Category Archives: Donald Trump

Rod Rosenstein, key figure behind Mueller inquiry, expected to step down in mid-March

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Justice department says deputy attorney general who brought in special counsel is likely to leave in mid-March

Rod Rosenstein, the US deputy attorney general who appointed a special counsel to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official has said.

Rosenstein had been expected to depart shortly after new Attorney General William Barr assumed office. Barr was confirmed for the role by the US Senate last week.

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16 US states sue over Trump border wall emergency declaration

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Coalition led by California accuses the president of ‘unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds’

A coalition of 16 US states led by California has launched legal action against Donald Trump’s administration over his decision to declare a national emergency in order to fund a wall along the Mexico border.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the US district court for the northern district of California after Trump invoked emergency powers on Friday when Congress declined his request for $5.7bn to help create his signature policy promise.

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Alec Baldwin tweets back as Donald Trump talks of ‘retribution’ for SNL

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Parody about ‘faking’ national emergency hits nerve while actor who plays him asks if his safety is threatened

Donald Trump has savaged Saturday Night Live as a “total Republican hit job” while calling for “retribution” and an investigation of the show after another unflattering portrayal of the president by Alec Baldwin.

Related: Saturday Night Live: Don Cheadle shines while Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump whines

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‘I believe Putin’: Trump dismissed US advice on North Korea threat, says McCabe

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Former FBI chief says president believed Russian leader over US security agencies and ‘a crime may have been committed’ over Comey firing

A former FBI acting director has alleged Donald Trump dismissed advice from his own security agencies on the threat posed by North Korea’s missiles, saying “I don’t care. I believe Putin.”

Andrew McCabe made the claims in an interview with 60 Minutes, in which he discussed his tenure at the FBI after James Comey was fired by the president in 2017.

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Trump ally Graham will subpoena McCabe and Rosenstein over ‘coup’

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Trump ally Lindsey Graham has promised a Senate investigation into claims senior justice department officials discussed invoking the 25th amendment and removing the president from power.

Related: Andrew McCabe says officials discussed removing Trump after Comey firing

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Trump’s emergency: the arbitrary action of an instinctive autocrat | Simon Tisdall

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US president’s latest ploy is the product of an immature, egotistic mind, and is based on a lie

The phrase “national emergency” conjures up images of riots in the streets and burning cities, a disease pandemic killing millions, or an inter-planetary invasion by little green men from Mars.

Donald Trump’s national emergency, over his thwarted plans to build a border wall with Mexico, is prompted by none of these horrors. According to him, the safety and wellbeing of the world’s richest, most powerful country is threatened with utter destruction by penniless Guatemalans.

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Five false claims from Trump’s national emergency speech – video

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Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to secure extra funding for his wall at the US-Mexico border. Trump’s decision came after weeks of wrangling over his campaign promise, which led to a record 35-day partial government shutdown, damaging his approval rating.

• Trump declares national emergency to build US-Mexico border wall

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Trump declares national emergency to bypass Congress over border wall funds – live news

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Trump announces emergency to bypass Congress and free up billions for long-promised border wall

Here’s Trump earlier, performing what is being referred to as both a “ditty” and a “sing-song”. The sound of the summer?

"We'll end up in the Supreme Court and hopefully get a fair shake and win in the Supreme Court just like the ban," said Trump, acknowledging his administration may get sued over the national emergency. https://t.co/rPePQTU8uT pic.twitter.com/QneaGmvvLv

A gag order for attorneys and witnesses has been issued in the case of Roger Stone by a federal judge in Washington DC.

Stone, a longtime friend and adviser to Donald Trump, was indicted last month on charges of lying to investigators, obstructing justice and witness tampering. He denies wrongdoing.

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Donald Trump hints at extension to China trade talks

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President said potential delay was justified as deal ‘must be the biggest in history’

President Donald Trump has conceded that he will delay planned increases in import duties on $200bn (£155bn) of Chinese goods if there is progress in trade talks in Washington next week.

Appearing to soften his demand for talks to conclude before 1 March, Trump said there could be a 30- or 60-day extension, should negotiators get closer to a deal. He said a delay was justified, based on the scope and scale of the talks. Speaking on the White House lawn, he said: “Trade with China – how big does that get? It must be the biggest deal in history.”

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Trump declares national emergency to build US-Mexico border wall

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Plan may divert billions from projects such as counterdrug efforts, has been condemned by Democrats and activists

Donald Trump has defied fierce criticism to announce that he is using emergency powers to bypass Congress and pursue the building of a wall on the US-Mexico border.

