Trump's defence secretary Mark Esper admits he 'didn't see' evidence of imminent threat from Iran
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Donald Trump has been accused of “engaging in hate speech against an entire religion” after retweeting a meme of senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in Muslim dress as press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained he posted it to attack the opposition for “almost taking the side of terrorists” in the Iran crisis.
A US cybersecurity firm has meanwhile alleged that Russian military agents successfully hacked Ukrainian gas company Burisma — at the heart of the impeachment inquiry over its ties to Hunter Biden, son of Mr Trump’s leading 2020 opponent Joe Biden — suggesting it attempted to steal emails with a view to again influencing an American presidential election.
On impeachment, Republicans in the Senate appear to be backing down from the idea of dismissing the two articles against the president outright after admitting they do not have the votes to see through such a controversial move.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell instead has announced that the Senate will plan to begin the president's impeachment trial on 21 January, provided that House Democrats send articles of impeachment and assign case managers to the Senate proceedings on Wednesday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not get assurance from the Republican leader who has previously gloated about his coordination with the White House and pledged support for dismissing the articles outright.
Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal
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Mr McConnell also did not say whether the Senate will bring up witnesses or evidence for the trial, saying instead he'll determine whether to do that "at the appropriate time".
Speaker Pelosi said a Senate dismissal of the charges against the president amounts to a "pure political cover-up".
Meanwhile, Democrats are pressuring the White House to release billions of dollars in aid to Puerto Rico, still suffering from 2017 hurricanes in addition to the ongoing earthquakes that have displaced thousands of people, as reports emerge that the president is considering diverting billions from the Pentagon to pay for his US-Mexico border wall.
Democrats also announced an investigation into the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" anti-immigration measure at the border, which "has morphed into a policy whereby refugees and asylum seekers are being kept in Mexico indefinitely and without due process or access to counsel".
White House spokesman says Democrats 'more upset at Vince Vaughn exchange than Soleimani killing innocent citizens'
Fox has been making much of the "liberal outrage" against the Hollywood actor this morning after he was spotted shaking hands with Trump at the game last night, with White House spokesman Hogan Gidley taking the biscuit by complaining that Democrats are more upset about the president sharing "a few kind words" with Vaughn than they were about the threat posed by Qassem Solemani.
The trouble is, the "outrage" they cite is proving hard to substantiate...
House Judiciary Committee announces investigation into Trump's zero tolerance immigration policy
Chairman Jerry Nadler and congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, have just announced their panel will the start an investigation into how the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" anti-immigration measure at the border "has morphed into a policy whereby refugees and asylum seekers are being kept in Mexico indefinitely and without due process or access to counsel."
The pair have written the following letter to acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf demanding answers.
Pelosi: Senate trial will be seen as 'pure political cover up' without witnesses and evidence
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns that a Senate impeachment trial will amount to "pure political coverup" and that Senators "will be held accountable" if no witnesses or evidence are introduced.
In a statement, she said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the president "are afraid of more facts coming to light."
“The American people deserve the truth, and the Constitution demands a trial," she said.
The House will vote on transmitting impeachment articles and appointing managers to the Senate on Wednesday.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he wants to ensure a focus on the "stunning" abuse of power charge against the president.
He said: "The Senate should conduct a fair trial. A fair trial includes witnesses and documents. What is the president hiding from the American people?"
Congressman Jeffries called for Senate testimonies from Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton.
Democrats are demanding the Trump administration end its delay in sending billions of recovery funds to Puerto Rico as wave after wave of earthquakes and tremors have devastated the island.
From The Independent's man in Washington, Andrew Feinberg reports that Donald Trump has limited his public face, despite appearances, and he's tweeting more than ever as his impeachment trial approaches:
As the third presidential impeachment trial in American history looms, it may seem like the president is a ubiquitous presence on the national and world stages.
His tweets still generate news coverage, he can still singlehandedly move world events by ordering military actions, and his every utterance is still broadcast to the world and carefully transcribed, parsed, and analysed by a dedicated coterie of journalists.
But as the House is poised to trigger the start of Mr Trump's trial by voting to send its two articles of impeachment against Mr Trump to the Senate, data obtained by The Independent strongly suggests the president has — with limited exceptions — largely retreated from public view since Democrats launched their impeachment inquiry on September 24.
Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy told Fox that the timing of the impeachment articles is meant to hurt Bernie Sanders, who the president has attacked with some frequency as the Democratic presidential nominee gains momentum in the polls ahead of Iowa.
Republicans are calling for Joe Biden to pause his campaign as Trump's impeachment trial begins.
Nancy Pelosi's chief of staff responded, saying: "Impeachment has nothing to do with politics or the presidential race. As usual, the Minority Leader has no idea what he’s talking about."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the impeachment trial against Donald Trump will begin next week if the House sends articles of impeachment to the Republican-led body on Wednesday, as expected.
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