Bits by Joe Sumerlad
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President launches late-night Twitter storm as poll shows most Americans think he is a criminal
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Joe Sommerlad,
Samuel Osborne @SamuelOsborne93o
1 minute ago
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The Independent US
Donald Trump has lashed out at a number of old enemies on Twitter overnight, including Hillary Clinton, as his frustration with House Democrats and the investigations surrounding him threatens to boil over.
The president accused the Democrats of “playing games” by instigating “McCarthyite” congressional investigations against him rather than getting on with the business of government, refusing to hand over files related to his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s security clearance to the House Oversight Committee and indicating he might not co-operate with the House Judiciary Committee’s abuse of power investigation into his inner circle.
Meanwhile, a damning new poll has emerged suggesting two-thirds of American voters believe he committed a crime before his election.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
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On Tuesday, Mr Trump also walked back his decision to pull all US troops out of Syria, saying he now agreed “100 per cent” with keeping a military presence there.
Meanwhile, the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will return to Capitol Hill for a fourth day of testimony.
KEY POINTS
Trump lashes out at Democratic enemies on Twitter
Refuses to hand over files on Jared Kushner’s security clearance
Two-thirds believe president a criminal, poll finds
15 minutes ago
Donald Trump and his son Eric made a surprise phone call to a man dying of cystic fibrosis.
The president told 44-year-old Jay Barrett of West Haven, Connecticut: “I wish you could come to a rally. I wish you could come … You keep that fight going. We both fight.”
The call was made possible by Mr Barrett’s sister, West Haven City councilwoman Bridgette Hoskie, who describes herself as “100 per cent Democrat”.
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 14:08
33 minutes ago
The US trade deficit has jumped nearly 19 per cent, undermining a key commitment by President Trump.
The US trade imbalance for 2018 widened to a decade-long high of $261bn (£199bn). The gap with China on goods widened to an all-time record of $419.2bn (£319bn).
Mr Trump promised to cut the trade imbalance on the belief it would bring back overseas factory jobs and bolster the broader US economy.
But America’s dependence on imports appears to have increased after the tariffs Mr Trump imposed last year on foreign steel, aluminium and Chinese products.
An acceleration in economic growth last year from President Trump’s debt-funded tax cuts helped to boost the appetite for foreign goods.
Samuel Osborne
6 March 2019 13:50
43 minutes ago
Melania Trump joined in with her husband’s attack on the media on Tuesday.
On tour in Las Vegas to promote her “Be Best” anti-bullying initiative and discuss the impact of the opioid crisis on children, the first lady said: “I challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost and the potential lives that could be saved by dedicating the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories.”
“When we see breaking news on TV or the front pages of newspapers, it is my hope that it can be about how many lives we were able to save through education and honest dialogue.”
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 14:18
58 minutes ago
Here’s an unusual aside from Trumpland: Aberdeen and Scotland footballer Scott McKenna has come under fire for accepting a post as ambassador of Donald Trump’s nearby golf course.
International footballer criticised after becoming ambassador for Trump’s golf course
McKenna is an avid golfer and claims it is a privilege to represent the Aberdeenshire club
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 12:05
1 hour ago
A spike in arrests on the US border with Mexico has prompted critics of President Trump to warn his approach to tackling illegal immigration is not only not working but having an encouraging effect.
Around 76,000 people were picked up by border agents in February, a 50 percent increase year-on-year and a 12-year high.
Here’s Clark Mindock with more.
Trump administration’s ‘chaotic approach’ to border security is 'encouraging illegal migration’
Chaotic approach to southern border security is encouraging illegal migration, says critic
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 14:17
1 hour ago
This should not be overlooked.
Just two months after President Trump announced all American troops would be leaving Syria, the commander-in-chief has backpedalled on his decision in a letter to Congress, stating he now agrees “100 per cent” with keeping a military presence in the conflict-struck country.
Here’s Sarah Harvard.
Trump flip-flops on Syria, now agrees ‘100%’ with keeping troops
In December the president announced withdrawing all troops from country
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:49
1 hour ago
In his dramatic appearance before the House Oversight Committee last week, one of Cohen’s revelations was that the president asked him to threaten his old schools in order to ensure they would not release his exam grades to the media.
Here’s more on how Mr Trump sought to bury the past.
