Trump news: Giuliani accused of 'campaign of lies' in impeachment inquiry, as president ordered to pay $2m over misuse of foundation
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The president has meanwhile angrily denounced as “degenerate” a Washington Post report that he asked his attorney general, William Barr, to declare publicly that the Zelensky call of 25 July contained no illegality, only for Mr Barr to decline.
House investigators released the transcript of their interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent, who accused Mr Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani of leading a campaign of “lies and deceit” against former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
Meanwhile, Mr Giuliani is lawyering up as federal investigators look into whether he violated lobbying laws in his attempts to dig up dirt on Mr Trump's political rivals.
Next week, the first televised witness testimonies in the impeachment proceedings begin with Bill Taylor, whose damning testimony contradicted the so-called quid pro quo arrangement between Mr Trump and Ukraine.
Mr Taylor and Mr Kent appear on Wednesday.
On Friday, viewers will hear from Ms Yovanovitch.
In another blow to Mr Trump, a judge has ordered he must personally pay $2m following a lawsuit from the New York Attorney General alleging that his now-dissolved foundation twas used as a personal "chequebook" for his political and personal dealings. Last year, the president said on Twitter that he "won't settle" the case and called it a political attack from "sleazy" New York Democrats.
At a rally in Louisiana on Wednesday night, Mr Trump attacked the Democrats as “totalitarian”, labelling the inquiry into his conduct in office a “hoax” and reviving his attack on 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren, again deriding her claim to Native American heritage by labelling her “Pocahontas”.
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Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser will defy White House orders and testify as a key impeachment witness against the president - so long as a federal court allows him to speak with investigators, a new report says:
Donald Trump is “very keen” on launching a new reality TV series after his days serving in the White House are over, according to reports.
The president has “sporadically kept in touch” with Mark Burnett, the creator of The Apprentice, and misses his days in front of the camera as the star of the show, according to the Daily Beast.
The pair reportedly raised the idea of launching a new version of the show titled The Apprentice: White House.
“There have been several discussions between Burnett and Trump about The Apprentice: White House,” a source told the news outlet. “It is something Burnett thinks could be a money-spinner and Trump is very keen on doing.”
Lindsey Graham slammed the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump while claiming the White House policy towards Ukraine was so “incoherent” that the administration could not have formed a quid pro quo even if it tried.
The South Carolina Republican described the impeachment as “sour grapes and politically driven” when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, calling the process “a sham” and the investigation “manufactured”.
“What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward Ukraine: It was incoherent, it depends on who you talk to, they seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo”, Mr Graham said.
He added: “I find the whole process to be a sham and I'm not going to legitimise it.”
Mr Graham has served as one of the president’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, consistently defending Mr Trump against accusations he withheld crucial military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations into one of his 2020 political rivals, Joe Biden.
Story to come...
Donald Trump Jr was on ABC's The View today, and it went just about as well as you'd expect:
Roger Sollenberger has penned a worthy read on his numerous conversations with Rudy Giuliani over the course of the last month, including a comical exchange in which the president's personal attorney appeared to send him his password followed by a message that read "butt dial" -
Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $2m to several nonprofit organisations after using the foundation that bears his name as his personal "checkbook".
A judge has sided with a lawsuit that alleged Mr Trump and his three eldest children — Ivanka, Donald Jr and Eric Trump — had made "persistent" violations of federal and state campaign finance laws and abused the tax exempt status of the Donald J Trump Foundation by using it as "little more than a checkbook" to serve Mr Trump and his business and political interests, according to the suit.
Mr Trump himself must pay the $2m judgment for failing his fiduciary responsibility to the organisation.
Prosecutors have unveiled evidence of Roger Stone urging a witness in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation not to testify through a series of death threats and incendiary messages.
The texts were shown during the Republican operative’s criminal trial that kicked off this week. Stone, who was arrested earlier this year, has been accused of witness tampering and lying to congressional investigators.
In a text message to the witness in question, Mr Stone wrote: “You are a rat. A stoolie. You backstab your friends-run your mouth my lawyers are dying Rip you to shreds.”
He added: “I am so ready. Let’s get it on. Prepare to die [expletive].”
The texts were sent to radio host Randy Credico, who interviewed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on his show during the presidential election in August 2016.
Story to come...
House investigators have released the transcript of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent's testimony. One key excerpt:
George Kent described Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's letter claiming foreign service officers were "bullied, threatened and intimidated" as "inaccurate".
The deputy assistant secretary of state said: "I was one of two career foreign service officers which had received letters ... and I had not felt bullied, threatened, and intimidated."
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