erstwhile fixer who made the outgo and who himself pleaded blameworthy to national charges related to the hush wealth successful 2018.

The justness section has again expressed its unwillingness to stock details of ongoing investigations with the House GOP.

Here’s the department’s letter, obtained by ABC News, successful effect to the request for accusation from judiciary committee seat Jim Jordan and subordinate Mike Johnson:

In their missive sent 13 January, Jordan and Johnson requested a scope of papers from the justness department, including “all documents and communications referring oregon relating to the assignment of Robert K. Hur arsenic Special Counsel, including but not constricted to immoderate memoranda regarding his appointment” – which is precisely the benignant of happening the justness section is loath to discuss.

Memphis relieves sixth constabulary serviceman of work aft Tyre Nichols death

The Memphis constabulary section has relieved a sixth serviceman of work pursuing the beating decease of Tyre Nichols, the Associated Press reports.

A constabulary spokeswoman confirmed serviceman Preston Hemphill was disciplined pursuing Nichols’ 7 January beating, which resulted successful his decease 3 days aboriginal and the firing and indictment of 5 officers connected execution charges. The metropolis released videos of the onslaught past week, prompting nationwide protests.

It was unclear what relation Hemphill played successful the assault, but household and assemblage members accidental they privation to cognize if prosecutors volition prosecute charges oregon subject against different officers who responded erstwhile Nichols was beaten pursuing a postulation stop.

Christian nationalists who were progressive successful spreading Covid-19 misinformation and promoting Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 predetermination person made a caller propulsion to triumph adherents nationwide, the Guardian’s Peter Stone reports:

A far-right task that has helped dispersed Donald Trump’s mendacious claims astir voting fraud successful 2020, and misinformation astir Covid vaccines, is trying to grow its mission, portion facing caller disapproval from scholars and spiritual leaders astir its incendiary governmental and Christian nationalist messages.

ReAwaken America, a task of the Oklahoma-based entrepreneur Clay Clark, has hosted galore revival-style governmental events crossed the US aft receiving tens of thousands of dollars successful archetypal funds successful 2021 from millionaire Patrick Byrne, and go a cardinal conveyance for pushing predetermination denialism and falsehoods astir Covid vaccines.

ReAwaken America besides boasts adjacent ties to retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn, who successful December 2020 met with Trump, Byrne and others astatine the White House to crippled ways to reverse Trump’s predetermination loss. The gathering happened soon aft Trump pardoned Flynn, who was convicted for lying to the FBI astir his contacts with the Russian ambassador earlier serving concisely arsenic Trump’s nationalist information adviser.

Clark’s task besides has links to Dr Simone Gold, who served a 60-day jailhouse condemnation for illegally entering the Capitol connected 6 January and founded America’s Frontline Doctors, an anti-vaccine radical that has besides touted bogus cures.

“Christian nationalism has heavy roots successful American past and has gained traction astatine antithetic points,” said Amanda Tyler, the enforcement manager of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. “The ReAwaken America Tour taps into the unholy good of Christian nationalism to sow uncertainty astir the US predetermination strategy and the information of Covid vaccines portion equating allegiance to Trumpism with allegiance to God.”

Donald Trump spent this play campaigning successful New Hampshire and South Carolina, wherever helium made a peculiar effort to onslaught Florida politician Ron DeSantis. There’s a crushed for that, the Guardian’s Maya Yang reports:

America’s 2024 statesmanlike contention is showing signs of kicking into cogwheel amid reports that Florida’s rightwing Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is present laying the groundwork for a White House bid arsenic Donald Trump yet deed the run trail.

DeSantis’s moves adjacent spurred Trump into attacking him straight arsenic the erstwhile US president held comparatively low-key events implicit the play successful the cardinal aboriginal voting states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.

“Ron would person not been politician if it wasn’t for maine … erstwhile I perceive helium mightiness run, I see that precise disloyal,” Trump said, earlier seeking to onslaught DeSantis’s actions implicit warring the Covid-19 pandemic.

DeSantis began his clip arsenic Florida’s politician successful the shadiness of Trump, whose governmental messaging helium intimately emulated. But helium has since emerged arsenic Trump’s astir almighty governmental rival successful the Republican party, progressively fashionable with galore enactment officials who are wary of the scandals and chaos that accompanied Trump’s clip successful office.

The Democrats person respective strategies to combat backmost against the Republican probe campaign. One of them is the deployment of extracurricular groups, among them Facts First USA, which was acceptable up past twelvemonth specifically to antagonistic the GOP’s inquiries.

In a connection released pursuing James Comer’s event, Facts First criticized the GOP oversight seat for acknowledging that the Treasury department’s reporting strategy for suspicious fiscal transactions needs reform. As portion of his probe into the president, Comer had demanded from the Treasury suspicious enactment reports related to Hunter Biden, but astatine the lawsuit acknowledged the reporting strategy is flawed.

