Trump rails against asylum seekers and Mexico as Congress prepares to subpoena Mueller report

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Fox News graphic claims that Trump is cutting funding to '3 Mexican countries'

House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler is planning a vote on Wednesday on a motion to subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on ties between Donald Trump and Russia and demand testimony from at least four former top Trump aides.

The report is still under review by attorney-general William Barr but Mr Nadler has lost patience and hopes to issue him with a “hurry up” notice and call up Mr Trump’s ex-chief strategist Steve Bannon, former director of strategic communications Hope Hicks, ex-White House Counsel Don McGahn and former chief of staff Reince Priebus to appear before his committee.

President Trump has meanwhile repeated his threat to shutdown the US border with Mexico in protest at what he regards as America’s neighbour’s failure to tackle northbound illegal immigration and called on the Democrats to help fix asylum “loopholes”.

Mr Mueller's report was delivered to the Justice Department a week and a half ago, marking an end to a nearly two year investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The attorney general's office then sent a letter to Congress just two days later, detailing in broad strokes the findings of the investigation. Mr Barr wrote in that letter that the Mueller probe found no evidence of collusion or conspiracy between the Russian efforts and the Trump campaign. Mr Barr then noted that the Mueller probe did not make a judgement on whether Mr Trump had committed obstruction of justice — and the attorney general said that he had determined that charges were not warranted.

The information in the letter has been celebrated by Mr Trump, who has insisted repeatedly during the first two years of his campaign that he and his campaign had not colluded with the Russian meddling.

The Mueller report did, however, note that dozens of Russian individuals or groups were involved in an effort to sway the election for Mr Trump.

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Key Points

• House Judiciary Committee to vote on subpoenaing Mueller report
• Trump attacks Democrats and Mexico over border 'crisis'
• Pope Francis condemns politicians who build walls
• Potential 2020 Democratic front-runner Joe Biden hit by allegation of inappropriate conduct

[1 April 2019 17:05 · Clark Mindock]

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The president's adult son, Donald Trump Jr, is bashing the media and celebrating his position on Twitter.

[1 April 2019 17:35 · Clark Mindock]

With the president railing on Obamacare and demanding — yet again — a replacement for the healthcare law, he is reportedly finding some help from the man who was governor of Massachusetts when the state implemented a healthcare reform that ultimately served as a framework for the Affordable Care Act: senator Mitt Romney.

[1 April 2019 17:55 · Clark Mindock]

There are eight Democratic presidential hopefuls gathered in DC for the We The People summit, and Julian Castro is calling for extraordinary measures to thunderous applause.

Among the things Mr Castro is calling for is the end of the electoral college, and to make Congress subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

[1 April 2019 18:07 · Clark Mindock]

Donald Trump's fellow Twitter savant, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has railed against LaGuardia International Airport's expensive croissants — which go for $7 a piece, she said.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has been attacked by Mr Trump and the right since her stunning primary upset last year during the 2018 midterms. Her croissant tweet was quickly demonized by the right, which she then responded to by clarifying that she believes the price highlights the need for strong minimum wages.

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[1 April 2019 18:38 · Clark Mindock]

Here is Cory Booker's message from the We The People summit in DC today:

[1 April 2019 19:00 · Clark Mindock]

Senator Brian Schatz reportedly plans on introducing a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college, with the support of several other prominent Senate democrats.

Such an amendment — assuming the system is replaced by a popular election — would drastically change the strategy for campaigns in the US, and would make it harder for candidates to win the presidency by banking on rural states with fewer people but more electoral clout.

If the most recent election were to be determined by the popular vote, Hillary Clinton would be president of the United States right now.

[1 April 2019 19:29 · Clark Mindock]

Thanks for reading along for our live coverage of the Trump administration today, we're wrapping things up for the day. 

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