LIVE - Updated at 06:02
Jared Kushner has said that Donald Trump would have attempted to stop the January 6 Capitol riots had he known about it beforehand, calling the attack on the building unexpected.
In his new memoir "Breaking History", Mr Kushner wrote: "What is clear to me is that no one at the White House expected violence that day. I'm confident that if my colleagues or the president had anticipated violence, they would have prevented it from happening."
Mr Trump lashed out at the Democratic Party yesterday for the "politically motivated raid on Mar-a-Lago" by the FBI, claiming it was because they fear him most as a candidate in the 2024 election.
The former president also griped at the media attention being given to Wyoming GOP Rep Liz Cheney, his current favourite foe and vice chair of the January 6 committee, following her primary defeat.
This coming week will see a decision by Judge Bruce Reinhart as to whether the affidavit that led to the search warrant can be released in redacted form as media organisations have requested. Mr Trump's legal team has made no moves to push for its release.
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has said that the former president would have attempted to stop the violence at the US Capitol building had he known about it beforehand, calling the historical attack on the prestigious building unexpected.
In his new memoir "Breaking History", Mr Kushner wrote: "What is clear to me is that no one at the White House expected violence that day. I'm confident that if my colleagues or the president had anticipated violence, they would have prevented it from happening," reported The Washington Times.
"After more than six hundred peaceful Trump rallies, these rioters gave Trump's critics the fodder they had wanted for more than five years," Mr Kushner said.
He added: "The claim was as false as the narrative that the violent Antifa rioters who desecrated American cities that summer were representative of the millions of peaceful demonstrators who had marched for equality under the law."
Donald Trump has claimed rank and file FBI agents "love" him after he spent days verbally attacking the agency over the Mar-a-Lago raid.
Mr Trump's comments on Truth Social came as his new lead attorney Jim Trusty promised to "come out swinging" as he prepares to file a new legal challenge against the breadth of the Justice Department search warrant.
Mr Trump has led a chorus of Republican criticism against the FBI over the 8 August search of his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, for classified materials he took with him when he left office.
Trump claims FBI agents 'love' him as he challenges Mar-a-Lago search warrant
There's more bad news for Donald Trump-endorsed GOP Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Dr Mehmet Oz.
As per a new Fox News poll, Dr Oz trails his Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, by a significant margin.
What's unique about this poll, however, is the deficit it shows the Republican nominee faces among even his own supporters. Many other polls have also shown the same report card for Mr Trump's elect.
The celebrity TV doctor already faced questions about his Yinzer bona fides before posting an embarrassing video last weekend filmed in a grocery story in which he tried to point out the painful toll of inflation, succeeding only in attracting mockery with his mispronunciation of the market's name and apparent unfamiliarity with the task of shopping for groceries.
Article Link
Dr Oz underwater with his own voters in new Fox News poll of Pennsylvania
Congressman Adam Schiff warned that a potential decision by a judge to unseal an affidavit detailing the evidence that led to the FBI's execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago could imperil the DoJ's investigation.
The move could potentially lead to witnesses being intimidated by former president Donald Trump, which his panel has warned publicly on multiple occaisions is occurring in regards to their own witnesses, the California Democrat and Jan 6 committee member speculated while speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper on State of the Union.
Mr Schiff said: "You could learn a great deal [from the sealed affidavit] and that's just the problem for the Justice Department."
"I think probably their concern is very legitimate ... we've seen the president retaliate against anyone he considers a whistleblower, accuse them of treason," he said.
John Bowden has the full report here:
Revealing Mar-a-Lago affidavit could put witnesses in danger, Adam Schiff warns
Ted Cruz has claimed that the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago was a "fishing expedition" for incriminating documents related to the US Capitol riots.
Without offering any evidence, Mr Cruz asserted the 8 August raid on Donald Trump's Florida residence was part of a secret plan by the Department of Justice to gather evidence on the January 6 insurrection.
"What is really distressing now looking at the warrant and what they were searching for, this was a fishing expedition," Mr Cruz said on his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Ted Cruz says FBI raid on Trump home was secret 'fishing expedition'
Rep Liz Cheney, vice chair of the January 6 House select committee, says that the panel still wants to hear directly from former Vice President Mike Pence.
"Look, he played a critical role on January 6. If he had succumbed to the pressure that Donald Trump was putting on him, we would have had a much worse constitutional crisis," she told Jonathan Karl, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News.
Liz Cheney says January 6 committee still wants to hear from Mike Pence in person
The Justice Department has been ordered to release a secret memo in which it discussed whether Donald Trump had obstructed Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The decision by a federal appeals court found that former Attorney General Bill Barr had improperly withheld portions of the March 2019 memo which he said he relied on to determine if Mr Trump should face prosecution.