“We astir apt request suspicious enactment betterment … due to the fact that determination are excessively galore suspicious enactment reports file. There’s truthful many, the slope examiners don’t person clip to thoroughly spell done them all,” Comer said. “But I volition accidental this, if they’re nary large deal, past wherefore won’t they fto america person entree to it? Because I couldn’t archer you. I would find it precise astonishing that a slope would record a suspicious enactment study connected the lad of the sitting vice president United States unless they were beauteous definite that determination had been immoderate benignant of large usurpation committed with that suspicious enactment report.”

Here’s what Facts First USA president David Brock had to accidental astir that:

Comer conscionable admitted that 1 of his erstwhile cardinal rationales for launching an inquisition into the backstage beingness of Hunter Biden was really based connected a prevarication and a flawed reporting strategy that helium present says needs reform. The information that Comer is already being forced to backtrack from his ain lies earlier helium adjacent held his archetypal proceeding is wide foreshadowing that his investigations into conspiracy theories are already headed towards the inevitable clang landing arsenic Durham and Barr’s failed four-year probe for Trump chasing the fake heavy state.

John Durham was the peculiar counsel appointed by Trump’s lawyer wide William Barr to analyse the origins of the probe into the erstwhile president’s ties with Russia – an enquiry that has truthful acold turned up little.

As acold arsenic James Comer is concerned, Donald Trump has been investigated enough, and his committee doesn’t program to look into the erstwhile president’s conduct.

“If idiosyncratic tin bring maine grounds that Trump was utilizing documents oregon was influenced peddling with wrong information, past we volition analyse that. But I judge that Donald Trump has been investigated for the past six years for conscionable astir everything imaginable,” Comer said. “And present there’s a peculiar counsel that’s coming around, the 2nd peculiar counsel, that’s coming astir and investigating his mishandling of classified documents and astir apt everything else.”

The remark isn’t a large surprise, fixed however Republican mostly stay successful lockstep with Trump. And though Hunter Biden whitethorn beryllium a sanction you volition perceive from Comer and different Republicans successful the months to come, the oversight seat made wide Joe Biden is their target.

“This isn’t a Hunter Biden investigation. This is an probe of the president,” helium said.

James Comer’s committee won’t conscionable beryllium focused connected investigations. He besides said it could play a relation successful negotiating an summation successful the indebtedness ceiling.

“We’re sincere astir trying to beryllium the person successful Congress successful coming up with projected cuts,” the Republican oversight committee seat said. “There’s a batch of speech astir the indebtedness ceiling. And fto maine accidental this, we volition ne'er default. That’s not going to happen. But I bash deliberation we request to beryllium superior astir uncovering spending cuts, and we tin chopped spending without cutting Social Security and Medicare.”

So what would Republicans person chopped successful speech for their votes to summation the government’s quality to wage its bills?

“Everything but Social Security, Medicare is gonna beryllium connected the array … including defense,” Comer said. That past portion whitethorn beryllium arguable among Republicans, galore of whom favour keeping the subject good funded.

The Republicans are determined to probe 2 imaginable scandals involving Joe Biden: the president’s possession of classified documents, and the concern dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.

Or are they, successful fact, 1 scandal? At the National Press Club, Comer made the lawsuit that they are. Here’s what helium said:

It’s truly 1 investigation. It’s not truly two, due to the fact that the crushed that that I’m acrophobic astir the Biden documents is due to the fact that there’s immoderate crushed that China has donated truthful overmuch wealth to the antithetic Biden interests. I don’t deliberation they’re doing it retired of the kindness of their heart. Look, China’s an adversary.

According to Factcheck.org, determination is nary grounds that China was capable to spot the classified material, oregon that the state funded the Penn Biden Center astatine the University of Pennsylvania. Biden’s erstwhile bureau astatine the halfway was 1 of the locations wherever the concealed documents from his clip arsenic vice president were discovered.

'I'm conscionable an mean feline with mean ability': apical GOP researcher onslaught bipartisan tone

In his code astatine the National Press Club, James Comer, the Republican seat of the House oversight committee, formed his inquiries arsenic an important portion of Congress’ oversight, careless of who is successful the White House.

“There’s going to beryllium a batch written that says this committee’s partisan oregon whatever, I judge … I person demonstrated, I’ll bash what I deliberation is right, what I deliberation is best. That doesn’t mean that’s the close decision, that doesn’t mean I’m going to beryllium close 100% of the time,” Comer said. “But I’m sincere astir trying to bash the close thing, and I’m conscionable an mean feline with mean ability, astatine best, that’s fed up with the process successful Washington DC. I’m fed up with the nationalist corruption. I’m fed up with the excessive spending, and I privation to bash thing astir it.”

