The Jan. 6 panel is expected to receive the deleted text messages and audio from the Secret Service by tomorrow, two panel members said. “We expect to get them this Tuesday,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. “We need all the texts from January 5th and 6th.” It came as Rep. Adam Kinzinger criticized the Secret Service, saying the agency had contradicted itself in trying to explain what happened to the text messages sent by agents on January 5 and 6, 2021. The US Secret Service has denied a report that it deliberately deleted texts sent on January 5 and 6, 2021, calling the claim “malicious” and “false.” The story began with a letter from the Department of Homeland Security claiming the messages were deleted after an internal agency watchdog requested them. Meanwhile, the trial of Mr. Trump ally Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress is expected to begin Monday on charges that he refused to comply with a House committee subpoena. The committee has announced the date of its next hearing, confirming it will be at prime time on Thursday 21 July
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Education Secretary Trump Says ‘Department of Education Shouldn’t Exist’
Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the department she led for four years should be abolished. “I personally think the Department of Education shouldn’t exist,” Ms. DeVos told the crowd in Tampa, Florida. He led the department for four years during the Trump administration. She made the comments at the inaugural summit of Moms for Liberty, a group that advocates for children not to wear face masks in schools, according to the Florida Phoenix. Shweta SharmaJuly 18, 2022 6:45 am 1658121481
The trial is expected to begin for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon
Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of Steve Bannon, a onetime adviser to former President Donald Trump, on Monday after he refused for months to cooperate with a House committee. Mr. Bannon faces charges of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a Jan. 6 subpoena from the committee seeking his records and testimony. He was indicted in November on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, a month after the Justice Department was impeached by Congress. Each count carries a minimum of 30 days in jail and up to a year behind bars. The committee also said Trump fired Bannon from the White House in 2017 and that he was private when consulting with the former president. Shweta Sharma18 July 2022 06:18 1658120075
Lawyer suggested Trump take action akin to declaring ‘martial law’ – report
A conservative lawyer who pushed the baseless allegation of massive fraud in the 2020 election urged Donald Trump to take steps that could be called a declaration of “martial law,” according to a memo published online Saturday by The New York Times. A previously unknown memo seen by the magazine was written by lawyer William Olson, which documents a phone call between the lawyer and Mr Trump on Christmas Day 2020. In it, Mr. Oslon wrote that he suggested the former president get the Justice Department’s support in directly mediating his legal efforts at the Supreme Court and replace the acting attorney general if he refused. Olson appeared to suggest those powers included ordering “sampling from lists of registered voters,” the memo showed. “Task your new White House counsel to determine how the powers of the presidency can be used to ensure that the People receive a fair count of the election,” Mr. Oslon wrote to Mr. Trump in the memo, which was dated December 28, 2020. “Our small team of lawyers is working on a memorandum that explains exactly what you can do,” he added. “The media will call this martial law, but… that’s ‘fake news’ — a concept you’re all too familiar with.” Shweta SharmaJuly 18, 2022 05:54 1658116953
Board to download deleted Secret Service messages by tomorrow
Two members of the House Select Committee said they expected the committee to receive deleted U.S. Secret Service text messages by tomorrow, following a subpoena issued last week for the records. “We expect to get them by this Tuesday,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told ABC. “We need all the texts from January 5th and 6th.” Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger also predicted the messages from January 5-6, 2021 to tomorrow. “I was shocked to hear that they didn’t back up their data before they reset their iPhones,” the MP added. “That’s crazy. I don’t know why that would be.” He said the exact relevance of the text is unknown. “We need all the texts,” Ms. Lofgren said, in order to “get the full picture.” Shweta SharmaJuly 18, 2022 05:02 1658074553
Kinzinger slams Secret Service for ‘very conflicting’ statements on deleted texts
Rep. Adam Kinzinger criticized the Secret Service on Sunday, saying the agency had contradicted itself in trying to explain what happened to the text messages sent by agents on Jan. 5 and 6, 2021. The lawmaker outlined problems with the agency’s statements in an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation. Read more from the Independent’s John Bowden:
Kinzinger Says Secret Service Made ‘Very Conflicting’ Statements About Deleted Texts
“We’ll know more on Tuesday,” Kinzinger said John Bowden July 17, 2022 5:15 pm 1657980000
Group of prominent conservatives refutes Trump’s claims of election fraud in report
A panel of eight prominent conservatives reviewed all 64 court cases brought by former President Donald Trump and his allies in their bid to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and found all of them without merit. The group, which consisted of former Republican senators Gordon Smith and John Danforth, several former federal judges and other high-ranking Republican officials, released a 72-page report stating that the 2020 election was “managed by trained professionals who confirmed their established record of justice’ and urged their conservative colleagues to step forward.
The Conservative Caucus released a report refuting Trump’s allegations of voter fraud
The team reviewed all 64 lawsuits filed by the former president and his allies and found their allegations of fraud without merit Oliver O’Connell16 July 2022 15:00 1657977300
ICYMI: Bannon says in leaked audio Trump planned to declare victory on election night even if he loses
In shocking new audio obtained by a liberal news outlet, former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon can be heard outlining a plan for Donald Trump to declare victory on election night before voting closes and the results are announced. Mother Jones published audio of Mr. Bannon discussing the plan in a conversation that took place before election night. According to the former administration official, Trump would have declared victory from the Oval Office even before the results were final in the various states that determined the winner. “What Trump will do is just declare victory. Correctly? He will declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s a winner,” Mr. Bannon says in the audio. “He’ll just say he’s the winner.”
Steve Bannon Says Trump Planned To Claim Victory On Election Night Even If He Loses
Former White House official reveals plan in leaked audio Oliver O’Connell16 July 2022 14:15 1657972800
ICYMI: More details are emerging about Trump’s witness tampering charges
A day after Liz Cheney dropped the bombshell revelation that Donald Trump tried to contact one of the January 6 committee witnesses, more details have emerged about the person in question. The witness the former president allegedly contacted was a White House staff member. The name of the individual, who is cooperating with the Capitol’s subpoena investigation, has not yet been released.
More details emerge about Jan. 6 witness at center of Trump tampering allegations
The witness is able to corroborate part of the statement made by Cassidy Hutchinson Oliver O’Connell16 July 2022 13:00 1657971000
Fulton County DA sends ‘target’ letter to Republican Trump allies
Georgia’s Fulton County district attorney has sent so-called “target” letters to prominent Georgia Republicans and allies of former President Donald Trump over her investigation into fraudulent voter registration attempts, Yahoo! The news was reported. Fani Willis, the Democratic attorney general, sent letters to state Sen. Bert Jones, who is running for lieutenant governor, Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shaffer and state Sen. Brandon Beach.
Georgia Attorney General Sends ‘Targeting’ Letter to Trump’s Republican Allies
It comes as part of Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ investigation into voter fraud Oliver O’Connell16 July 2022 12:30 1657967400
Report: Trump allies fear Mark Meadows will be targeted by prosecutors
People close to former President Donald Trump are concerned that his latest White House chief of staff, former North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, could face charges for his role in helping the defeated former president try to stay in office despite will of the voters. According to Rolling Stone, the Jan. 6 House committee is “quietly” looking into Mr. Meadows’ financial dealings in addition to investigating his involvement in the Trumpworld scheme that led to the worst attack on Capitol Hill since 1814. “Everybody is strategizing around the possibility that Mark is going to have a lot of problems,” said a lawyer close to Mr. Trump who spoke to the magazine.
Trump insiders fear ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows will face criminal charges, report says
“Everyone is strategizing around the possibility that Mark will have a lot of problems” Oliver O’ConnellJuly 16, 2022 11:30 am