The memo has been at the centre of a legal battle for more than a year after the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) fought for its release in a public records lawsuit.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Justice Dept memo on protecting Trump from prosecution must be released, court rules
A new book claims that an associate of Rudy Giuliani tried to pass a message to Donald Trump shortly after the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot asking if he could grant Mr Giuliani a general pardon and award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Maggie Haberman reports in The New York Times that the associate, Maria Ryan, also pleaded for Mr Giuliani that he be paid for his services to the president and sent a separate note allegedly seeking tens of thousands of dollars for herself.
Mr Trump never saw the request because Bernard Kerik, Mr Giuliani's close adviser and the New York City police commissioner for part of his time as mayor, stopped the letter from getting to the president.
Giuliani request for pardon intercepted before reaching Trump, book says
Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds like Maryland and Massachusetts when they have fielded moderate candidates who could appeal to voters in both parties. With Democrats facing headwinds this year, Republicans had hoped that strategy could pay off yet again.
But Republican voters have nominated loyalists of former President Donald Trump in several Democratic states, including Maryland and Connecticut, making the GOP's odds of winning those general election races even longer.
Far-right wins in blue states threaten GOP hopes in November
A federal appeals court on Sunday agreed to temporarily put on hold a lower court's order requiring that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham testify before a special grand jury that's investigating illegal plots to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia.
A subpoena had instructed the South Carolina Republican to appear before the special grand jury on Tuesday.
Sen. Graham testimony in Georgia election probe put on hold
Former vice president Mike Pence says that he doesn't believe he took any classified information with him when he left office.
Mr Pence further called on the Justice Department to show "unprecedented transparency" as it investigates whether former President Donald Trump broke federal laws when he took top secret documents to Mar-a-Lago.
Mr Pence made the comments in an interview with the Associated Press during a visit to Iowa on Friday, as he mulls a run for president in 2024.
Mike Pence says he didn't take any classified documents with him when he left office
As staff at the FBI and Department of Justice face threats of violence in the wake of last week's Mar-a-Lago search, one of Donald Trump's lawyers has suggested releasing CCTV footage of the raid - and dismissed concerns about the consequences of revealing the identities of agents who carried it out.
Appearing on pro-Trump network Newsmax, Alina Habba said she "would love" to see the footage of the raid released specifically because it should be made clear which individual agents carried the FBI operation out.
"We don't want you to see their identities," she said, mocking the rationale for keeping the tapes sealed, "because we don't want you to know who did that. Well, if you're doing it as an agent, I'm not sure you should have that right.
Andrew Naughtie reports.
Trump lawyer says FBI agents who raided Mar-a-Lago should be publicly identified
Outspoken Republican activist Ben Stein has revived his famous catch-phrase from Ferris Bueller's Day Off to plead with Trump-supporting former GOP congressman Devin Nunes to run for office again.
Mr Nunes is currently CEO of Mr Trump's social media company Trump Media & Technology Group, which runs Truth Social.
Ferris Bueller actor revives famous catch-phrase to beg Nunes to return to Congress
Former Vice President Mike Pence says he is "deeply troubled" at the search of the home of a former president by the FBI and the Department of Justice.
He calls on Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide "unprecedented transparency" about to the decision to search Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
And here is Mike Pence, having a 'Lindsey-after-getting-chased-through-the-airport' flip-flop after getting flamed by MAGA after defending the FBI this week. He had one moment when he stood up and did the right thing. The rest of his life, he is this . pic.twitter.com/kEOTAD6kPG
In the aftermath of the search, Mr Pence was one of the few voices in the GOP to defend the FBI from attacks from within his own party. This led Steve Bannon to call him a "disgusting coward".
Steve Bannon calls Pence 'coward' for defending FBI from attacks after Trump raid
GOP Rep Liz Cheney told ABC News' Jon Karl that she feels "sad" about the direction of the Republican Party, following the events of 6 January 2021.
"I feel sad about the way that too many of my colleagues have responded to what I think is a great moral test and challenge of our time."
Ms Cheney says she has no regrets about standing up on behalf of democracy and giving up her career within the party.
Watch below:
EXCLUSIVE: GOP Rep. Liz Cheney tells @JonKarl that she feels "sad" about the direction of the Republican Party.
"I feel sad about the way that too many of my colleagues have responded to what I think is a great moral test and challenge of our time." https://t.co/ywiS2gscLi pic.twitter.com/V4IKKgts2G
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 reports.
Judge 'inclined' to release partial Trump search warrant affidavit
More than a dozen former Trump administration officials have shot down the former president's claims that he had a "standing order" to declassify documents that he took to his White House residence from the Oval Office.
Donald Trump and his allies have claimed that the former president has a standing order stipulating that classified documents automatically became declassified when he removed them from the Oval Office in the days since the FBI searched his Florida residence for top-secret materials.
However, 18 officials of the Trump White House have told CNN that they never heard of any such order being issued and said the claim was false.
Shweta Sharma has the story.
Ex-Trump aides deny his 'ludicrous' claim he was allowed to declassify documents
CNN's Jim Acosta further challenged former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf about the results of the 2020 election.
Mr Wolf, a Trump loyalist, acknowledged that Joe Biden is president, but refused to acknowledge that the election was conducted fairly.
