Trump news live - President attacks Democrats over antisemitism as his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces sentencing
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has stirred controversy by accusing House Democrats of failing to tackle antisemitism in their ranks, saying it was “shameful” the opposition had not taken a “stronger stand”.
The president appeared to be exploiting divisions exposed by congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s criticism of Israeli lobby groups in Washington, which has seen her spar with fellow representatives including New York veteran Nita Lowey while the House dawdles over whether to stage a vote on a resolution condemning prejudice against the Jewish faith outright.
President Trump has also threatened to stop “the Fake News Networks” covering the 2020 presidential election debates on a day his former campaign manager Paul Manafort is sentenced after being found guilty of bank and tax fraud.
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William Barr has conducted his first press conference as attorney general under Donald Trump. He took no questions from reporters and spent the majority of the conference celebrating the Justice Department’s operations combatting fraud scams nationwide.
Democrats are highlighting a new report which reveals Donald Trump was addressed as a “king” by someone at his exclusive resort who was seemingly lobbying for a policy recommendation.
Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote on Twitter, “Last I checked America is a democracy, not a monarchy.”
Donald Trump has one less opponent to worry about making nicknames for during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has announced he will not run for the White House:
Michael Cohen has sued the Trump Organisation, claiming Donald Trump’s private business failed to pay him legal fees after June 2018, breaching a contract between the two parties.
Cohen, who is slated to serve a three-year prison sentence beginning in May, filed the lawsuit on Thursday morning.
“The Trump Organization agreed to indemnify Mr. Cohen and to pay attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by Mr. Cohen in connection with various matters arising from Mr. Cohen’s work with and on behalf of the Organization,” read the complaint filed in Manhattan state court. “These matters included multiple congressional hearings, Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation, and others.”
More on Michael Cohen’s new lawsuit against the Trump Organisation:
The president’s former fixer and attorney claims he is owed at least $1.9m (£1.4m) in legal fees that were never paid out.
The former lawyer also claimed in his lawsuit he stopped receiving the fees when he began cooperating with investigators in June 2018.
Rudy Giuliani tweeted a message lambasting Michael Cohen just as is was reported the president’s former attorney was suing the Trump Organisation over unpaid legal fees.
The president’s current lawyer slammed Cohen on Twitter, writing, “The defense now to Cohen saying under oath he NEVER asked for a pardon is a familiar one; What’s The Meaning of Never.”
“Serial liars often try the same deception too often,” he added. “Let’s hope Congress and DOJ are outraged at Cohen’s disrespecting them by perjuring himself repeatedly.”
Nancy Pelosi responded to questions on Thursday about whether the Democrats have committed an “overreach” by requesting a trove of documents from 81 contacts and entities close to the president amid a series of fresh probes into Donald Trump’s White House administration.
“No,” she said. “This is our constitutional responsibility.”
"If we were not to exercise oversight over the Executive Branch, we would be delinquent in our duties,” she added.
Michael Cohen’s lawsuit against the Trump Organisation arrived the same day his lawyer Lanny Davis confirmed the president’s former attorney sought a pardon before cooperating with federal investigators.
Mr Davis said Cohen “directed his attorney to explore possibilities of a pardon at one point with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump.”
Here’s The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe with more on how Donald Trump’s former lawyer sought a presidential pardon after his home and offices were raided by the FBI:
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