The 9/11 families released an ad criticizing Trump for hosting a golf tournament in Saudi Arabia
Justice Department prosecutors are preparing a legal battle to compel White House aides and staff from Donald Trump’s administration to testify in the ongoing investigation, people familiar with the matter said.
Associates of the former president may be asked to testify about his conversations and actions surrounding the January 6 riot.
Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed the department had no concerns about any political blowback from a criminal charge against him.
It comes as Mr Trump is already in hot water for hosting the controversial LIV Golf Series at his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. Both he and his son Eric joined the pro circuit on Thursday.
The fact that the league is backed by Saudi money has disgusted the families of the 9/11 victims, who have long called on the US government to come clean about what it knows about Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the attacks.
Speaking to ESPN, the former president called the attack “horrific” and said that “unfortunately, nobody got to the bottom of 9/11.”
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has threatened to sue CNN for calling him a liar and calling his baseless claims about the 2020 election “The Big Lie”.
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Trump’s border wall is (sort of) making a comeback
Despite his pledge that “no more” border wall would be built under his administration, Joe Biden authorized a plan to fill a gap in the barricade just south of Yuma, Arizona.
According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, four large gaps in this section of the wall have made it one of the most used corridors for migrants to illegally cross into the US.
DHS, under Mr. Biden, issued a statement saying that completing the wall would actually protect migrants who could injure themselves trying to climb the slopes near the wall or drown while cross the Colorado River.
Greig Graziosi with more details.
The Biden administration will close the gaps in the US-Mexico border wall
The gaps in the border wall near Yuma are one of the busiest crossing points for migrants
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 5:30 am
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Will Republicans finally get behind the fuel pit bill?
Jon Stewart criticized Republican senators who voted against the burn pit legislation and joked on Fox News that the bill was not changed by Hunter Biden.
Mr. Stewart was a leading sponsor of legislation to help veterans suffering from toxic burn-related illnesses, an earlier version of which passed 84-14 in June.
But GOP senators voted together against a procedural motion Wednesday night that would have ended debate on the bill, allowing it to move forward for final passage.
For more context on the law, read Graham Massey’s story for The Independent.
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 4:30 am
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More like Make Donald Trump Rich Again: How the MAGA Hat Made $80,000 a Day
Donald Trump’s red MAGA hats earned him $80,000 a day for his 2016 presidential campaign, Jared Kushner writes in his upcoming memoir.
The former president’s son-in-law wrote that Mr. Trump’s aides ordered just 100 of the hats to begin with before they became a hit with his supporters on the campaign trail.
Trump Made $80K a Day Selling MAGA Hats During His 2016 Campaign, Kushner Says
Campaign sold enough hats to cover most of day-to-day running costs for 2016, Trump son-in-law writes
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 3:30 am
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Did Donald Trump betray the families of 9/11 by hosting the LIV golf tournament?
Many of them seem to think so.
Families of 9/11 victims have slammed Donald Trump and LIV golfers as “cowards” for not admitting they were only playing in a tournament funded by Saudi Arabia for the money.
Dozens of members of the group 9/11 Justice protested the start of the cash-rich LIV tournament, which began at Trump Bedminster National Golf Course in New Jersey on Friday, just 50 miles from Ground Zero.
Bevan Hurley with the full story.
9/11 families slam Trump and LIV golfers as ‘cowards’ for taking Saudi money
Brett Eagleson said golfers can’t even “look us in the eye and tell us they’re in it for the money”
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 2:30 am
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ICYMI: Big change as DOJ opens investigation into Trump starting Jan. 6
Donald Trump is being investigated by the Justice Department as part of its criminal investigation into trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a report.
Prosecutors have questioned witnesses testifying before a grand jury in recent days about conversations with the former president, his lawyers and other close advisers about “voter fraud.”
Justice Department lawyers asked “hours of detailed questions about the meetings Mr. Trump held in December 2020 and January 2021; his campaign to push for the annulment of the election; and what instructions he gave to his lawyers and advisers about voter fraud and sending voters back to the states,” two sources told the newspaper on Tuesday.
Donald Trump is under investigation by the Department of Justice, the report says
The questioning focused on Mr Trump’s role in the “fake voter” scheme.
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 02:00 am
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Kevin McCarthy claims Trump would stop inflation
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said Friday that almost everything would be different — inflation, the border, crime rates — if Donald Trump were still in office.
“He loves this country and wants to see it back on track,” the California Republican said.
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 1:30 am
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Jeff Sessions tried to derail Trump’s criminal justice bill, Kushner claims
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions tried to block passage of Donald Trump’s bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, Jared Kushner claims in his upcoming memoir Breaking History.
Mr. Kushner wrote that Mr. Sessions had tried to insert changes into the bill that would have been a “poison pill” to stop it from passing.
The book includes an account of a meeting between Mr. Kushner and Mr. Sessions.
“Finally, Sessions turned to me and drawled, ‘Jared, it’s very simple. If the boy commits the crime, you must lock him up. That’s where he was,” Kushner wrote in an excerpt obtained by CNN. “From that moment on, I knew he was going to try to undermine us at every turn, making an almost impossible task even more difficult.”
Mr. Trump eventually passed a criminal justice package in 2018.
Why the First Step Act is just that—a first step toward criminal justice reform in America
The bill’s passage represents a rare bipartisan victory as it draws support from both sides of the aisle
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 1:00 am
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Poll shows Ron DeSantis has a solid shot at the 2024 GOP nomination
Ron DeSantis of Florida will have a competitive shot at the 2024 GOP presidential nomination against Donald Trump, new polls show.
Most still favor Donald Trump to take the seat, with the former president receiving roughly 42 percent, but Mr. DeSantis is not far behind at 34 percent, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll.
For more on the brewing battle between the two men, here’s Eric Garcia’s analysis.
What Insiders Are Saying About Ron DeSantis’ 2024 Presidential Run
It looks more and more like the Florida governor and Donald Trump are each other’s worst nightmares
Josh Marcus July 30, 2022 12:30 am
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The commission, as of Jan. 6, had not yet decided whether to bring Trump and Pence in for an investigation
The panel, as of Jan. 6, was still debating whether it was worth seeking information directly from former President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence about the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
On the one hand, the men were direct witnesses to the day’s events, but on the other, any attempt to seek testimony is likely to trigger intense negotiations and perhaps even a legal battle.
“There are competing imperatives, and one imperative is that we want to get all the evidence as quickly as possible,” committee member Jamie Raskin told CNN on Friday. “On the other hand, we don’t want to get into legal wild goose chases with people.”
Josh Marcus Jul 30, 2022 12:00 am
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The Justice Department is dealing with lawyers ahead of the battle with Trump
The Justice Department is busy recruiting as part of its investigation into Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.
The Department of Justice has reportedly hired JP Cooney, an experienced state corruption prosecutor, to join the effort, Insider reports.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the investigation is the largest and most important in the Justice Department’s history.
“People at the Department of Justice are committed to this. They are working 24/7 on it,” he said last week.
There have been more than 800 separate cases linked to Jan. 6, according to officials.
Josh Marcus July 29, 2022 11:30 pm
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