Trump news: California attorney general sues White House over national emergency declaration with 12 states expected to join

The latest updates on White House turmoil from Presidents' Day

Andrew McCabe reveals conversations about removing Trump from office

Donald Trump is being accused of waging a “relentless attack” on the FBI since taking office as the fallout from his decision to declare a national emergency to secure border wall funding continues.

The remark comes from former deputy director of the bureau Andrew McCabe - dismissed by ex-attorney general Jeff Sessions in March 2018 after being accused of leaking information to the media - in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition to promote his new insider account of the bureau, The Threat.

President Trump has already responded angrily on Twitter to Mr McCabe's appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, in which the latter said he had discussed removing the president under the 25th Amendment and ordered an investigation into whether ex-director James Comey was removed in May 2017 to impede the Russian election hacking investigation.

Mr McCabe also revealed that when the president told Mr Rosenstein to put in writing his concerns with former FBI Director James Comey — a document the White House initially held up as justification for his firing — the president explicitly asked the Justice Department official to reference Russia in the memo. Mr Rosenstein did not want to, Mr McCabe said, and the memo that was made public upon Mr Comey’s dismissal did not mention Russia and focused instead on Mr Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation.

“He explained to the president that he did not need Russia in his memo,” Mr McCabe said. “And the president responded, “I understand that, I am asking you to put Russia in the memo anyway.”

The news arrived as California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced he was suing Mr Trump over his emergency declaration to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border, with as many as twelve states joining the lawsuit.

California has repeatedly challenged Trump in court. Mr Becerra has filed at least 45 lawsuits against the administration.

Mr Trump declared the emergency last week to bypass Congress to use money from the Pentagon and other budgets.

The announcement was immediately met with resistance from members of Congress.

Additional reporting by AP. Read The Independent's live coverage on the White House turmoil on Monday below.

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Key Points

• President criticised by ex-deputy director in explosive new book
• National emergency protests planned in major US cities
• Lindsey Graham pledges probe into 25th Amendment 'coup' claim

[18 February 2019 17:02 · Chris Riotta]

More on the president's controversial new pick to join his legal team in the White House: 

Tyler McGaughey, who is married to attorney general William Barr’s youngest daughter, left his post in the Justice Department for the new role.

News of the transition broke just as the US Senate voted to confirm Mr Barr as the nation’s next chief law enforcement officer on Friday afternoon. 

The attorney general refused to commit to recusing himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, despite previously describing the probe as “fatally misconceived” in an unsolicited memo sent to the Justice Department. 

[18 February 2019 17:20 · Chris Riotta]

Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of US-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them.

A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela, but could not say when they arrived or what their role was.

Russia, which has backed Maduro’s socialist government to the tune of billions of dollars, this week promised to stand by him after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president with Washington’s endorsement.

The news arrives just before Donald Trump is expected to speak about the Venezuela crisis today in Florida.

Reuters

[18 February 2019 17:40 · Chris Riotta]

The president will be speaking about the crisis in Venezuela during a visit to Florida International University at 4:00pm local time. 

Local news outlet the Miami Herald has warned in a column the president is visiting the area to “stoke socialism fear that wins elections”. 

[18 February 2019 17:45 · Chris Riotta]

The California attorney general is making the announcement of his upcoming lawsuit on live television. Here's more on the details: 

[18 February 2019 18:00 · Chris Riotta]

Here’s White House strategic communications director Mercedes Schlapp previewing what the president’s speech will look like today in Florida, accusing Maduro of being "simply a Cuban puppet."

[18 February 2019 18:20 · Chris Riotta]

The attorney general of California has announced he will sue the Trump administration over the national emergency declaration to build a sprawling wall across the US-Mexico border. 

[18 February 2019 18:40 · Chris Riotta]

The president has been tweeting about Fox News throughout the day, quoting a line from Dan Bongino in which the commentator suggested there was “an illegal coup attempt” against him after Andrew McCabe acknowledged meetings had taken place to discuss the 25th Amendment. 

[18 February 2019 19:00 · Chris Riotta]

Public Citizen, a civil rights group that sued Donald Trump over his national emergency declaration, posted the following statement to Twitter on Monday:

“Either we stop the #FakeTrumpEmergency or it becomes the first of many.”

“The president doesn't have any self restraint,” the statement continued. “The question is whether we have the power to restrain the president.”

[18 February 2019 19:20 · Chris Riotta]

The chairwoman of the GOP has called Andrew McCabe a “liar,” “leaker” and “partisan who’s desperate for publicity” in a tweet slamming the former deputy director of the FBI. 

[18 February 2019 19:30 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump has accused his own deputy attorney general of breaking the law in a series of early morning tweets railing against current and former law enforcement officials.

Mr Trump lashed out on Twitter at former FBI director Andrew McCabe, whose new book details his concerns about potential foreign influence over the president, and current deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who initiated special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.