How Trump managed to bury his high school records
Revelations add fresh details to allegations made by president’s former lawyer Michael Cohen last week
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 12:00
1 hour ago
Michael Cohen is due back before the House Intelligence Committee today for another private hearing after three days of headline-grabbing testimony on Capitol Hill last week.
The question of whether he discussed presidential pardons with White House attorneys after the FBI raided his home and business premises last April is thought to be on the bill for the latest behind-closed-doors session.
No pardon was ever given and Cohen ultimately wound up pleading guilty and cooperating against the president in separate investigations by the special counsel and by federal prosecutors in New York. He begins a three-year jail sentence in May.
While there is nothing inherently improper about a subject in a criminal investigation seeking a pardon from a president given the president’s wide latitude in granting them, representatives have requested information about talks on possible pardons for Cohen and other defendants close to the president who have become entangled in Mueller’s investigation.
The House Intelligence Committee’s chairman Adam Schiff said after last week’s private meeting with Cohen that the committee had “additional document requests” that they were discussing with him. Mr Schiff would not comment on the substance of the interview, but said it helped “to shed light on a lot of issues that are very core to our investigation”.
The intelligence panel is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether Mr Trump’s campaign coordinated with the Russians in any way. They are also looking into Trump’s foreign financial dealings and whether there was obstruction of justice.
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:29
2 hours ago
This was the response from “Crooked Hillary” to the president’s taunting tweet by the way.
Absolutely textbook use of a Mean Girls GIF.
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:21
2 hours ago
Meanwhile, a damaging poll from Quinnipac University has found that a staggering 45 percent of American voters surveyed believe President Trump committed a crime before he was elected.
Here’s Chris Baynes.
Two-thirds of Americans think Trump is a criminal, poll finds
‘Michael Cohen, a known liar headed to the big house, has more credibility than the leader of the free world’, says pollster
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:51
2 hours ago
The president’s new line of attack is to accuse House Democrats of wasting the government’s time with “hoax” investigations.
“Essentially what they are saying is the campaign begins,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Instead of doing infrastructure, instead of doing healthcare, instead of doing so many things they should be doing, they want to play games.”
He also hinted he might not necessarily co-operate with Jerrold Nadler’s House Judiciary Committee.
Trump suggests he will not cooperate with investigation into abuse of power
President described investigation as ‘disgrace to our country’
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:18
3 hours ago
Here’s a little more on that, with CNN reporting the president also pressured former chief-of-staff John Kelly and ex-White House counsel to grant the same access to his daughter Ivanka.
Trump ‘pressured White House officials’ to get security clearance for Ivanka
It follows reports president made similar demands on behalf of Jared Kushner
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:39
3 hours ago
The president appears to be digging in his heels on the investigations, the White House refusing to turn over information on his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s security clearance, granted in spite of concerns raised by intelligence officials.
Mr Trump branded the decision “a disgrace” before addressing a gathering of military veterans on suicide among former members of the armed forces from the Roosevelt Room.
House Oversight Committee chair Elijah Cummings said he is considering his “next steps”.
Here’s Clark Mindock.
Trump refuses to hand over ‘Kushner clearance’ documents to Congress: ‘It’s a disgrace’
House Democrats are considering ‘next steps’ as the White House refused to supply clearance documents
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:08
3 hours ago
President Trump laid into his Democratic rivals on Twitter last night, mocking both 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and billionaire party donor Tom Steyer for their decisions not to run against him in 2020.
“Aw-shucks, does that mean I won’t get to run against her again? She will be sorely missed!” he sneered at Ms Clinton before applying one of his signature nicknames to the hedge fund philanthropist, branding him “Weirdo Tom Steyer” and saying he lacked the “guts” to run.
He also retweeted attacks on the House Democrats’ “fishing expeditions” into his affairs from his press secretary Sarah Sanders and Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, as well as another plug for Fox News, broadcasting an interview with Republican congressman Jim Jordan on the opposition’s “colossally stupid decision to overreach with overbroad subpoenas”.
In another tweet, he quoted Hans von Spakovsky, a lawyer who was appointed to the president’s ill-fated commission on election integrity, to support his contention Democrats are “copying Joseph McCarthy” and “don’t have any evidence of wrongdoing.”
Here’s Tom Embury-Dennis on the president’s latest fever dream.
Trump launches overnight tirade after refusing to hand documents requested by Congress
Billionaire reacts angrily to widening congressional probes into his conduct in office
Joe Sommerlad
6 March 2019 11:55
3 hours ago