Trump news – as it happened: Order to seize voting machines revealed as Ivanka ‘isolated’ from Mar-a-Lago

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Former Trump aide says Trump "gleefully" watched footage of the Capitol riot on 6 January

Donald Trump’s order - in which he instructed the defence secretary to seize voting machines - was based on an unfounded conspiracy theory, a new report claims.

A draft of a presidential order to seize voting machines appears to be largely based on blatantly false theories espoused by one of Mr Trump’s attorneys.

The three-page document, dated 16 December 2020, would have ordered the Secretary of Defence to “seize, collect, retain and analyze” voting equipment and electronic records.

The draft “presidential finding,” the contents of which were first reported by Politico, is one of the more than 750 documents that the National Archives and Records Administration turned over to the House select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka is reportedly frustrated at being dragged into the Jan 6 investigation on account of her time working in the White House.

According to a new report in The Daily Beast, Ms Trump’s displeasure stems from the fact that the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, is seeking testimony from her, while the Select Committee Investigating the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol is also asking for cooperation.

“Investigators working very different probes are increasingly looking to pressure the same person: Ivanka Trump,” The Beast noted.

Key points

• Supreme Court allows release of January 6 Trump White House docs
• Trump held secret meetings ahead of capitol riot, former press secretary claims
• Trump defends ‘perfect’ Georgia phone call as prosecutor calls for grand jury
• Hannity urged White House aides to end ‘stolen election talk’
• Ivanka Trump could complete portrait of what happened on 6 January, says Raskin

[21 January 2022 20:00 · Io Dodds]

Giuliani's Ukraine fixer jailed for channelling foreign cash

A Belorus-born businessman who helped Rudy Giuliani gather damaging information about Joe Biden's son has been jailed for channeling foreign cash to US politicians.

Igor Fruman, 56, was sentence to one year in prison by a Manhattan judge today, according to the Associated Press, having previously pled guilty to soliciting illegal campaign contributions.

The donations reportedly related to a legal cannabis business, with the unknown foreign national sending two $500,000 payments to build support for it.

More news on this one as we get it.

[21 January 2022 20:47 · Io Dodds]

Igor Fruman admits soliciting illegal donations from Russian businessman

Here’s my colleague Greg Graziosi on the jailing of Igor Fruman.

In his plea, Fruman admitted to soliciting a million dollars from Russian businessman Andrey Muraviev to be used as donations to Republicans in Nevada, Florida and other states to gain their backing for a recreational cannabis business.

Fruman also acted as a go-between for Mr Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Ukranian officials and business leaders in an attempt to dig up dirt on Mr Biden’s son Hunter.

None of the men involved in that scheme have faced related charges from federal prosecutors, who opted instead to focus on campaign finance violations.

Read the full story here.

[21 January 2022 21:15 · Io Dodds]

Giuliani and Flynn to be stripped of honorary degrees

Trump aides Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn will be stripped of their honorary degrees by the University of Rhode Island.

The institution's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to uphold a committee's recommendation to to revoke the pair's honours.

Action was taken because university officials believe both men, who have supported Mr Trump’s false stolen election claims, “no longer represent the highest level of our values and standards.”

Read the full story here.

[21 January 2022 21:25 · Lauren Io Dodds]

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