Trump news – as it happened: Order to seize voting machines revealed as Ivanka ‘isolated’ from Mar-a-Lago
Follow the latest updates
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump’s order - in which he instructed the defence secretary to seize voting machines - was based on an unfounded conspiracy theory, a new report claims.
A draft of a presidential order to seize voting machines appears to be largely based on blatantly false theories espoused by one of Mr Trump’s attorneys.
The three-page document, dated 16 December 2020, would have ordered the Secretary of Defence to “seize, collect, retain and analyze” voting equipment and electronic records.
The draft “presidential finding,” the contents of which were first reported by Politico, is one of the more than 750 documents that the National Archives and Records Administration turned over to the House select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka is reportedly frustrated at being dragged into the Jan 6 investigation on account of her time working in the White House.
According to a new report in The Daily Beast, Ms Trump’s displeasure stems from the fact that the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, is seeking testimony from her, while the Select Committee Investigating the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol is also asking for cooperation.
“Investigators working very different probes are increasingly looking to pressure the same person: Ivanka Trump,” The Beast noted.
Lara Trump pressures DeSantis to back former president
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump has put pressure on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to back the former president if he chooses to run for the White House again in 2024.
After Ms Trump claimed that there’s no “bad blood” between Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis, Fox Business Network host Stu Varney said, “DeSantis says asking him to support Trump in 2024 is too much to ask. He’s denying your father-in-law support”.
“Well, let’s give him another opportunity,” Ms Trump suggested. “Perhaps he did not mean exactly how those words are being interpreted. Let’s wait and see. I have not spoken to Ron DeSantis myself about that.”
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Lara Trump puts pressure on DeSantis to back Trump in 2024
‘I’m sure the two of them are going to be together at some point to discuss things,’ daughter-in-law says
Trump campaign officials coordinated ‘fake electors’, say reports
Reporting by The Washington Post and CNN says that Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw efforts to put forward illegitimate alternate sets of electors from seven states that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Sources say that members of the Trump 2020 campaign team were very involved in the plan that was part of a broader scheme to overturn the Biden victory when Congress certified the counting of electoral votes on 6 January 2021.
The plot involved state-by-state planning and coordination between the Trump campaign and Republican state operatives, according to sources, with supporters selected to fill the fake elector slots.
Coordination of the plot was as detailed as booking meeting rooms in statehouses and making drafts of fake certificates.
The scheme was active in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, and New Mexico.
The plan is now under the scrutiny of state attorneys general and the House select committee on January 6 to evaluate if any laws were broken.
Committee chair Bennie Thompson told reporters on Thursday that they are looking into whether this is part of a broader conspiracy relating to January 6, describing it as “a concern”.
The committee’s subpoena letter to Mr Giuliani specifically references his efforts to convince state legislatures to overturn election results.
Psaki corrects Biden election claims, says he was talking about Trump
White House press secretary walked back suggestions from Joe Biden that the upcoming midterm elections may not be legitimate if his bill to change voting laws is not passed.
Well, actually, the president was talking about Donald Trump in 2020, according to Jen Psaki.
"First I’ve talked to the president a lot about this and he absolutely is not predicting that the 2022 elections would be illegitimate," Psaki said.
“The point he was making is that the former president asked a number of states, seven or more in fact, to overturn the outcome of the election. Obviously, if there’s an effort to do that we’ve got to fight against that.”
Biden had earlier been directly asked about the new legislation currently being debated, and whether he believed the upcoming election would be fairly conducted and its results will be legitimate
This was his response: “Well, all depends on whether or not we’re able to make the case to the American people that some of this is being set up to try to alter the outcome of the election”.
Watch the full exchange below:
Is the world ready for a Trump v Biden 2024 rematch?
Survey says… NO!
Less than 3 in 10 people want to see the rematch of the 2020 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Only 28 per cent want to see Trump throws his hat in the ring if Biden doesn’t his hat out of it, according to an AP poll from the past week.
Among Democrats, less than half, or just 48 per cent, want to see them go at it a second time.
Now, how about Trump v Hillary?
What’s a special grand jury and how does it work?
A prosecutor who’s investigating possible attempts by former President Donald Trump and others to interfere in the 2020 general election in Georgia on Thursday called for a special grand jury to help move the case along.
