Trump news today: Donald Jr voluntarily answers questions from Jan 6 panel

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Trump says he took a cognitive test because people kept calling him stupid

Donald Trump’s son Donald Jr has voluntarily testified to the select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol. In a session conducted without a subpoena, the president’s oldest child reportedly answered questions without pleading the Fifth Amendment as several other close Trump associates have.

The younger Trump is the third member of his family known to have testified to the commitee, after his sister Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner. The committee is still considering whether and how to request testimony from the former president himself as it tries to piece together his movements and communications on the day of the riot.

Meanwhile, newly released audio from the days after the insurrection shows House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy calling for a “smooth transition” between presidents and saying the time had come for him and Mr Trump to “reach out to Biden” – though he accepts that Mr Trump is unlikely ever to sit down with the man who defeated him.

Key pointsShow latest update 1651747844Watch: A Democratic challenger to Madison Cawthorn

Thanks to the rules governing Republican primaries in his state, far-right Congressman Madison Cawthorn has a low bar to clear in order to be renominated, meaning that the party establishment may struggle to shake him off.

His most conspicuous Democratic challenger, who faces a primary on the same day as Mr Cawthorn, is the Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, a county commissioner who is touting her faith and local credentials-and insisting that a gay woman can be elected to Congress in the South.

However severe Mr Cawthorn’s troubles, the seat is still rated “solid Republican” by poll-watchers.

Andrew Naughtie5 May 2022 11:50

1651745430Republican Party shills for Truth Social

The official Republican National Committee email list has sent out a promotional email for Truth Social, Donald Trump’s bespoke social media platform, which it describes as a “huge success” despite months of dire publicity. The platform is a private company operated in the name of someone out of office with no official role in the party, but the RNC is pointing users its way regardless.

Mr Trump has recently reappeared on Truth Social. after a long silence, apparently spurred into action by Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Alex Woodward recently took a peek at what’s going on there.

Andrew Naughtie5 May 2022 11:10

1651742864Kinzinger calls for Cawthorn’s defeat

Another unedifying video of Madison Cawthorn adds another stain to his tarnished image, anti-Trump Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has called on voters to turf out the extreme North Carolina representative in November.

Mr Cawthorn has shared a video message in which he rants against the supposed smear campaign against him. The latest video, which is on the explicit side, comes after one in which his cousin and scheduler apparently grabs his crotch.

Andrew Naughtie5 May 2022 10:27

1651740483Catch up; New McCarthy audio on Trump’s “atrocious” actions

Kevin McCarthy’s political standing has so far suffered little from the audio detailing his anger at Donald Trump after the Capitol riot, but further recordings from the aftermath of the attack are still emerging.

Here’s a new excerpt that was aired on CNN last night. On the recording, which dates from two days after the riot, Mr McCarthy says he wants to “reach out to Biden” to help “make a smooth transition” between the two presidents.

Andrew Naughtie5 May 2022 09:48

1651734000Ohio primary proves the Trump Bump lives on

The number one lesson from Tuesday’s GOP primary for Ohio’s open Senate seat? Donald Trump still rules over the Republican Party.

His elevation of JD Vance’s campaign from fourth place to first place over the course of just over a month is an incredible case study into his dominance over the party that appears poised to support him again in 2024, if he runs.

Read more in The Independent:

John Bowden5 May 2022 08:00

1651731900Oath Keepers member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy

A member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia on Wednesday became the third person to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in relation to the January 6 attack.

William Todd Wilson pleaded guilty to a charge of plotting to use force to halt the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration in a DC court. He also revealed that the group’s founder attempted to contact Donald Trump through a mediary ahead of the attack itself.

John Bowden5 May 2022 07:25

1651728300ICYMI: DHS inspector general says Trump appointee covered up report that made Trump ‘look bad’

The former acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, intervened to alter a report’s final wording as well as delay its release because of concerns it made Donald Trump “look bad”, the agency’s Inspector General said on Wednesday.

The report itself detailed foreign interference in the 2016 election, including in particular the efforts on behalf of Russia’s government.

Read more from The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg:

John Bowden5 May 2022 06:25

1651724700’The Five ‘turns ugly over abortion ruling

Fox News’s The Five turned ugly fast on Wednesday as the co-hosts discussed a draft ruling from the Supreme Court leaked to and published by Politico over the weekend.

The network’s longtime correspondent Geraldo Rivera warned that such a move would just drive abortions underground to illegal facilities, increasing the danger for women.

After a back-and-forth with co-host Greg Gutfeld, he lashed out at the “insulting punk”.

John Bowden5 May 2022 05:25

1651721121Trump ally Madison Cawthorn criticizes fellow Republicans again

Congressman Madison Cawthorn is once again attacking the reputations of broad swaths of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including his fellow Republicans.

In a new video apparently shot by Mr Cawthorn’s team and shared online by a Democratic-leaning political firm on Wednesday, the embattled North Carolina Republican says that “most” of his older colleagues would have been disqualified for office if the technology to rapidly take pictures and share them via cell phones was around when they were younger. Mr Cawthorn is the youngest member of the House or Senate.

John Bowden5 May 2022 04:25

1651717221Trump attacks Biden administration over DHS board on disinfo

Donald Trump is weighing in on the growing right-wing backlash against the Department of Homeland Security’s effort to fight disinformation including Russian efforts to interfere in American election systems.

In an interview with CBN, he smeared the agency’s efforts as a Soviet-esque effort to control speech.

“Now they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, it’s just a recommendation.’ That’s where it all began. I guess that’s what they used to say in Russia. That’s what they said in the Soviet Union, right? We’re just going to do a little bit – no, we can’t do that, we can’t do that. That’s a horrible thing, ”he said.

John Bowden5 May 2022 03:20

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