Trump news: Top Democrat calls for House Intel Committee investigation to be reopened after Cohen guilty plea
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Donald Trump's disastrous week continues to rumble on, as the US president attempts to change a narrative that is swiftly spiralling out of his control and once again leading opponents to call for thorough investigations.
On Tuesday, two former associates of Mr Trump were convicted of a number of charges, with the president's former lawyer admitting to a pair of campaign finance violations during the presidential election.
Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's so-called legal "fixer" implicated the president when he told the court his client had directed him to make payments to two women for the "purpose of influencing the election".
Cohen admitted paying the hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women who have alleged they had extramarital affairs with Mr Trump.
The developments have once again raised the spectre of impeachment, with one Democratic congressman warning the "countdown" is underway. The threat to Mr Trump's presidency was raised once again on Friday, when Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the committee's now-closed Russia investigation should be reopened in the light of the disclosures from Cohen.
Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former White House aide, has added fuel to the fire, saying she is "fully willing and ready" to testify in impeachment proceedings against the president.
Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's one-time campaign manager, was also found guilty on Tuesday over numerous charges of financial and tax fraud, the same day Cohen admitted his guilt.
The convictions stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, as well as the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 election.
On Thursday, it was revealed the White House opposed a bill which would significantly bolster America's defences against future election hacking.
Mr Trump has consistently dismissed the threat posed by Russia, and has flip flopped on whether he believes Moscow interfered in the last election.
In light of Donald Trump's assertion that "flipping" should be made illegal - after Michael Cohen turned on the president - here The Independent's Joe Sommerlad has gone through some of history's most famous "flips".
As Donald Trump's disastrous week comes to a close, it appears the president is sharpening his attacks on his own Justice Department following his former personal lawyer's guilty plea and former campaign manager's guilty verdict.
Here's the latest on the president and Justice Department fallout via the AP:
Earlier this week, Mr Trump, concerned by the legal downfall of two former advisers, accused Mr Sessions of failing to take control of the Justice Department. Mr Sessions punched back Thursday, saying that he and his department “will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”
Mr Trump’s anger with Sessions boiled over in an interview with Fox News in which the president also expressed frustration with the plea agreement his onetime legal fixer Michael Cohen cut with prosecutors, implicating Trump in a crime that Cohen admitted. Mr Trump said it might be better if “flipping” — cooperating with prosecutors in exchange for more favorable treatment— were illegal because people cooperating with the government “just make up lies” to get a break from prosecutors.
Some of the issues Mr Trump raised with Mr Sessions on Friday have either already been examined or are in the process of being investigated.
He cited two former FBI officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were sharply criticized in a Justice Department inspector general report in June for trading derogatory text messages about Trump. Mr Strzok, who was removed from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in the summer once the texts were brought to his attention, was fired by the FBI this month. Page has resigned from the bureau.
Mr Trump also mentioned the Russian probe. The inspector general is also investigating potential abuses in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Mr Trump and other Republicans have complained that the political opposition research used to support a wiretap application on a Mr Trump associate was paid for by Democrats, something the inspector general is expected to look at.
Mr Trump also addressed the five-year sentence given to a former government contractor convicted of mailing a classified U.S. report to a news organization.
Mr Trump tweeted Friday that is “small potatoes” compared with “what Hillary Clinton did.” Prosecutors are calling that sentence handed down to 26-year-old Reality Winner the longest imposed for a federal crime involving leaks to the media.
Earlier he defended himself on Fox against talk of impeachment — “the market would crash ... everybody would be very poor” — tried to dissociate himself from Cohen and said anew that he hadn’t known in advance about Cohen’s hush money payments to silence women alleging sexual relationships with the celebrity businessman.
Mr Trump’s latest criticisms of law enforcement came as he appeared increasingly vulnerable to long-running investigations after this week’s one-two punch of Cohen’s plea deal and the conviction of Trump’s former campaign chair Paul Manafort.
Reports are indicating Donald Trump's longtime CFO to the Trump Organisation, Allen Weisselberg, has been granted immunity in a probe surrounding the president's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Eric Swalwell, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, referred to the comittee’s now-closed Russia investigation as a “sham” in an interview with CNN. The congressman then called for the investigation to be re-opened after Michael Cohen’s guilty plea.
"The Republicans shut down our investigation. The best thing they can do for the country is reopen the investigation and bring these witnesses in under subpoena and allow us to look at the documents that third parties hold to test their stories,” he said. "The Republicans shut down our investigation. The best thing they can do for the country is reopen the investigation and bring these witnesses in under subpoena and allow us to look at the documents that third parties hold to test their stories”.
Donald Trump has released a video on his Twitter account praising his unemployment records, as news continues to swirl around his former associates and ongoing investigations into the Trump Foundation.
Michael Cohen’s guilty plea has revealed a controversial link between Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and the Qatari royal family, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The attorney received a reported $100,000 brokerage fee through a real-estate deal in Florida, in which he seemingly represented a firm owned by Sheikh Abdul Aziz.
Donald Trump is now saying he’s cancelled further meetings between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the North Korean regime, writing on Twitter, “I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”.
"Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were,” the president continued. "Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!"
Here's The Independent's coverage on Donald Trump's announcement that meetings between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the North Korean regime have been suspended until further notice:
The president has departed Washington with First Lady Melania Trump to Ohio, where they are expected to visit the Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus.
While boarding, Mr Trump ignored shouted questions about the numerous scandals he faced this week, from Michael Cohen to Allen Wisselberg, along with other major news stories from the week.
The president and first lady have landed in Columbus, Ohio on their way to the Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Mr Trump was outside of shouting distance of reporters, who had previously tried to get him to comment on the guilty pleas of his former personal attorney Michael Cohen.
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