Trump news: Kevin McCarthy says ex-president accepted responsibility for Jan 6 in new audio
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A newly released audio recording from January 2021 features House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy telling Republican members that Donald Trump “bears responsibility for his words and actions” around the 6 January riot – and that the then-president told him “he does have some responsibility for what happened”.
Mr McCarthy yesterday denied a New York Times report that said he had considered urging Mr Trump to step down in the aftermath of the riot – but not long after his statement was put out, audio of that conversation was released, confirming that the report was accurate and that Mr McCarthy’s denial was false.
Liz Cheney’s office has denied leaking the earlier recording of a discussion between the congresswoman and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in which the two discussed whether Donald Trump should resign after the events of 6 January 2021.
On the recording, Mr McCarthy tells Ms Cheney – now a member of the 6 January committee – that he would suggest Mr Trump resign from office in the face of a looming impeachment.
Trump reportedly spoke with McCarthy following resignation revelation
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump reportedly spoke on the phone after newly released audio recordings revealed that the California Republican told GOP leadership that then-President Trump should resign following the 6 January, 2021 attack on the US Capitol led by a mob of his supporters.
The Washington Post reports that the two men spoke on Thursday night following the release of audio obtained by The New York Times from phone calls between Mr McCarthy and Republican officials in which he said that he “had it” with Mr Trump and would recommend that he resign – contrary to Mr McCarthy’s own statements that previous reports that he ever made such remarks were “totally false and wrong.”
The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports:
Trump and McCarthy reportedly speak by phone after audio revelations
Newly released audio reveals House Minority Leader told GOP leaders he reccomended Trump should resign in wake of Capitol riots
Trump boasts he told Nato members he wouldn’t protect them from Russia
Donald Trump has said he made thinly-veiled threats to Nato leaders while he was president, including saying the US would not defend them against Russia if they did not pay up.
According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump recalled the conversation during a Thursday appearance at a Heritage Foundation event in Florida.
“[Another world leader] said, ‘Does that mean that you won’t protect us in case – if we don’t pay, you won’t protect us from Russia’ – was the Soviet Union, but now Russia,” Mr Trump said. “I said, ‘That’s exactly what it means.”
He claimed he was using the threat as a negotiating tactic.
“Now if I said, ‘No, I don’t mean that,’ then why would they pay? So somebody had to say it,” he said.
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi reports:
Trump boasts he told Nato members he wouldn’t protect them from Russia
Former president called the threat a ‘negotiation tactic’
Kevin McCarthy privately suggested Twitter should ban more of GOP colleagues: report
Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly suggested Twitter and Facebook should suspend social media accounts that belong to his GOP colleagues who amplified baseless 2020 election claims that fuelled the violent attack on the US Capitol mounted by Donald Trump’s supporters.
In a call with officials days after the riots, Mr McCarthy suggested the platforms shutter their accounts as they did to those belonging to Mr Trump, who was suspended from Twitter “due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” according to the company.
“We can’t put up with that,” Mr McCarthy said in a phone call on 11 January, 2021, days after the failed insurrection, according to audio and reporting from The New York Times. “Can’t they take their Twitter accounts away, too?”
The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports:
Kevin McCarthy suggested Twitter should ban other Republicans, report says
‘Can’t they take their Twitter accounts away, too?’
Fauci says Trump-era judge who voided mask mandate has ‘no experience in public health’
Dr Anthony Fauci has spoken out against a federal judge who voided a federal mask mandate, saying the ruling sets a “dangerous precedent.”
“The CDC has the capability, through a large number of trained epidemiologists, scientists, to be able to make projections and make recommendations, far more than a judge with no experience in public health,” Dr Fauci told CBS News.
On Monday, US District Judge Kathryn Mizelle struck down the national mask requirement on all US public transportation, ruling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which set the mandate, had overstepped its authority. On Thursday, Dr Fauci said this was a mistake.