At a combative, rambling and at times incoherent press conference in the White House, the US president insisted he had no choice but to declare a national emergency to stop illegal immigrants spreading crime and drugs.

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National emergency: Trump’s ‘clear abuse of power’ faces torrent of lawsuits

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Declaration prompts dire warnings but fallout could be contained by successful legal challenge or resolution in Congress

As state attorneys general across the country threaten to sue the White House over Donald Trump’s declaration of a national immigration emergency on Friday, Democrats and Republicans insisted Trump was overstepping his powers, while legal analysts warned of a dangerous new phase of the Trump presidency.

Related: Trump declares national emergency to bypass Congress over border wall funds – live news

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Pelosi slams Trump’s national emergency over border wall – video

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Responding to Donald Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to fund his border wall with Mexico, House speaker Nancy Pelosi says he is setting a precedent that should be met with 'great unease and dismay' and the Democrats are considering making a legal challenge. 'You want to talk about a national emergency? Let’s talk about today,' Pelosi adds, noting that it is the first anniversary of the massacre at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, in which 17 people died


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Trump poised to declare emergency as Congress approves shutdown deal

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President is expected to sign bill but has vowed emergency action to build border wall with Mexico

Donald Trump has vowed to declare a national emergency as a way of funding his long-promised border wall with Mexico, as Congress overwhelmingly approved a border security agreement that would prevent a second damaging government shutdown.

After days of uncertainty, Trump announced his intention to support the massive $333bn-spending package, which includes on a sliver of what he sought for a steel wall. The Senate moved quickly, approving the bill in a vote of 83-16. Hours later the House passed the legislation, 300-128. Trump is expected to seal the deal with his signature on Friday, while at the same time declaring a national emergency.

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Mitch McConnell: Trump to sign funding bill but declare national emergency – video

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Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said Donald Trump has indicated he’s prepared to sign a funding bill that will prevent another government shutdown but will also declare a national emergency on America’s border with Mexico. That move could allow him to circumvent Congress to tap funding for his long-promised border wall that has been at the centre of a fierce dispute with Democrats who say such a barrier is expensive and ineffective. Lawmakers of both parties have raised concerns.


Trump to declare national emergency on border wall, says Mitch McConnell

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Andrew McCabe says officials discussed removing Trump after Comey firing

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Ex-acting FBI director said there were meetings to discuss whether president could be removed under 25th amendment

Former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe has said top Trump administration officials talked seriously about removing Donald Trump from office just months after he become president.

Related: Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing – new book

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Federal judge finds Manafort lied to Mueller

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Former Trump aide breached plea deal by making false statements about dealings with alleged Russian operative

Paul Manafort lied about his interactions with an alleged Russian intelligence operative even after agreeing to cooperate with Robert Mueller’s inquiry, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

Manafort, Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign chairman, was found to have breached his plea deal by making false statements to the special counsel’s team, the FBI and a grand jury about his dealings with Konstantin Kilimnik.

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Shutdown deal: Republicans urge Trump to accept as House heads to vote

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Donald Trump has suggested he is open to a compromise border security measure that would avert another US government shutdown as the House pushed toward a vote on the agreement before the funding deadline expires on Friday.

Republicans and Democrats have broadly embraced the proposed legislation, but have cautioned that they will wait to see the final text of the bill, which includes far less funding than Trump initially sought for his wall along the border with Mexico.

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UK foreign secretary condemns attack on BBC cameraman at Trump rally

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A man was seen shoving BBC cameraman Ron Skeans before being pulled away, according to a BBC video

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has condemned an attack on a BBC cameraman by a supporter of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas.

Asked whether it was acceptable for Trump to whip up his fans to the point that a cameraman was attacked, Hunt told Sky News: “It is never acceptable when journalists and cameramen are attacked just for doing their job.“

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Trump ‘unhappy’ with new shutdown deal – live updates

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Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, is at risk of seeing one of his biggest initiatives in office be overturned.

Hogan, who has been mooted as potential primary opponent of Donald Trump, decreed that public schools in the Old Line State couldn’t open until Labor Day. However, the Maryland general assembly is poised to overturn that through veto-proof legislation.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the state would not move forward on a controversial and hugely expensive project to link San Francisco and Los Angeles via high speed rail.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom abandoning plan for high-speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, says too costly.

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Donald Trump v Beto O’Rourke: rival rallies on US border security – video report

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Donald Trump and potential presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke held rallies in El Paso, Texas, on Monday night offering their contrasting views on Trump's US-Mexico border wall. The president addressed his crowd in front of a big US flag along with three 'finish the wall' banners. Meanwhile nearby, O'Rourke told supporters El Paso was, 'safe not because of walls but in spite of walls'.

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