Trump Corruption

Law & Crime reports: A Trump campaign lawyer told a federal judge that he can no longer represent the president in a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s election results, saying his legal work was used by President Donald Trump to criminally incite Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. Attorney Jerome M. Marcus on Thursday filed a Motion for Leave to Withdraw as …

The Hill reports: The White House on Thursday announced acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf’s nomination to serve in a permanent capacity had been withdrawn, shortly after he called on President Trump to “strongly condemn” the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol the day prior. Wolf issued a statement Thursday morning calling the events “tragic and sickening” and …

ABC News reports: There have been discussions among some members of Donald Trump’s Cabinet and his allies over invoking the 25th Amendment, a potential vehicle for removing the president from office, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told ABC News. It’s unclear how extensive these conversations have been or whether Vice President Mike Pence is supportive of such …

Business Insider reports: Former Attorney General William Barr said Thursday that President Donald Trump inciting a violent insurrection on Capitol Hill the previous day was a “betrayal of his office and supporters.” In a statement to the Associated Press, Barr said that “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.” Barr also substantially broke with Trump in an interview with …

The Washington Post reports: As rioters broke through police barricades and occupied the Capitol, paralyzing the business of Congress, aides said Trump resisted entreaties from some of his advisers to condemn the marauders and refused to be reasoned with. “He kept saying: ‘The vast majority of them are peaceful. What about the riots this summer? What about the other side? …

“Are we a nation of laws? Are we a nation of one man? That’s insurrection against the United States of America and if Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump are not arrested today for insurrection and taken to jail and booked — and if the Capitol Hill police do not go through every video and look at the …

Axios reports: President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani condemned violence by pro-Trump mobs as “shameful” on Thursday morning, more than 18 hours after calling for “trial by combat” at a “Save America” Trump rally that preceded the Capitol insurrection. Giuliani’s tweets Thursday, which described the violence as “rejected, condemned and counter productive,” stood in sharp contrast to the comments he and …

Mediaite reports: Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, said that President Donald Trump banned him from the White House grounds on Wednesday. Short said the ban was retaliation for advising the vice president, who announced on Wednesday that he was not empowered by the Constitution to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Pence announced …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump early Thursday pledged “an orderly transition on January 20,” acknowledging for the first time that he will be leaving office in less than two weeks but stopping short of conceding to President-elect Joe Biden. The pledge for an orderly passage of power came just one day after a pro-Trump mob, incited by the president, …

Reuters reports: Twitter has blocked President Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account for 12 hours for “repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy” as many of his supporters stormed and breached the US Capitol on Wednesday. The @TwitterSafety account said the violations stem from three tweets, including a video Trump shared to his supporters. Twitter Safety continued: “Future violations …

Axios reports: In its strongest action to date, Twitter on Wednesday removed three tweets from President Trump in which he repeated claims of voter fraud while his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Why it matters: A number of groups have called on Facebook and Twitter to fully suspend Trump’s account. Twitter removed a video from the president in which he …

The Hill reports: Eric Trump warned Tuesday that he will boost primary challengers for every Republican lawmaker who does not object to the Electoral College results Wednesday. The threat underscores the divide that has torn through the GOP over Wednesday’s joint session of Congress, during which both chambers are expected to certify the Electoral College’s 306-232 margin for President-elect Joe …

CBC News reports: The New York Times and other news outlets reported Tuesday that Pence told Mr. Trump he doesn’t believe he possesses the power to block Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s win. On Tuesday night, Mr. Trump called that report “fake news.” Mr. Trump, in a statement issued by the Trump campaign, claimed he and Pence are on …

Bloomberg News reports: President Donald Trump failed again to invalidate his election loss in Georgia and allow the state’s Republican-led legislature to declare him the winner — his latest courtroom defeat in a quixotic effort to remain in office despite losing the Nov. 3 vote. U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen in Atlanta on Tuesday ruled that Georgia’s certification of …

CNN reports: “The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors,” Trump declared falsely on Tuesday, lending credence to an erroneous theory that Pence can overturn the results of the election during Wednesday’s tally of Electoral College votes and again pressuring his top lieutenant to act outside constitutional bounds. His message came the morning after Trump riled up …

Fox News reports: Scotland’s Sunday Post, citing unnamed sources at the country’s Prestwick airport, reported that U.S. military surveillance planes have been in place there for a week. The source told the paper that there has also been a booking of an “American military version of the Boeing 757 on January 19.” The source told the paper that the plane …

The Daily Beast reports: President Donald Trump’s now-notorious call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was the 19th time the White House had tried to reach the state official since the election, NBC News reports. According to reporters Julia Jester and Geoff Bennett, Trump finally made contact on Saturday after 18 unsuccessful attempts—and then went on to urge Raffensperger …

Politico reports: Sen. David Perdue tore into Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Monday for recording a phone call with President Donald Trump over the weekend, calling it “disgusting” to do so. “I guess I was raised differently,” Perdue, a Republican, said on Fox News. “To have a statewide elected official, regardless of party, tape without disclosing a conversation …

NBC News reports: A pair of House Democrats are asking FBI Director Christopher Wray to open a criminal probe into President Donald Trump after a leaked phone call showed him pleading with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn his state’s election. “As members of Congress and former prosecutors, we believe Donald Trump engaged in solicitation of, or conspiracy …

CNN reports: Georgia’s Republican lieutenant governor on Monday condemned President Donald Trump’s phone call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, saying the President’s effort to pressure the state’s top election official to falsify election results was “inappropriate.” “I am 100% certified to tell you that it was inappropriate. And it certainly did not help the situation,” Geoff Duncan told CNN’s …