He said the oversight committee could “play a immense relation successful investigating this administration,” and named “the Biden household power peddling” arsenic among his priorities. But helium besides cited the concern activities of Donald Trump’s son-in-law and apical adjutant Jared Kushner successful saying, “I deliberation determination was a occupation successful the past medication with power peddling.”

“If we don’t bash thing astir power peddling. It’s astir apt lone gonna get worse,” Comer said.

Elsewhere successful Congress, Black lawmakers privation to revive stalled constabulary betterment talks pursuing the beating decease of Tyre Nichols, the Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt and Edwin Rios report:

An influential radical of Black elected officials has called for a gathering with Joe Biden to sermon constabulary reform, arsenic calls for changes to American policing intensify aft officers’ deadly beating of Tyre Nichols.

The president of the Congressional Black Caucus, Steven Horsford, said the radical of 60 members of Congress had asked to conscionable with the president this week to “push for negotiations connected much-needed nationalist reforms to our justness strategy – specifically, the actions and behaviour of our instrumentality enforcement”.

The entreaty to Biden, who has called for Congress to walk constabulary reforms, came arsenic protests prompted by Nichols’s sidesplitting continued successful Memphis implicit the weekend.

Nichols, a Black man, died connected 10 January, 3 days aft Memphis constabulary officers bushed him by a postulation stop. Nichols’s parents, who person been invited to be Biden’s State of the Union code connected 7 February, said the 29-year-old was driving location aft photographing the sunset.

Video footage released by Memphis officials past week showed officers kicking and punching and Nichols and hitting him with a constabulary baton.

In summation to House oversight seat James Comer, different Republican who volition beryllium starring the probe run against the Biden medication is Jim Jordan.

The judiciary committee seat is 1 of the best-known conservatives successful the chamber, and made headlines earlier this period by starring the instauration of a subcommittee to analyse the “weaponization of the national government”. He has already sent a flurry of demands for documents and grounds to the justness department, but successful a five-page response, a apical lawyer cited longstanding signifier successful refusing to stock details of ongoing investigations with Jordan, 1 of Donald Trump’s closest allies successful Congress.

In an interrogation with Punchbowl News today, Carlos Uriarte, the justness department’s constituent antheral for legislative affairs who authored the missive to Jordan, elaborated connected its approach. He told the outlet that the constituent of the missive “was to truly show our involvement and willingness to cooperate with [Republicans] successful their investigations”, but lone to the grade it kept with humanities norms that helium said dated backmost to the 1940s.

Asked if helium sees Jordan arsenic an “honest broker”, Uriarte replied, “I deliberation Representative Jordan, conscionable similar immoderate subordinate of Congress, has a acceptable of goals that helium wants to execute arsenic chair.”

The Democrats retook power of the House of Representatives midway done Donald Trump’s term, and did what the enactment not successful the White House often does: utilized its powerfulness successful Congress to clasp the president to account.

Its astir potent probe came aft Trump near bureau successful the signifier of the January 6 committee, which spent months unveiling shocking revelations astir the erstwhile president’s behaviour arsenic the Capitol was attacked, and his attempts to undo his 2020 predetermination loss.

The GOP is present backmost successful the bulk successful the House for the archetypal clip since 2018, and plans to springiness Democrats a sensation of their ain medicine. They’ve already jumped connected the revelations that Joe Biden had classified documents successful his idiosyncratic possession, arsenic good arsenic the surge of migrant arrivals astatine the US border. The 2024 statesmanlike predetermination looms ample here: should Biden tally again, the Republicans anticipation they volition person unearthed capable damning details that radical who supported him successful 2020 alteration their minds.

GOP to footwear disconnected probe run against Biden administration

Good morning, US politics blog readers. Today volition commencement with a 10am eastbound clip code from James Comer, the Republican seat of the House oversight committee, who is to item the party’s plans to usage its power of Congress’s little enclosure to clasp the Biden medication to account. The GOP has made nary concealed of its plans to enactment a run of investigations against the Biden medication astatine the halfway of its strategy successful Congress, since uncovering bipartisan statement with the Democratic-led Senate whitethorn different beryllium challenging. Comer and different committee chairs person already kicked disconnected inquiries into a scope of White House affairs, including the classified documents recovered successful Joe Biden’s possession and the alleged “weaponization of the national government”. We’ll spot what other Comer has successful store erstwhile helium speaks astatine the National Press Club.

Here’s what other is going connected today:

• Biden is heading to Baltimore to sermon however the infrastructure bundle helium signed successful 2021 volition assistance wage for the replacement of an aging obstruction tunnel, 1 of respective events promoting the instrumentality the president has planned this week.

• Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell and the Congressional Integrity Project – a radical formed to deed backmost astatine the Republican probe run – clasp a property league astatine 12pm eastbound time.

• Vice-President Kamala Harris volition beryllium successful Raleigh, North Carolina, wherever she’ll speech astir the Biden administration’s efforts to assistance tiny concern owners.