Trump news: Judge says ‘plausible’ ex-president incited Jan 6 riot as Mar-a-Lago docs referred to DoJ

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It has been a difficult week for the former president and his family.

The 15 boxes of White House records stored at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence contained classified national security information, the National Archives. The Justice Department has been informed as this puts Mr Trump in violation of a number of federal criminal statutes.

Meanwhile, former first lady Melania Trump has attacked the press for covering a Florida investigation into a charity event she hosted. And in Washington, the 6 January committee investigating the Capitol riot is reportedly also considering a subpoena for Ivanka Trump if she doesn’t cooperate with its inquiry.

Meanwhile, in a major turn in the New York authorities’ long-running investigation into Mr Trump’s affairs — a probe he described as “racist” and a “political witch hunt” — a judge on Thursday refused to quash subpoenas and depositions filed against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, and Ivanka Trump in the New York probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices, meaning all three will have to testify.

Further to that, on Friday afternoon, a federal judge has rejected Mr Trump’s bid to toss out conspiracy lawsuits against him for allegedly sparking the Capitol riot, saying the allegations were “plausible”.

As far as Mr Trump, the right-wing media and much of the GOP are concerned, however, the real scandal is a debunked story that Hillary Clinton “spied” on him. In a speech yesterday, Ms Clinton derided the story: “It is one thing to have political disagreements, those are natural and healthy. But it is an entirely different thing altogether to lose a shared sense of truth, facts and reality itself.”

Key Points

• Trump took classified materials to Mar-a-Lago when he left office
• Trump’s political future – and even his freedom – may be threatened by documents found at Mar-a-Lago
• Judge rejects Trump bid to quash Jan 6 conspiracy lawsuits
• Fox News maintains laser focus on Hillary Clinton
• Trump, Don Jr and Ivanka must testify in New York probe of his business practices, court rules

[18 February 2022 21:58 · Oliver O'Connell]

Readout of President Biden’s Call with Transatlantic Leaders

President Joseph R. Biden spoke today with Transatlantic leaders about the likelihood of further Russian aggression against Ukraine. Together they expressed deep concern over Russia’s continued build-up of forces, reiterated their strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and discussed the importance of further economic assistance to Ukraine. They pledged to continue pursuing diplomacy to de-escalate tensions while ensuring readiness to impose swift, coordinated economic costs on Russia should it choose further conflict. The leaders also discussed efforts to ensure the defense and security of Nato’s eastern flank. Participants in the call included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Andrzej Duda of Poland, President Klaus Iohannis of Romania, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom.

[18 February 2022 22:19 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden says Moscow has no excuse for invading Ukraine but is convinced will attack in days

US President Joe Biden on Friday blamed Russian-backed separatist forces for “a major uptick” in violence as part of a Russian plan to create a “pretext” for an invasion of Ukraine and said a series of Russian claims suggesting that Ukrainian forces were preparing a major offensive “defies logic”.

“There is simply no evidence for these assertions and it defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment — with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its borders — to escalate a years-long conflict,” Mr Biden said while speaking from the White House diplomatic reception room.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

[18 February 2022 22:54 · Oliver O'Connell]

Leader of Oath Keepers militia denied bail ahead of trial for seditious conspiracy

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of one of the largest extremist groups in the United States, has been denied bail ahead of his trial for seditious conspiracy.

Mr Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers militia, stands accused by prosecutors of organising a plot to “oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force,” which was centered around the attack on the US Capitol last year.

Richard Hall reports.

[18 February 2022 23:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden says Putin not planning to use nuclear weapons to invade Ukraine

Joe Biden has said he does not believe Vladimir Putin is planning to use nuclear weapons if the Russian leader decides to invade Ukraine.

A day after America top diplomat said any attack by Russia could go beyond the use of “conventional” weapons, and even claimed it could involve chemical weapons, Mr Biden said he did not believe nuclear weapons would be involved.

Speaking at the White House where he outlined conversations he had earlier in the day with European leaders, the president was asked his reaction to the fact Mr Putin was reportedly planning to spend the weekend overseeing nuclear drills.

Andrew Buncombe reports.

[19 February 2022 00:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Bigger than Watergate – or a Trump nothing-burger?

Experts say a court filing that has become fodder for Trumpworld’s endless series of accusations against Hillary Clinton raises serious ethical questions, writes Andrew Feinberg.

[19 February 2022 01:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Clinton opens ‘comeback’ speech with dig at Trump

Former US Secretary of State opened her speech at the New York State Democratic by taking a dig at former President Donald Trump, moments after a New York judge ruled that Mr Trump and two of his children must testify in the state attorney general’s investigation into his business practices.

“It’s funny, the more trouble Trump gets into the wilder the charges and conspiracy theories about me seem to get,” Ms Clinton said on Thursday at the Sheraton Times Square hotel in New York City. “So now his accountants have fired him and investigations draw closer to him, and right on cue the noise machine gets turned up doesn’t it?”

[19 February 2022 02:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

3.7 million children re-enter poverty after child tax credit expires

More than 3.7 million American children re-entered poverty after the expiration of monthly payments through a pandemic-era federal programme that expired at the end of 2021.

[19 February 2022 03:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago records did contain classified information

The Archivist of the United States confirmed in a letter to Congress on Friday that records retrieved from Trump’s club Mar-a-Lago contained classified information.

Archivist David S Ferriero sent a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney in response to questions she asked about records seized at Mr Trump’s residence. Earlier this month, the National Archives and Records Administration retrieved 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago that it said “should have been transferred to NARA from the White House at the end of the Trump Administration in January 2021.”

[19 February 2022 04:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Capitol rioter released from jail immediately resumes sharing conspiracy theories

One of the most infamous of the 6 January rioters who attacked the US Capitol has been released from jail after serving her sentence – and has immediately returned to social media to share angry conspiracy theories about the state of the US.

[19 February 2022 05:15 · Oliver O'Connell]

Judge rejects Trump bid to quash conspiracy lawsuits adding it is ‘plausible’ he ‘sparked’ Capitol riot

Donald Trump does not have absolute immunity from multiple civil lawsuits seeking to hold him accountable for the attacks on the US Capitol, according to a federal judge’s ruling on 18 February.

In his 112-page opinion, US District Judge Amit Mehta said that the president’s rally speech on 6 January, 2021 that preceded the assault “can reasonably be viewed as a collective action.”

His opinion determined that arguments in several lawsuits are “plausible” in their allegations that the former president’s “words at the rally sparked what followed”.

Alex Woodward reports.