Trump news - live: Trump to testify in E Jean Carroll defamation case as feds raid Pence home
Follow the latest developments in Trumpworld
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump is set to testify in the defamation case brought against him by E Jean Carroll, an author who claims the former president raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990’s.
Mr Trump has also so far remained silent on his newly-restored Facebook and Instagram accounts – despite the revelation that two of his administration’s top officials have been subpoenaed in special counsel probes investigating the former president.
On Thursday, multiple reports confirmed that Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith who is in charge of overseeing multiple Department of Justice investigation.
Hours later, it emerged that former national security adviser Robert O’Brien had also been subpoenaed in the investigation into both classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and the probe into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The former president is yet to comment on the revelations – which came the same day his Facebook and Instagram accounts were restored.
It has also emerged that Mr Trump has finally offered to hand over his DNA in his upcoming rape trial with Ms Carroll – but only after the deadline passed to submit evidence in the case.
Donald Trump to testify in E Jean Carroll defamation case
Donald Trump is slated to defend himself during testimony he will give in the defamation case brought against him by author E Jean Carroll.
New court filings show that both Ms Carroll and Mr Trump will be called for testimony when the trial begins on 25 April.
Mr Trump’s lawyers also apparently plan to call CNN‘s Anderson Cooper as a witness.
Ms Carroll published a memoir accusing Mr Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990’s.
Read more in Graig Graziosi’s story here:
Trump to testify in E Jean Carroll defamation case
Donald Trump is slated to defend himself during testimony he will give in the defamation case brought against him by author E Jean Carroll.
ICYMI: Trump is allowed back on Facebook and Instagram
Following his social media bans in 2021 in the wake of the Captiol riot, Donald Trump has had his accounts reinstated on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Nick Clegg, president of Global Affairs at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, released a statement explaining the reinstatement.
“To assess whether the serious risk to public safety that existed in January 2021 has sufficiently receded, we have evaluated the current environment according to our Crisis Policy Protocol, which included looking at the conduct of the US 2022 midterm elections, and expert assessments on the current security environment,” he stated. “Our determination is that the risk has sufficiently receded, and that we should therefore adhere to the two-year timeline we set out. As such, we will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks. However, we are doing so with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”
Mr Trump has thus far not posted on any social media platform outside his Truth Social platform.
Trump reportedly annoyed that Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA used DeSantis as rally headliner
Donald Trump, who recently announced his candidacy for the Oval Office in 2024, is reportedly peeved at Charlie Kirk’s right-wing youth organisation Turning Point USA for inviting his prospective rival, Governor Ron DeSantis, to headline the groups’ recent rallies.
An adviser close to Mr Trump revealed his displeasure to NBC News.
“Trump feels like he has made Charlie and Charlie’s ungrateful and [Trump’s] not been happy for a while,” the adviser said. “He’s like, ‘You call him and you tell him he’d be nothing without my son.’”
FBI agents searching for classified documents at Mike Pence’s home
Special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation are currently searching the Carmel, Indiana, home of former vice president Mike Pence as part of a Department of Justice probe into how classified documents from the Trump administration ended up there at the end of his term.
According to local television station WHTM, agents arrived at Mr Pence’s home at approximately 8.45 am local time.
Attorneys for the former vice president had been in talks to arrange a voluntary search of his home after his representatives notified the National Archives of classified documents that were inadvertently transferred there when he left office in January 2021.
Read more in Andrew Feinberg’s story here:
FBI agents searching for classified documents at Mike Pence’s home
Last month, Mr Pence said he was ultimately responsible for the presence of documents with classified markings at his home during an appearance at Florida International University
Lawmakers introduce legislation to end Trump-era tax cuts for businesses who ship jobs overseas
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and and Congressman Lloyd Doggett introduced legislation today that would end tax cuts on businesses that outsource jobs.
If pased, the No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act would end the 50 per cent tax discount companies receive on foreign profits, and block future tax cuts for companies that operate foreign factories.
Trump receives presidential endorsement from Oklahoma Senator
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma is getting his 2024 presidential endorsement in early. On Friday, he endorsed Donald Trump as his favoured candidate in the upcoming race.
“President Trump is the architect of our America First movement,” Mr Mullin said. “He is a proven champion for our conservative values, and a fearless leader on the world stage.” “In just four years, President Trump delivered great results for the American people. He lowered taxes, secured American energy independence, protected our Second Amendment, and never backed down from the radical Left threatening our way of life,” he added. “President Trump is exactly the president we need to lead this country through the tough road ahead. Not only am I proud to endorse President Trump, I’m proud to call him my friend.”
Former Trump official says she thinks DeSantis will ‘implode'
Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin told “The View” that the former president’s likely Republican rival in 2024, Goveror Ron DeSantis, is “overhyped” and likely going to “implode” after months of battering from Mr Trump.
“I think he will implode once Trump keeps going after him and going after him,” she said. “How ugly this got this quickly is remarkable and really spells for a very bad two years ahead.”
Trump political groups spent nearly $1m at his properties since leaving office
Donald Trump’s political action committees have spent nearly $1m at Trump-owned properties since the former president left office, according to Federal Election Commission filings reported by HuffPost.
The money was spent at properties such as Mr Trump’s hotel on Central Park in New York City and his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Read more:
Trump has paid himself almost $1m from donors since leaving the White House
Mr Trump’s political committees’ largest expenditure has been his own legal fees
Pelosi says Biden’s State of the Union nullifies Democratic competition in 2024 and there will be ‘no challenger’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that President Joe Biden would face no Democratic primary challenger in 2024, after his State of the Union address.
Ms Pelosi, who stepped aside as leader of House Democrats but whom the caucus elevated to the honorary title of Speaker Emerita, spoke to CNN after the president delivered his joint address to Congress.
The address comes as Mr Biden weighs whether to run for a second term in 2024. But Ms Pelosi told CNN she did not think that Mr Biden would face any Democratic challenger.
Read more:
Pelosi says Biden’s State of the Union nullifies Democratic competition in 2024
Comes as Biden weighs whether to seek another term as president
Ron DeSantis say he’s too busy ‘delivering results’ to respond to ‘defamatory’ Trump claim
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said he’s too busy “delivering results” to respond to Donald Trump’s recent social media post amplifying a suggestion the Republican leader “groomed” teen girls and drank with his students while he was a high school teacher.
The ugly attack came this week as new polls have shown Mr DeSantis leading the former president in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 nomination.
Read more:
Ron DeSantis too busy ‘delivering results’ to respond to ‘defamatory’ Trump claim
In a series of statements on Truth Social, Trump responded to a post from a user showing a low-quality photo of a man with a resemblance to DeSantis
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments