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A Florida judge has told the Department of Justice to file a redacted version of the FBI warrant affidavit for its search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Judge Bruce Reinhart says he is inclined to partially release the document as media organisations have requested. He will make a final decision next week after the redactions have been made.
The Justice Department has rebuffed demands to release the affidavit, warning that it could "chill" future efforts to secure witness cooperation, and argued that the investigation is still in its early days. Mr Trump has said he is happy for the affidavit to be released.
Meanwhile, 18 members of the Trump administration have told CNN that Mr Trump's claim to have a declassification "standing order" is completely untrue.
In New York, longtime Trump Organization CFO and close associate of Mr Trump Allen Weisselberg has pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges under a plea deal. Mr Weisselberg will serve five months in prison and five years probation, as well as agreeing to testify against the Trump Organization in proceedings focused on the same alleged fraud scheme.
Post-Roe differences surface in GOP over new abortion rules
A Republican candidate for Congress in New York Carl Paladino has clarified after he said US attorney general Merrick Garland "should be executed" for authorising the Mar-a-Lago raid. The Buffalo-area businessman has clarified that he was being "facetious" and Mr Garland should be removed for his incompetence.
"I'm just being facetious. The man should be removed from office," Mr Paladino said. "He shows his incompetence. He wants to get his face in front of the people and show he's got some mettle to him, but his choice of issues and choice of methodology is very sad."
Mr Paladino made the comment in an interview with Breitbart News, criticising Democratic party and Joe Biden's leadership."So we have a couple of unelected people who are running our government, in an administration of people like Garland, who should be not only impeached, he probably should be executed," Paladino said.
"The guy is just lost. He's a lost soul. He's trying to get an image, and his image, his methodology is just terrible. To raid the home of a former president is just - people are scratching their heads and they're saying, 'What is wrong with this guy?"
The federal magistrate judge who authorised last week's search of former president Donald Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, home has ordered the Department of Justice to lay out what parts of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant should remain secret to protect ongoing criminal investigations.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Thursday gave federal prosecutors seven days to propose what parts of the affidavit - a sworn statement by a law enforcement officer laying out how and why the Justice Department came to believe there was evidence of crimes at Mr Trump's home - should be redacted before the public can be permitted to view it.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
Judge 'inclined' to release partial Trump search warrant affidavit
Former president Donald Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said that he "satisfied his obligation" by testifying before a special grand jury in Atlanta as part of an investigation into the former president's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, is leading a probe into Mr Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Eric Garcia reports.
Giuliani says he 'satisfied his obligation' after testifying before Georgia jury
A Trump administration aide who remained in the ex-president's inner circle after the events of January 6 and Mr Trump's exit from the White House days later was leading an effort to obtain documents through the National Archives months before the FBI's raid to obtain classified materials from Mar-a-Lago.
John Bowden has the story.
Ex-Trump aide pledged to release classified documents long before Mar-a-Lago raid
In Michael Cohen's testimony to members of Congress in 2019, one name came up more than 20 times.
When asked by House Democrats who else would have access to business or financial records that could implicate Donald Trump in a range of investigations, from his campaign's connections to Russia to hush money payments involving an adult film star, his former attorney listed the names of several Trump insiders - starting with Allen Weisselberg.
The man at the centre of investigations and criminal charges involving Mr Trump's business, other than the former president whose name is emblazoned in gold on its Manhattan headquarters, is a press-averse accountant who has presided over the company's finances for decades.
Alex Woodward profiles the man at the centre of Trumpworld news today.
Allen Weisselberg: Who is the man who could bring down Donald Trump?
Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of former president Donald Trump's eponymous real estate and hotel business, has pleaded guilty to 15 separate violations of New York tax law.
The Trumpworld veteran, who earlier this week agreed to a plea deal that will see him sentenced to five months behind bars and five years of probation, but will not require him to testify against his lifelong boss. But he will be required to give evidence in the upcoming trial of the two Trump companies that were indicted for tax fraud at the same time he was last summer.
Andrew Feinberg has the latest.
Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleads guilty to tax fraud charges
Former Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon railed against former vice president Mike Pence on Wednesday after the latter defended the FBI from attacks and criticisms in response to the FBI executing a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago.
Mr Bannon made the remarks on his War Room: Pandemic podcast. On Wednesday, Mr Pence admonished conservatives and told them not to attack the FBI.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Steve Bannon calls Pence 'coward' for defending FBI from attacks after Trump raid
Senator Lindsey Graham has formally appealed a judge's order requiring him to testify before a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally sought to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
Graham appeals order to testify in Georgia election probe
More than half of Republican voters have taken the side of Donald Trump over the FBI following the search of his Palm Beach, Florida home last week, according to the results of a new poll made public on Thursday.
Andrew Feinberg reports on the surveys findings.
Half of Republicans say FBI acted irresponsibly after Mar-a-Lago raid, poll finds
Donald Trump might consider releasing security camera footage of the FBI search at his Mar-a-Lago residence as some of his allies have pressured him to make it public, according to a new report.
Some aides and allies of the former president are encouraging him to feature the closely held footage of the raid in campaign-style ads, a person familiar with the conversations told CNN.
The CCTV footage has been held so closely that it is believed the full footage has not been seen by the former president himself, the source said.
Shweta Sharma reports.
Trump may release surveillance footage from FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, report says
Donald Trump made a bizarre attempt to mock Democrats on Wednesday as he sarcastically offered his support to political rivals who led efforts to impeach him.
Making the surprise announcement on his Truth Social account, the former president said it was his "great honour to strongly endorse" lawyer Dan Goldman, and Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler.
Shweta Sharma has the story.
Trump posts bizarre series of endorsements for Democrats on Truth Social
Former president Donald Trump on Thursday denied reports that he or his inner circle are concerned by his current legal team's lack of experience dealing with the sort of complex federal litigation he could face if indicted for crimes related to his alleged unlawful retention of classified documents.
Over the 10 days since his Palm Beach, Florida home was searched by FBI agents, Mr Trump's associates have raised concerns that the stable of lawyers who've been representing him in a variety of lawsuits since he left office is not up to the job.
Multiple news outlets have reported on the unease with his current representation among some of his aides, including The Independent and The Washington Post.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Trump says he's 'very happy' with legal team as investigations escalate
CNN reports that Donald Trump and his allies' claim that he had a "standing order" to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office is completely untrue.
The network reports that 18 former top Trump administration officials said they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Mr Trump, and that they believe the claim to be patently false.
Per the network:
Several officials laughed at the notion. One senior administration official called it "bullsh*t." Two of Trump's former chiefs of staff went on the record to knock down the claim."Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given," said John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019. "And I can't imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without dying in the ditch trying to stop it."
Mick Mulvaney, who succeeded Kelly as acting White House chief of staff, also dismissed the idea and told CNN he was "not aware of a general standing order" during his tenure.
Other descriptions of the notion that a standing order existed include: "complete fiction", "ludicrous", "ridiculous", "laughable", and "total nonsense".
Former CIA chief General Michael Hayden has said that he agrees there is no political force more nihilistic or dangerous than the current Republican Party.
General Hayden, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2009 during the final years of George W Bush's presidency, made the jarring statement in response to a tweet by Financial Times journalist Edward Luce.
Sravasti Dasgupta reports.
Ex-CIA director today's Republican Party is more dangerous than terror groups
Trump supporters were seen circling the courthouse in West Palm Beach in southern Florida where a US Magistrate Judge said he was "inclined" to rule that the Department of Justice should release some of the affidavit for the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.
Members of the press also descended on the courthouse as they attempted to reveal the information that formed the basis for the search of former President Donald Trump's home in the Sunshine State.
Trucks with Trump 2024 flags were seen driving around the building.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Trump supporters circle Florida courthouse as judge weighs raid affidavit release
Infowars founder Alex Jones has withdrawn his support for Donald Trump and thrown his weight behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
In an Infowars broadcast, Mr Jones announced he would no longer "pigheadedly" support Mr Trump.
Sravasti Dasgupta reports.
Alex Jones abandons Trump for Ron DeSantis: 'We have someone way better'
Taylor Budowich, Donald Trump's director of communications, released a statement on behalf of his boss following today's hearing in West Palm Beach: "President Trump has made his view clear that the American people should be permitted to see the unredacted affidavit related to the raid and break-in of his home. Today, magistrate Judge Reinhard rejected the DOJ's cynical attempt to hide the whole affidavit from Americans."
He continued: "However, no redactions should be necessary and the whole affidavit should be released, given the Democrats' penchant for using redactions to hide government corruption, just like they did with the Russia hoax."
However, no redactions should be necessary and the whole affidavit should be released, given the Democrats' penchant for using redactions to hide government corruption, just like they did with the Russia hoax. 2/2
Federal prosecutors have reportedly used a grand jury subpoena to obtain a duplicate set of the Trump White House records which the National Archives and Records Administration (Nara) has been providing to the House January 6 select committee since last year.
The Independent has confirmed the existence of the subpoena which was first reported by the New York Times and was served on Nara this past May.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
Federal prosecutors have 'all' Trump's documents from Jan 6 committee: report
Some aides to Donald Trump are reportedly puzzled by the eagerness of Donald Trump and his inner circle to release private security camera footage from the hours-long raid of Mar-a-Lago by the FBI.
His son Eric Trump pledged "absolutely" to do so "at the right time" in an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity on Monday.
In interviews with CNN, some privately speculated that the video, which could easily be taken by Democratic operatives and used in campaign ads, could do more harm than good unless there's clear evidence on film of FBI agents committing some kind of unseemly act.
John Bowden reports.
Trump allies divided over releasing Mar-a-Lago video: 'I don't see how that helps'
More than half of Republican voters have taken the side of Donald Trump over the FBI following the search of his Palm Beach, Florida home last week, according to the results of a new poll made public on Thursday.
The two-day Reuters/Ipsos online survey of 1,005 people - 436 Democrats and 387 Republicans - found that 54 per cent of Republican respondents said the FBI and Department of Justice had "behaved irresponsibly" by searching Mr Trump's home and office at Mar-a-Lago, the mansion turned private club where he spends most of his year.
Andrew Feinberg reports on the survey's findings.
Half of Republicans say FBI acted irresponsibly after Mar-a-Lago raid, poll finds
The Florida magistrate judge who authorised last week's search of former president Donald Trump's Palm Beach, Florida home has ordered the Department of Justice to lay out what parts of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant should remain secret to protect ongoing criminal investigations.
Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent.
Judge 'inclined' to release partial Trump search warrant affidavit
Peter Navarro, the ebullient Trump advisor who became a key player in the effort to get Mike Pence to throw out the certification of the 2020 election, has filed a motion to overturn the contempt of Congress charge brought against him for refusing to cooperate with a subpoena from the 6 January select committee.
Mr Navarro's lawyers claim that the prosecution is "improperly based" on their client's "obedience to president Trump's invocation of executive privilege", and say he "has been unfairly caught in a dispute between the executive and legislative branches of our government and placed on the horns of a dilemma: follow the explicit instructions from the President he served as a senior advisor for four years, or risk being held in Contempt of Congress and criminally prosecuted by the Department of Justice".
Former Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro asks court to dismiss his Contempt of Congress indictment, arguing "Dr. Navarro submits that there is a basis to believe that the prosecution was also the product of unlawful political interference and selective prosecution" pic.twitter.com/qYqWQO6xi2
Donald Trump has many times tried to claim executive privilege over documents and matters related to the 6 January investigation, but it is in fact generally up to the current president to decide whether or not to uphold executive privilege on a case-by-case basis. There is no indication that Joe Biden is inclined to protect Mr Navarro from having to testify.
Judge Bruce Reinhart tells the court he is inclined to partially unseal the FBI Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit.
He instructs the Justice Department to file a redacted affidavit by 12 noon on Thursday at 12 noon 25 August and to be prepared to explain the redactions.
The federal judge appears to agree with the media organisations, that whether a redacted version of the affidavit is "meaningful" isn't for the government to decide.
The argument put forward by the Justice Department is that redactions would be so many that the document would be meaningless.
JUST IN: Judge who authorized search warrant of Mar-a-Lago says he wants DOJ to propose redactions to the FBI affidavit that led to the search. They're due in a week, @NicoleSganga reports from West Palm Beach.
Eric Garcia, Senior Washington Correspondent for The Independent, writes:
Most political prognosticators start from the assumption that midterm elections are generally bad for the president's party, all the more so when that party also controls both the House and Senate. Donald Trump in 2018, Barack Obama in 2010, George W Bush in 2006 and Bill Clinton in 1994 all saw their parties lose the majority in at least the House, if not the Senate, while they were in the White House.
It's a hard pattern to break - but a few recent results have some Democrats thinking that the current midterm election cycle might turn out to be rather less of a disaster.
Read more:
Against all odds, it looks like Democrats will do well in the midterms
"The public interest could not be greater," says Chuck Tobin, the lawyer representing the media groups who have called for the unsealing of the Mar-a-Lago FBI search warrant affidavit.
He further described the search as "one of the most significant events in the nation's history".
"The public interest could not be greater," said Chuck Tobin, a lawyer representing the media groups, calling the Mar-a-Lago search "one of the most significant events in the nation's history."
(Group of news organizations filed a motion to unseal the FBI affidavit)
Former Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon railed against former vice president Mike Pence on Wednesday after the latter defended the FBI from attacks and criticisms in response to the FBI executing a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago.
Mr Bannon made the remarks on his War Room: Pandemic podcast. On Wednesday, Mr Pence admonished conservatives and told them not to attack the FBI. Mr Pence also criticised the Justice Department for the search of former president Donald Trump's home and said it was politically motivated.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Steve Bannon calls Pence 'coward' for defending FBI from attacks after Trump raid
With the hearing underway, The Independent's Andrew Feinberg notes that ex-Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne filed a pro se motion on the warrant docket. The motion largely references his self-published book about the 2020 election.
Byrne's pro se motion to unseal largely references his self-published book about the 2020 election. It argues that it should be unsealed because Trump declassified files after making Sidney Powell a special counsel w/ a TS clearance. Needless to say, that's not how this works. pic.twitter.com/cyHUXDzRZP
Further, the Justice Department argues that the probable cause affidavit describes possible "evidence of obstruction" that investigators might find on the grounds of Mar-a-Lago. This would be an additional crime that the search warrant revealed was already under investigation.
CNN reports that Mr Bratt argues that future witnesses may not want to provide information should the affidavit be unsealed. He also notes that the document contains "substantial grand jury information" relating to the subpoena and subsequent removal of national security documents from Mar-a-Lago in June.
Jay Bratt, a lawyer for the Department of Justice's national security division, argues that the "detailed" and "lengthy" affidavit should not be unsealed as it would provide a "roadmap to the investigation" including pointing toward possible next steps in the probe which is still in its "early stages".
He argues that public interest in criminal investigations being allowed to proceed unimpeded is greater than the public interest in transparency.
Releasing the full affidavit could jeopardise "several witnesses".
NEWS - DOJ counterintelligence chief tells judge the Trump investigation is "in its early stages."
Jay Bratt also said releasing the affidavit could jeopardize "several witnesses" whose accounts were specific enough that they could be identified.https://t.co/yaYFbcIeS7