The Independent’s Nathan Place reports:
Fauci says judge who voided mask mandate has ‘no experience in public health’
Striking down the national mask mandate for public transportation sets a ‘dangerous precedent,’ says government expert
Marjorie Taylor Greene forced to admit she called for Pelosi to get death penalty
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was left scrambling to avoid committing perjury on Friday after an attorney representing voters seeking to disqualify her from this year’s election ballot confronted her with video of past statements in which she accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of “treason” and suggested the California Democrat should be executed.
Speaking at an administrative hearing before a Georgia judge, attorney Ron Fein promised “direct evidence” that will show Ms Greene used “hashtags and memes and ways of communicating among internet subcultures” to express support for the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814, and said Ms Greene herself will be “the most powerful witness in establishing that she crossed the line into engagement of insurrection”.
The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg reports:
Marjorie Taylor Greene forced to admit she called for Pelosi to get death penalty
‘Oh no, wait, hold on now’
Marjorie Taylor Greene lawyer claims Trump ‘executive privilege’
The attorney defending Marjorie Taylor Greene against a lawsuit seeking to disqualify her from appearing on the 2022 midterm ballot for supporting the 6 January insurrection attempted to block her from answering a question about whether she discussed the invocation of martial law with former president Donald Trump by invoking “executive privilege”.
The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg reports:
Marjorie Taylor Greene lawyer claims Trump ‘executive privilege’ to block question
The attorney defending Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene against a lawsuit seeking to disqualify her from appearing on the 2022 midterm ballot for supporting the 6 January insurrection attempted to block her from answering a question about whether she discussed the invocation of martial law with former president Donald Trump by invoking “executive privilege”.
‘Everywhere Babies’, a picture book celebrating infants, becomes latest book banned in Florida
A picture book called Everywhere Babies, which celebrates infants, is the latest book to be banned in Florida schools.
The Washington Post reports that the book was the target of a ban in a dozen school libraries in Walton County, Florida.
The district’s superintendent, Russel Hughes, told WJGH-TV that it was “necessary in this moment for me to make that decision and I did it for just a welfare of all involved, including our constituents, our teachers, and our students.”
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi reports:
Florida school district bans beloved ‘Everywhere Babies’ picture book
The author believes the book was banned due to its inclusion of a same-sex couple
Trump’s ‘destructive’ wall wreaked havoc, author William DeBuys says
In this piece by The Independent’s Louise Boyle, author and conservationist William deBuys tells of the damage Donald Trump’s border has wrought in the ruggedly beautiful Southwest:
Author William DeBuys on the American West’s battle for water
The writer and lifelong conservationist tells The Independent the impacts of the climate crisis which are being felt in America
DeSantis signs bill to dissolve Disney’s governing agreement in wake of ‘Don’t Say Gay’
Days after it was introduced to Florida legislators, the state’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a measure to dissolve the Walt Disney Company’s decades-old governing agreement with the state that has allowed the company to manage and tax its sprawling theme park and resort properties.
The move comes after Florida Republicans and the DeSantis administration lashed out at the corporate giant – the state’s largest employer and a massive economic engine – for its opposition to what opponents have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which critics argue will restrict classroom lessons on LGBT+ events and history and limit how LGBT+ students, staff and their families are represented in schools.
The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports:
DeSantis signs bill to dissolve Disney’s governing agreement in wake of Don’t Say Gay
For decades, Disney has effectively taxed itself to provide services for the company town it created. Florida officials warn that without the special tax district, the burden could fall on taxpayers
Recap: Marjorie Taylor Greene evades questions on martial law, ‘traitors’ and... alien invasion movies
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday claimed not to remember who she spoke to or what she said or did in the weeks between former president Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden and the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol during a court hearing which will determine whether she is eligible to appear on the ballot in Georgia this year.
Ms Greene, who testified under oath in an administrative hearing as part of a lawsuit brought by Georgia voters who say she is ineligible to serve because she supported the pro-Trump mob that attacked Congress in hopes of preventing certification of Mr Biden’s 2020 election victory, used the phrase “I don’t recall” in excess of 50 times in response to a range of questions regarding her conduct and public statements during the run-up to the insurrection.
Andrew Feinberg reports on today’s hearing.
Marjorie Taylor Greene evades questions in hearing on ballot eligibility
Georgia congresswoman could be disqualified from running for re-election for supporting the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol
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