Trump 'asked Whitaker to put prosecutor of his choosing in charge of Cohen probe'

The White House has also launched a major campaign to end criminalisation of homosexuality

Former White House ethics chief, Richard Painter: Donald Trump is 'mentally unwell'

Donald Trump’s White House faced another day of turmoil as a new Congressional report alleged senior administration officials attempted to share information on nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia.

The House Oversight Committee announced a new investigation into the accusations, in which whistle blowers within the president’s administration described “abnormal acts” between the White House and the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump continued to lash out against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe after the official confirmed he launched a counterintelligence investigation into the president.

Mr McCabe was fired last year after the Justice Department’s inspector general concluded that he had misled officials about his role in a news media disclosure. He has denied the allegations, described his firing as politically motivated and, in a series of interviews this week, has said he plans to sue the Justice Department over it.

Mr McCabe also said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that the FBI had good reason to open a counterintelligence investigation into whether Mr Trump was in league with Russia, and therefore a possible national security threat, following the May 2017 firing of then-FBI Director James Comey.

The controversies continued erupting throughout the day when an explosive New York Times report alleged the president asked his then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to put a prosecutor of his choosing in charge of an investigation into his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Mr Trump’s turmoil arrived a day after protests erupted across the country on President’s Day in opposition to his national emergency declaration.

“Trump is the national emergency!” chanted a group of hundreds lined up Monday at the White House fence while Trump was out of town in Florida. Some held up large letters spelling out “stop power grab.” In downtown Fort Worth, Texas, a small group carried signs with messages including “no wall! #FakeTrumpEmergency.”

At least 16 states have sued the president over the declaration.

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Key Points

• Donald Trump signs major Space Force directive
• Report says he asked for a prosecutor of his choosing to lead probe into his former lawyer
• President's enemies suggest abuse of power grounds for impeachment

[19 February 2019 22:05 · Clark Mindock]

Take a look below for one of the odder bits of Donald Trump news you might come across this evening:

[19 February 2019 22:20 · Clark Mindock]

Donald Trump is facing attacks from all sides at the moment, and it appears that the headaches from his former personal lawyer are not over yet.

Michael Cohen is expected to testify before Congress in the coming weeks. His lawyer says he has a lot to say:

[19 February 2019 22:35 · Clark Mindock]

From one of our contributors:

[19 February 2019 22:43 · Clark Mindock]

In light of Donald Trump's homosexuality campaign being introduced today, check out the president's record on gay rights at home: