Trump news – latest: Trump declares himself ‘innocent as a person can be’ and implied Biden knew about FBI raid

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Jared Kushner denies speculation he was Mar-a-Lago “mole”

Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social for a multi-part tirade against federal law enforcement, the Democratic Party and Joe Biden, claiming once again that the raid on his residence at Mar-a-Lago was nothing but an act of political persecution.

Proclaiming himself “innocent as a person can be”, Mr Trump insisted that “Radical Left Democrats” are trying to “circumvent” the Presidential Records Act, which he is accused of violating by taking hundreds of pages of sensitive government documents with him when he left the White House.

He also implied that his successor was somehow involved. “Joe Biden said he knew nothing about the Break-In of Mar-a-Lago or, the greatest political attack in the history of the US Does anybody really believe this???”

Mr Biden has categorically denied that he received any advance warning of the raid on Mr Trump’s Florida property. “None. Zero. Not one single bit,” he told a press conference.

A report from the Wall Street Journal claims that FBI agents found papers “lying in unsecured areas” during the search of Mar-a-Lago – contradicting assurances from Mr Trump’s team that any sensitive documents were kept under lock and key.

Key PointsShow latest update 1661447455Trump goes after McConnell (again)

Donald Trump has fired off a fresh salvo in his war of words with Mitch McConnell, calling the Republican Senate leader a “pawn” who must be replaced “immediately”.

“Mitch McConnell is not an Opposition Leader, he is a pawn for the Democrats to get whatever they want,” the former president said in a post to Truth Social.

“He is afraid of them, and will not to what has to be done. A new Republican Leader in the Senate should be picked immediately.”

Read more from Bevan Hurley:

Trump calls for ‘pawn’ Mitch McConnell to be replaced as Senate leader

‘A new Republican Leader in the Senate should be immediately picked,’ Trump claims

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 18:10

1661445655Pompeo hints at running for president – ​​regardless of Trump’s plans

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo does not appear to be deterred from potentially seeking Donald Trump’s old job, even as Mr Trump regularly teases his intent to seek a return to the job American voters fired him from in 2020.

Mr Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman who served as Mr Trump’s CIA director before being elevated to the top of the State Department, did not rule out mounting his own 2024 campaign during an appearance at South Carolina Representative Jeff Duncan’s Faith and Freedom Barbeque

Asked whether he would stand aside if Mr Trump declares his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, Mr Pompeo replied: “We’re going to make our decision based on if we think this is the right place for us to serve”.

Mike Pompeo hints he may run for the president regardless of Trump

The ex-secretary of state says he will run if he ‘come[s] to believe [he] ought to become president’

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 17:40

1661443855Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she was “swatted” again

Far-right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she was “swatted” a second time after police responded to an earlier “swatting” incident at her home early on Wednesday morning.

“Swatted again last night,” she announced on Twitter on 25 August.

“Swatting” typically involves a fake emergency call to 911 operators that dispatches heavily armed and armed law enforcement teams as an extreme prank or form of harassment.

The congresswoman previously reported that her home was swatted after 1am on Wednesday. The Rome Police Department later reported that officers responded to a 911 call reporting that a person was “shot multiple times at an address within the city limits.”

“When officers responded they discovered this was the home of Marjorie Taylor Greene,” according to a statement from the department. “She assured the officers there was no issue and the call was determined to be a false call commonly known as ‘swatting’.”

Alex Woodward has the story.

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims her home was ‘swatted again’

Far-right congresswoman was previously targeted in ‘swatting’ incident earlier this week, according to police

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 17:10

1661441859Trump calls student loan relief “election enhancing money grab”

Donald Trump saves his longer statements for his email lists of supporters, who have just been treated to a rant about the Biden administration’s student loans relief plan announced yesterday. As with all Trump emails, the message comes with a “donate” button.

(Save America)

Mr Biden’s plan to cancel up to $10,000 of student debt for graduates making $125,000 a year has met with relief from progressives, disdain from conservatives and unease from centrist Democrats. Alex Woodward explains what it entails.

What you need to know about Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debts

Roughly 43 million federal student loan borrowers are eligible for relief, including 20 million people whose debts may be canceled completely

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 16:37

1661440255 “Innocent as a person can be”: Trump busy on Truth Social

Donald Trump is awake and “truthing” – and whereas he usually takes his foot off the gas for a day here and there, it’s already been a frantic morning, reminiscent of his old Twitter habits.

Here’s a sample of what Mr Trump, who claims he is “innocent as a person can be”, has been raging about.

(Truth Social)

(Truth Social)

(Truth Social)

Read more from Eric Garcia.

Trump declares himself ‘as innocent as a person can be’ in Truth Social rant

Former president Donald Trump declared himself “as innocent as a person can be” in a Thursday rant after the FBI raided his home earlier this month.

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 16:10

1661439655Controversial disinformation board shut down

Three months after conservative outrage led the Department of Homeland Security to suspend a new effort to combat disinformation spread with the aim of harming US national security, the program has been officially cancelled.

Though DHS officials repeatedly stressed that the board was to have no role in policing speech of any kind, the idea that the federal government would have any role in fighting disinformation — even disinformation spread by drug and human smuggling cartels or foreign nations intent on interfering in US elections — was seized on by conservatives who claimed DHS would weaponise the board to “target” Republican politicians.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

US government shuts down disinformation board that GOP criticised

The termination of the Disinformation Governance Board comes three months after it was suspended amid outrage from conservatives who claimed it would be weaponised against them

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 16:00

1661436634The “pro-fish” Democrat taking on Sarah Palin

The race for Alaska’s only House seat is seldom a close-run affair. It was held by Republican Don Young for nearly 50 years until his death earlier this year sparked a special election.

But when the first round results of that election were announced last week, they showed a Democrat out in front. Mary Peltola, 48, is currently ahead of her closest rival, former vice presidential candidate and reality TV star Sarah Palin.

Ms Peltola, a Native Yup’ik, has given Democrats hope of a stunning upset in a deep red state. In a year that promises a challenging national outlook for her party, can she buck the trend?

Richard Hall has this interview.

She’s pro-choice, pro-fish and pro-worker and she’s beating Sarah Palin

Mary Peltola pulled ahead in the first round of Alaska’s ranked choice special election, Richard Hall reports. Can she hold the lead?

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 15:10

1661434834Kinzinger vs Gaetz on how the GOP should “govern”

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee despite being under federal investigation over sex trafficking allegations (which he denies), has given his pitch for what the GOP should do if it takes over the House of Representatives after the midterm elections, as it remains favored to do.

His prescription: “converting” every House committee into a machine for relentlessly “investigating” political enemies. Hunter Biden, “wokeism” in the military, “vaccine injuries” – his list is long, and it has little if anything to do with actually legislating.

His retiring Republican colleague Adam Kinzinger is unimpressed.

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 14:40

1661433034Is Oz catching up in Pennsylvania?

After a torrid month of campaign missteps and crudité-related mockery, Mehmet Oz looked at be falling badly behind John Fetterman in his effort to keep Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in Republican hands. But despite the mounting problems, a new poll shows him within striking distance of his Democratic opponent – and there’s still more than two months to go…

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 14:10

1661431234Republican feed complains still-visible post has been hidden

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have claimed that Facebook censored one of their posts about Joe Biden’s student debt relief announcement, pointing to it as another example of “big tech” censorship.

However, the post remains visible on the GOP members’ Facebook feed – underneath another describing the alleged action as “unbelievable”.

House Judiciary Committee Republicans claim Facebook hid still-visible post

Committee’s GOP members are notorious for using social media feeds to rant about Democrats and denigrate 6 January hearings

Andrew Naughtie25 August 2022 13:40

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