Trump news: White House 'is in fast competition' with Nixon administration on obstruction, Watergate accuser says

Follow the latest updates from Washington, as it happened

Donald Trump's hair dances in the wind during d-day memorial

Donald Trump is facing a renewed onslaught from House Democrats, who will begin picking over the Mueller report‘s obstruction of justice evidence on Monday as the party continues to weigh up launching impeachment proceedings against the president.

The House will stage a vote on whether to hold attorney general William Barr and ex-White House adviser Don McGahn in contempt of Congress on Tuesday after the pair ignored congressional subpoenas. Meanwhile, the House Intelligence Committee will review the ramifications of 2016 Russian election hacking for national security on Wednesday.

With those actions in mind, the House Judiciary Committee heard from former Watergate witness John Dean, and former US attorneys, who repeatedly told Congress that they believe that Mr Trump had attempted to obstruct justice. If he were anyone other than the president, they said, he would have been charged with the crime.

Mr Dean, during his prepared remarks, said that the Mueller report is very similar to a "Watergate Road Map", meaning it could help the panel as it investigates Mr Trump for obstruction or collusion.

He continued to say that Mr McGahn, should he not testify before Congress, would be perpetuating a "cover up" for the president.

"I sincerely hope that Mr McGahn will voluntarily appear and testify," he said. "His silence is perpetuating an ongoing cover-up, and while his testimony will create a few political enemies, based on almost 50 years of experience I can assure him he will make far more real friends."

Mr Trump had blasted Mr Dean, and Republicans on the committee likewise questioned why he should be trusted to give testimony, since he had pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice related to the Watergate scandal in the 1970s.

The president has also threatened China with further tariffs during a phone interview with CNBC, saying the Asian nation will ultimately make a deal “because they have to”, while also warning the tech giants of Silicon Valley he could take action against them over the “discrimination” he believes he and other prominent conservatives have been subjected to.

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Key Points

• House Judiciary Committee to review obstruction evidence in Mueller report
• Trump threatens China over trade and Silicon Valley against 'discrimination' 
• Attacks Democrats on Twitter: 'Go back to work!'
• Complains about getting 'no credit' and slams New York Times

[10 June 2019 15:50 · Joe Sommerlad]

Here's Ben Chapman on Trump's claim his dispute with Huawei could be resolved through trade talks, despite repeated accusations that the Chinese tech firm poses a national security risk.

[10 June 2019 16:05 · Joe Sommerlad]

Some motivation for any wavering Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.

Chairman Nadler's hearing takes place at 2pm EST (7pm GMT) and you can follow it here.

Here's congressman David Cicilline bringing the hype.

[10 June 2019 16:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

Kamala Harris was one of the 19 Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa over the weekend and offered this dangerously overconfident line from the stage. Perhaps she's never heard of Neil Kinnock.

[10 June 2019 16:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

This is huge.

[10 June 2019 16:45 · Joe Sommerlad]

Minnesota senator Tina Smith and several colleagues, including 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren, have signed a letter to Jerome Powell and John Williams, chairman and president of the Federal Reserve respectively, asking them to investigate Deutsche Bank over a New York Times story of 19 May suggesting the lender covered-up "suspicious" transaction tied to President Trump and Jared Kushner.

[10 June 2019 16:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

John Dean, former counsel to Richard Nixon, is the star witness at the House Judiciary Committee's investigation into "Lessons from the Mueller report" today.

Here's some handy background on his role in the Watergate drama of 46 years ago and his outspoken views on Trump, who has in turn called him a "rat" and a "sleazebag".

[10 June 2019 17:05 · Joe Sommerlad]

In case you missed it, President Trump baffled the galaxy this weekend with his claim that the moon is a part of Mars.

George Conway, arch-troll and husband to his White House counsel Kellyanne, has wasted no time in changing his Twitter backdrop to precisely that.

Conway also describes himself in his bio as a "Windmill cancer survivor".

[10 June 2019 17:42 · Clark Mindock]

The Justice Department has reportedly agreed to hand over key evidence behind the Mueller report, a move that could help Democrats in the House to determine the extent of potential obstruction of justice by Donald Trump.

It is not clear how much of that material might be made available to the House Judiciary Committee, but the news marks a breakthrough in the stalemate between Congress and the executive branch that has fomented in recent weeks.

"These documents will allow us to perform our constitutional duties and decide how to respond to the allegations laid out against the president by the special counsel," Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the committee, said in a statement.

[10 June 2019 18:33 · Clark Mindock]

With testimony from John Dean fast approaching, here's what Mr Dean had to say about what he'll be discussing in Congress today, per CNN:

"I'm clearly not a fact witness, but hope I can give them some context and show them how strikingly like Watergate what we're seeing now and as reported in the Mueller report is," he said.

[10 June 2019 19:01 · Clark Mindock]

We're now getting ready for testimony in the House on John Dean.