Wolf won't say Biden won the election fair pic.twitter.com/u9sGTyZExm
Mr Acosta accused him of spreading doubt about the election process in the US, but Mr Wolf insisted what he was saying was a fact.
The CNN host responded: "Alternative facts", throwing back to the infamous statement by White House adviser Kellyanne Conway when asked about a statement by then-President Trump.
Acosta: You were the former acting secretary of homeland security and you're spreading doubt and fear about our election process
Wolf: These are simple facts
Acosta: Alternative facts pic.twitter.com/FEwMgDgMfQ
Speaking with CNN's Jim Acosta, former Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf says that accountability for the events of 6 January 2021 lies with the individuals who went to the Capitol and not with then-President Donald Trump.
In response to Mr Acosta's question as to whether Mr Trump's 187 minutes of inaction that day amounted to dereliction of duty, Mr Wolf responded that he didn't think it did.
Watch below:
Acosta: What about Trump not doing anything for 187 minutes? Was that a dereliction of duty?
Wolf: I don't think so pic.twitter.com/900NXizPCv
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.
Mr Weisselberg, who has worked for Mr Trump for decades, stood in a Manhattan court room on Thursday as New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan read out each charge in the 15-count indictment. After each charge, he replied: "Yes, sir".
Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent.
Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleads guilty to tax fraud charges
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones created a minor media storm this week when he announced that he would no longer "pigheadedly" support Donald Trump.
Instead, he announced on his Infowars show that he would now be supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saying he was "someone who is better than Trump".
Mr Jones has since released a video asking the former president to watch the first half hour of his Thursday show to understand the context of his comments.
Alex Jones begs Trump to watch video for context after saying he now backs DeSantis
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'
The latest NBC News poll finds "threats to democracy" is now voters' top issue, above "cost of living" and "jobs and the economy."
Abortion, which has been energising base Democrats, is not ranked anywhere near the top, but then neither is crime, which Republicans have been pushing as a key issue for voters.
NBC news poll finds "threats to democracy" is now voters' top issue, above "cost of living" and "jobs and the economy."
Abortion, which has been energizing base Democrats, not ranked as a top issue here. Neither is Crime, which Republicans have tried to make a top issue. pic.twitter.com/UvfTFacxrs
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.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Steve Bannon calls Pence 'coward' for defending FBI from attacks after Trump raid
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.
Half of Republicans say FBI acted irresponsibly after Mar-a-Lago raid, poll finds
FLOTUS has arrived in Rehoboth Beach to join the president following her negative tests, her comms director tells me.
Donald Trump is under several congressional, civil and criminal investigations, which range from his business interests and allegations of tax fraud to his efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election and fuel violence at the US Capitol.
The former president, his family business, real estate interests and political allies are under scrutiny from federal investigators, state attorneys and members of Congress.
Here is a partial list of the key probes involving Mr Trump and where they currently stand following an unprecedented FBI raid at his Palm Beach, Florida home at Mar-a-Lago on 8 August.
Jan 6, Mar-a-Lago and a golf course: The investigations Donald Trump is facing
Liz Cheney says that Donald Trump and the GOP would likely work to keep her off the debate stage were she to run as a Republican in 2024.
She made the prediction on Sunday on ABC's This Week, while entertaining speculation about her future political endeavours. Ms Cheney has openly hinted that she will run for president in 2024, but in her interview today cautioned that she would only do so if she thought there was an avenue to victory.
John Bowden reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Liz Cheney says Donald Trump would be afraid to debate her in 2024
Jared Kushner has claimed that the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago was another example of Donald Trump's "enemies" persecuting him.
"President Trump is a fighter, he's always been a fighter," Mr Kushner told Fox News host Mark Levin on Saturday in his first public comments about the 8 August search of Mr Trump's Florida home.
"In the way that he drives his enemies so crazy, they always over pursue him and make mistakes in trying to get him. That's basically what happened here."
Bevan Hurley reports.
Jared Kushner addresses FBI raid on Trump home amid speculation he may be mole
Despite President Joe Biden's stagnant approval ratings, one area in which Democrats can be pleased according to the latest NBC News poll is in enthusiasm.
According to the survey, 68 per cent of Republicans express a high level of interest in the upcoming election - registering either a "9" or "10" on a 10-point scale - versus 66 per cent for Democrats.
That two-point GOP advantage is down from a 17-point gap in March and an eight-point gap in May.
The pollsters who conduct the survey attribute the increased Democratic enthusiasm to the June Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, which has shaken up the electorate.
According to the survey results, 58 per cent of voters disapprove of the court's decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, compared with 38 per cent who approve.
"I know it is not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It is not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It is patriotic. We must make sure we don't give platforms to those lying to our faces. But we must make sure we are also representing the full spectrum of debate and representing what is going on in this country and in this world." - Brian Stelter
.@brianstelter closes Reliable Sources by saying, "I know it is not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It is not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It is patriotic. We must make sure we don't give platforms to those lying to our faces." pic.twitter.com/fkr52JSy7E