Trump scores major legal victory as election interference and classified docs cases are abandoned: Live updates
President-elect was handed legal wins as he works to fill his cabinet
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump, the president-elect, was handed another legal win on Monday when federal prosecutors asked a judge in D.C. to dismiss the federal election interference indictment against him and an appeals court judge to abandon their attempt to re-instate the classified documents case.
Citing the precedent that prevents a sitting president from being charged, Jack Smith said he and his team would treat Trump as a current president and asked that the federal cases be abandoned.
Smith stressed that the reason for the motion had nothing to do with the strength of the case.
The indictment accused Trump of pushing false claims of voter fraud after the 2020 presidential election in an attempt to overturn results and return to power. Prosecutors claimed Trump engaged in a so-called fake electors scheme to do so. Ultimately, his actions, according to Smith, inspired a mob of supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6.
Shortly after, Smith filed a motion to abandon the appeal in the 11th Circuit to reinstate docs case against Trump, which was initially dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon. However, the appeal to re-instate the case against co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira remains.
Trump sought to delay or dismiss the case against him, along with the other criminal cases he faced.
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Trump’s counter terror pick Sebastian Gorka is a ‘conman’, says Bolton
When Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton appeared on CNN Friday night, he didn’t hold back when commenting on Trump’s pick for his counterterrorism director.
“Sebastian Gorka is a con man,” Bolton told host Kaitlan Collins.
“He needs a full-field FBI background investigation about his educational claims and things like that,” he added. “I think he is a perfect example of somebody who owes his position purely to Donald Trump, he doesn’t display loyalty, he displays fealty, and that’s what Trump wants.”
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump’s counter terror pick Sebastian Gorka is a ‘conman,’ John Bolton says
Former Trump national security adviser calls right-wing personality the ‘perfect example of somebody who owes his position purely to Donald Trump’
GOP senators shrug off Trump’s weaponized Justice Department but also welcome retribution
In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma downplayed Donald Trump’s threats of payback at the Department of Justice over the criminal indictments he faced over election interference and classified documents.
However, he then told Dana Bash: “If someone is in the Department of Justice right now that is actively trying to undercut the president, they should be gone.”
This was a sentiment echoed by Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, who told NBC’s Meet the Press that one of the president-elect’s first priorities should be to fire any staff at the Justice Department who worked on cases that involved charges against Trump.
“First and foremost, the people involved with this should be fired immediately,” he told Kristen Welker. “And anybody part of this, this effort to keep President Trump off the ballot and to throw him in jail for the rest of his life because they didn’t like his politics, and who continue to cast him as a quote, unquote threat to democracy, was wrong, and so we’ll see where that goes.”
Schmitt framed his stance as a form of “accountability,” telling Kristen Welker, “[The cases] all fell apart under the weight of the law. And so I do think there needs to be accountability. I think that getting it back to crime-fighting is important, but there has to be accountability for these kinds of abuses.”
ANALYSIS: What do Republican doctors really think of RFK Jr? I asked them
Eric Garcia writes:
Senator Bill Cassidy stood up to Donald Trump in 2021 after the January 6 riot — he was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump. And in January, he will become chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, making the Republican gastroenterologist from Louisana one of the most influential doctors in America.
But when it comes to Trump’s nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has for years spread lies and misinformation about vaccines, Cassidy wants a second opinion.
Continue reading...
What do Republican doctors really think of RFK Jr? I asked them
‘I think it’s a long answer,’ one Republican tells Eric Garcia
ICYMI: Ric Grenell under consideration to take on role of special envoy to Russia-Ukraine war
Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in his first administration Ric Grenell is under consideration to be the special envoy for the war between Russia and Ukraine.
There’s currently no special envoy for the conflict, but Trump is seriously considering whether to create the role, according to Reuters, pointing to four sources with knowledge of the president-elect’s thinking.
If the position is indeed created, Grenell is reportedly a top contender, but Trump may still choose another candidate, the news agency noted. The sources reportedly said that there’s no guarantee that Grenell would take the job if offered.
Grenell was reported to be one of the candidates to be secretary of state, a nomination that eventually went to Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
While Trump hasn’t outlined a specific plan on how to end the war, he has promised to do so quickly once in office.
Grenell has made statements previously that may concern the Ukrainians, telling Bloomberg in July that he would back the creation of “autonomous zones” to end the war. He has also said that he would not back NATO membership for Ukraine in the near future.
The 58-year-old has also served as a special presidential envoy for the Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations and as a spokesperson to the UN during the presidency of George W Bush. He was also the foreign policy spokesperson during Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign for the White House.
Trump did a complete 180 on transgender bathroom controversy
“Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you,” was the message of a widely aired ad for Donald Trump’ 2024 campaign.
But a resurfaced 2016 clip shows how much the president-elect’s view on transgender rights has shifted in eight years.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Resurfaced clip shows how Trump did complete 180 on transgender bathroom controversy
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Full story: Trump reportedly plans to kick trans troops out of the military within days of inauguration
Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would remove transgender service members from the military as soon as his first day in office.
The president-elect is reportedly preparing to issue an order following his inauguration on January 20 that would effectively ban trans people serving in the military — and then medically discharge the thousands of currently serving trans service members in the armed forces.
Continue reading...
Trump reportedly plans to swiftly eject trans troops within days of inauguration
Trump’s actions could eject thousands of current trans service members
ICYMI: Former Trump surgeon general sounds alarm on infectious diseases
Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump administration is sounding the alarm about alarming trends in infectious diseases.
He says he hopes the incoming administration has a strong response plan and can ensure vaccine confidence stays high “or they’ll be distracted with outbreaks for 4 years this time instead of 1.”
Trump ally warns UK PM the US will ‘crush’ British economy if it helps arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
A staunch ally of Donald Trump has warned Sir Keir Starmer that the UK will face severe economic consequences if it helps to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
Senator Lindsey Graham said the US should “crush” the economies of all those who comply with the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The prime minister of Israel faces arrest if he enters Britain, Downing Street has said. On Friday No 10 refused to explicitly comment on the case, saying it was a hypothetical situation, but added that the UK would follow its legal obligations.
Kate Devlin reports.
Trump ally warns Starmer the US will ‘crush’ UK economy if it helps arrest Netanyahu
Senator Lindsey Graham hit out at US allies warning they should not comply with the warrant for the Israeli leader issued by the ICC
Trump plans to fire 15,000 transgender troops, report says
President-elect Donald Trump is planning an executive order that would remove all transgender troops from the US military, according to a report by The Times.
Such an order could be signed as soon as Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025, when the newly sworn-in president returns to the White House.
It is estimated there are approximately 15,000 active service transgender personnel across the branches of the US military.
According to The Times, they would be medically discharged, deeming them unfit to serve. There would also be a ban on trans people joining the armed services — as was the case in the first Trump administration, when already serving trans personnel were permitted to keep their jobs.
“These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people,” a source familiar with Trump’s plans told the paper. “Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions.”
Those who fought the trans ban in the first Trump administration have been preparing for a similar move when he takes office again.
“Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signaling vulnerability to America’s adversaries,” Rachel Branaman, executive director of Modern Military Association of America, an organization that campaigns on behalf of LGBT+ military personnel and veterans, told The Times.
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to warfighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps,” she said. “There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.”
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