Trump news today: New audio undermines McCarthy’s denial that he’d suggest resignation to ex-president

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Trump’s team repeatedly asked Piers Morgan to wrap up interview in leaked audio clip

Hours after House minority leader Kevin McCarthy denied a New York Times report that said he considered urging Donald Trump to resign in the aftermath of 6 January riots, audio of the conversation has been released that appears to contradict his claims.

Mr McCarthy told other GOP lawmakers after the Capitol insurrection last year that he would suggest Mr Trump to resign, according to an audio recording posted Thursday night by MSNBC and the Times.

The audio was released hours after Mr McCarthy flatly denied the report. The story is part of an upcoming book, This Will Not Pass, which looks at the aftermath of the 2020 election and the transition to the Biden administration.

The fracas over Mr McCarthy’s comments came as Mr Trump hit out at presenter Piers Morgan and accused him of doctoring the promo of an interview to suggest that the Republican leader stormed out of the room.

New audio released to NBC News by a Trump spokesman indicates that the interview in fact came to a far more amicable end, with the two men enjoying a discussion about the ex-president’s alleged hole-in-one during a recent golf game.

Key PointsShow latest update 1650625589Trumps turn on leading Ohio Senate candidate

Having backed Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance in the all-important Ohio Senate primary, Donald Trump and his son Donald Jr are turning their fire on one of the leading Republican candidates: Josh Mandel, who has been running an extremely aggressive right-wing campaign as he chases after the nomination.

In particular, the younger Trump is going after Mr Mandel for his previous connections to the Republican establishment, sharing video of him hobnobbing with the likes of Mitt Romney and John McCain – both sworn enemies of the Trump clan.

As the New York Times’s Maggie Haberman reports, things are approaching the point where the former president’s son may take the unusual step of formally opposing Mr Mandel, who so far has been a far stronger contender for the nomination than Mr Vance.

Andrew Naughtie22 April 2022 12:06

1650624002Two men plead guilty in Bannon-linked border wall scam

Two men have pleaded guilty in a long-running wire fraud case related to We Build The Wall, a fundraising group co-founded by Trump advisor and far-right instigator Steve Bannon.

Mr Bannon was pardoned by the former president for his part in the crowdfunding effort, whose donations were siphoned off for personal use by staff. However, Mr Trump was only able to pardon him on the federal charges he faced; he is still under investigation for state-level offenses.

Sravasti Dasgupta has the story.

Andrew Naughtie22 April 2022 11:40

1650621814Analysis: Can Trump run for president again?

Almost nobody doubts that Donald Trump is seriously considering running for president in 2024, and the string of rallies he’s held in recent months have made it seem almost like the campaign is already underway. There are even reports saying he had to be talked out of announcing a second run as early as last year for fear that he could scramble the Republicans’ messaging in the midterm elections.

However, despite his towering polling advantage among the Republican base and his enormous fundraising ability, Mr Trump doesn’t have a completely clear path to the nomination or the presidency, not least because of multiple legal problems that still threaten to escalate.

Graeme Massie picks over the challenges the former president might face.

Andrew Naughtie22 April 2022 11:03

1650620134McCarthy’s Jan 6 denial still live …

Before the audio of his post-insurrection call with Liz Cheney was released, Kevin McCarthy issued a strident written denial that the reported version was accurate. And even after the recording was played on MSNBC, the statement is still live on his official Twitter feed:

Andrew Naughtie22 April 2022 10:35

1650618373Kinzinger rips McCarthy over taped comments

Adam Kinzinger, who sits with Liz Cheney on the 6 January select committee, has laid into Kevin McCarthy over the audio that shows him saying exactly what he denied saying just an hour before the recording was released.

Andrew Naughtie22 April 2022 10:06

1650616224Audio: McCarthy said he would urge Trump to resign

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told fellow GOP lawmakers shortly after the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign, according to audio posted by The New York Times and aired on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show.

In the recording of a 10 January House Republican Leadership call posted by the Times on Thursday night, McCarthy is heard discussing the Democratic effort to remove Trump from office and saying he would tell Trump, “I think it will pass and it would be my recommendation he should resign. ”

Shweta Sharma22 April 2022 09:30

1650613524Conservative expert says audio is ‘epic embarrassment for Republicans’

Reacting to the latest audio released of Kevin McCarthy, conservative expert AB Stoddard said it was a “breathtaking failure” on the part of the Republican politician.

“It’s an amazing, breathtaking failure on the part of Kevin McCarthy, simply because he has tried to ascend to the speakership for so long,” Ms Stoddard said on MSNBC.

She called it an “epic embarrassment for Republicans”.

Shweta Sharma22 April 2022 08:45

1650611724McCarthy likely to face calls for resignation: Rachel Maddow

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow said she expects calls for GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to resign after she released an explosive audio recording confirming a New York Times report.

“I don’t mean to be pollyanna about this at all, or naïve,” Ms Maddow said. “But it seems to me that I expect a sort of level – from politicians, in particular – of saying one thing in public and saying it another way in private. Certainly speaking more harshly, less diplomatic terms in private. ”

Yet she said she does not expect public officials and politicians “to flat out lie” when it is on the record.

“I think this creates a real problem for Mr McCarthy, I think he must at least apologize, I would not be surprised if there are calls for his resignation, for him lying and denying that he did this when in fact he did it,” she said.

Shweta Sharma22 April 2022 08:15

1650609024Trump Jr to meet with Jan 6 committee

Donald Trump Jr will meet with lawmakers on the January 6 committee who are seeking his voluntary testimony, sources on the committee told ABC News on Thursday.

The eldest son of the former president was a top figure in Mr Trump’s reelection campaign, unlike his sister Ivanka and her husband who served inside the administration.

ABC News reported on Thursday that Donald Trump Jr is set to meet with members of the House January 6 select committee within the next few days for a voluntary interview.

According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC, Mr Trump has not been served with a subpoena and agreed to give evidence before the panel after he was asked to do so.

Shweta Sharma22 April 2022 07:30

1650606324Trump groups collect $ 124m ahead of midterm elections

At least $ 124m has been amassed by Donald Trump’s network of political advocacy groups by the end of March, a significant stockpile for the former president for the midterm elections.

The collection has surpassed the funds of the Republican National Committee itself, which reported nearly $ 45m as cash on hand at the end of March, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

One of the biggest Trump groups, Save America PAC, amassed more than $ 5m in the same period. It accounts for over $ 112m of the Trump network’s combined cash on hand.

Shweta Sharma22 April 2022 06:45

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