A special grand jury, or special purpose grand jury, is impaneled specifically to investigate any alleged violation of the laws of the state of Georgia.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR GRAND JURY?
A regular grand jury in Georgia is seated for a limited duration, one term of court — in Fulton County that’s two months. Grand jurors hear everything from felony shoplifting to murder cases and then decide whether to issue an indictment.
A special grand jury has no set term and focuses on a single topic. Unlike a regular grand jury, a special grand jury can subpoena the target of an investigation to appear before it, former Gwinnett County district attorney Danny Porter said. When the investigation is done, a special grand jury produces a report on its findings but can’t issue an indictment.
WHY USE A SPECIAL GRAND JURY?
Special grand juries are used for an expansive topic that takes longer than a single term of court to investigate and often has to do with public corruption, Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia executive director Pete Skandalakis said.
The election case would be ideal for a special purpose grand jury because it’s likely a complex case with a lot of witnesses and potential logistical concerns that will take more time and focus than a regular grand jury is able to spend, he said. - Associated Press
Five takeaways from the Capitol riot committee’s request for Ivanka Trump’s testimony
Thursday marked the first time a member of President Donald Trump’s own family officially became roped into the Capitol riot committee’s investigation of the January 6 attack.
Ivanka Trump, eldest daughter of the former president, was notified that the committee will seek her voluntary testimony regarding the events of January 6 and the actions taken by her father as the riot unfolded.
As a White House adviser who joined the Trump White House in early 2017, Ms Trump is one of the longest-serving Trump aides whose testimony has been requested. She issued a defiant statement in response which sought to minimise her participation and suggested that she would resist the committee’s request absent a subpoena.
The committee’s request, as well as Ms Trump’s own statement in response to their letter, revealed a number of important details not just about the current scope and focus of lawmakers on the panel but Ms Trump’s mindset and potentially the feelings of other members of the ex-president’s inner circle.
The Independent’s John Bowden looks at the five things learned from the request for Ivanka Trump’s testimony.
Five takeaways from the Capitol riot committee’s request for Ivanka Trump’s testimony
Statement by the former president’s daughter and the committee’s letter shed new light on riot investigation’s focus
Are Americans expecting too much from Joe Biden?
Andrew Buncombe asks if Biden deserves more credit a year into his presidency.
Is America expecting too much from Joe Biden?
The president’s approval ratings are nowhere close to where the White House would want them – but, asks Andrew Buncombe, does Biden deserve more credit?
Fraud case against Trump? Not a slam dunk, experts say
Lawyers who examined the details of the allegations said that while Attorney General Letitia James could potentially bring a lawsuit alleging fraud, she will face two major hurdles: proving both an intent to deceive and that banks that loaned Trump money were actually fooled.
“Were you sloppy, lazy or over-optimistic about your prospects? If you were, that may be bad business, but it doesn’t necessarily rise to fraud,” said Will Thomas, an assistant professor of business law at the University of Michigan.
One important question is whether any misrepresentations in the company’s financial statements “were intentional, knowing and intended to deceive,” said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who reviewed the evidence for AP.
Intent is difficult to prove with real estate because it is an illiquid asset whose value, unlike publicly traded shares, isn’t being set by different investors constantly buying and selling, but by estimates, and often flawed ones.
“Even experts applying the same set of valuation tools might reasonably disagree about the ultimate valuation,” Thomas said.
Associated Press
GOP rep called hypocrite for lauding infrastructure funding she voted against
US Representative Ashley Hinson is being called a hypocrite after praising and taking credit for infrastructure funding allocated to her region, despite having voted against the bill that made it possible.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Republican blasted for taking credit for bill she voted against and called socialism
The response to the Republican’s post began trending on Twitter under the phrase “YOU VOTED AGAINST IT”
Ivanka Trump hits back at Jan 6 committee request saying she didn’t ‘speak at the rally’
Ivanka Trump, who served as an adviser in her father’s White House, will be among the next targets of the January 6 committee.
“Ivanka Trump just learned that the January 6 Committee issued a public letter asking her to appear. As the Committee already knows, Ivanka did not speak at the January 6 rally,” said a spokesperson for Ms Trump.
“As she publicly stated that day at 3:15pm, ‘any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful,’” the spokesperson noted.
The Independent’s John Bowden has the story:
Ivanka Trump hits back at Jan 6 committee request
Daughter of former president is first Trump family member to be targeted
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies