TheNewsGuru

Tag: trump

  • Trump’s ex-lawyer gives blistering testimony against former client

    By Dayo Benson, New York

     

    United States President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Micheal Cohen, yesterday gave blistering testimony against the president before the House Committee, describing him as a “racist, conman and a cheat” , among other weighty allegations.

     

    In a swift reaction, the White House described Cohen as a jail bound convicted felon and a serial liar.

     

    Cohen who is to begin a three-year jail term in May following his conviction by a federal judge for lying to the Congress also revealed the dirty deals he did for Trump including payment of hush money to women he alleged Trump had affairs with.

     

    The lawyer who said he regretted working for Trump as his personal lawyer for ten years also revealed that the president was aware of Wikileaks hack into HIlary Clinton’s private e-mail in the build up to the 2016 Presidential Election.

     

    Cohen’s damning testimony before the Congress Committee came on a day President Tump was holding a second meeting with the North Korea President Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on nuclear arm.

     

    The Committee gearing witness a political drama at the beginning as some Republican members attempted to stall the hearing citing HouseStandingRule that requires Cohen to submit his testimony 24 hours before the hearing commencement. The motion was however defeated by the majority Democrats when it was put to vote.

     

    After giving his testimony contained in the 20 page document, Republican members took turn to question Cohen’s credibility.

     

    Cohen who insisted he was saying the truth however expressed regret over his actions according to him “I am ashamed of my own failings, and I publicly accepted responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the Southern District of New York.

     

    I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty – of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him.

    am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience.

     

    I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is.

     

    He is a racist.

     

    He is a conman.

     

    He is a cheat.

     

    He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic National Committee emails”.

  • Senate approves Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general

    William Barr, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the new attorney-general, was approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee and his confirmation process now moves to the full Senate.

    Barr is virtually assured of approval in the Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority.

    The previous Attorney-General, Jeff Sessions, was fired by Trump in November.

    Barr’s nomination is being closely watched – and came under scrutiny at the committee level – in part because the Justice Department oversees the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into the 2016 Russian election interference.

    The nominee was attorney-general once before, under president George HW Bush.

    Democrats on the Judiciary Committee voted no on Barr, in part citing concerns over the Mueller probe.

    Meanwhile, it remains unclear if acting Attorney-General, Matt Whitaker, will appear before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, where he is expected to face questions on the Mueller probe, among other topics.

    The House is controlled by the Democrats.

    Whitaker took umbrage with a subpoena power taken by the committee chairman Jerry Nadler, which could force the top judicial official to answer questions he deems to fall under executive privilege.

    Nadler said he might need the “threat” of the subpoena to get answers during the Friday session.

    It remains unclear if the Democrats will drop the subpoena, which came after Whitaker agreed to appear voluntarily and was issued less than 24 hours he was due to appear before the committee.

  • Trump, Kim to meet in Vietnam Feb 27, 28

    Trump, Kim to meet in Vietnam Feb 27, 28

    United States President Donald Trump says he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27 to Feb. 28 for their second summit, local media report said on Wednesday.

    Trump told Congress in his State of the Union address that as part of a bold new diplomacy, the U.S. would continue its historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    “Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months.

    “If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion be in a major war with North Korea.

    “Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one,’’ he stressed.

    The pair held their first summit in Singapore in June, the first time a sitting U.S. president has met a North Korean leader.

    Though Kim vowed to denuclearise the peninsula at the talks, no concrete details were given on how or when this would happen and little progress appears to have been made since then.

    Dan Coats, Trump’s own director of national intelligence, recently contradicted the U.S. president on North Korea, warning that Pyongyang was “unlikely’’ to give up its nuclear weapons because “leaders view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival.’’

    Kim has also criticised the U.S. for maintaining and implementing sanctions on Pyongyang, warning in his New Year’s address that they could “block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever.’’

    Trump’s speech came as U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun reportedly arrived in Pyongyang for talks on the summit with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok Chol, regarded as Kim Jong Un’s right hand man.

  • Trump reinstates commitment to building border wall, hints on fresh government shutdown

    Trump reinstates commitment to building border wall, hints on fresh government shutdown

    By Dayo Benson

    President Donald Trump has restated his determination to build the controversial border wall against illegal migration into the United State,despite the recent standoff between him and the House of Representatives which led to government shutdown for 35 days even As he hinted of another shutdown in 10 days.

    Trump in his State of the Union address delivered before the Congress took a swipe at the on-going investigations which he said were partisan even as he berated what he described as politics of revenge, retribution and resistance.

    The one and half -hour address which was intermittently punctuated by standing ovation by supporters and congress members featured the achievements of his administration. especially unemployment reduction and improvement in the economy.

    According to him “But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution — and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.

    Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future. The decision is ours to make.

    We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.

    He stated that “I ask you to choose greatness.

    Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades.

    “In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom — a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.

  • Syria: Trump’s Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis resigns

    Syria: Trump’s Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis resigns

    Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned on Thursday in protest of President Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances.

    Mr. Mattis had repeatedly told friends and aides over recent months that he viewed his responsibility to protect the United States’ 1.3 million active-duty troops as worth the concessions necessary as defence secretary to a mercurial president.

    But on Thursday, in an extraordinary rebuke of the president, he decided that Trump’s decision to withdraw roughly 2,000 American troops from Syria was a step too far, reports New York Times.

    Officials said Mr. Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter already written, but nonetheless made a last attempt at persuading the president to reverse his decision about Syria, which Trump announced on Wednesday over the objections of his senior advisers.

    Mr. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, was rebuffed. Returning to the Pentagon, he asked aides to print out 50 copies of his resignation letter and distribute them around the building.

    “My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held,” Mr. Mattis wrote.

    “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”

     

  • Former Trump adviser Flynn to be sentenced for lying to FBI

    Former Trump adviser Flynn to be sentenced for lying to FBI

    A judge will decide on Tuesday whether former national security adviser Michael Flynn should be sent to prison.

    He is to be sentenced for lying to FBI in a case stemming from the investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russia in 2016 election-run-up.

    U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will sentence Flynn in Washington at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT).

    Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into Russian interference, has asked Sullivan not to imprison Flynn.

    Flynn is a former general, because of his military service and because he provided “substantial” cooperation with the probe Sullivan makes plea for him.

    Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Sergei Kislyak, Russia ambassador in Washington at the time.

    Flynn told investigators in January 2017 that he had not discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with Kislyak, when in fact he had, according to his plea agreement.

    Lying to the FBI carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.

    Flynn’s plea agreement states that he is eligible for a sentence of between zero and six months, however, and can ask the court not to impose a fine.

    Flynn’s lawyers have asked the court for a probation term of no more than one year, with minimal conditions of supervision, and 200 hours of community service.

    Flynn also deserves leniency because he was not warned before the meeting with FBI agents that it was a crime to lie to them, his lawyers said in a recent court filing.

    They also said that then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe had told Flynn that the “quickest way” to conduct the interview was without counsel present.

    Critics of the Mueller probe argue that Flynn, who held the White House job for only 24 days, was set up.

    Mueller last week countered in a court filing that Flynn had no cause to lie in the interviews.

    He added that a “sitting National Security Adviser, former head of an intelligence agency, retired Lieutenant General, and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents.”

    Flynn is so far the only member of Trump’s administration to plead guilty to a crime uncovered during Mueller’s wide-ranging probe.

    The probe has so far ensnared 32 individuals and three Russian firms.

    Trump denies there was any collusion and has labeled the investigation a “witch hunt.”

    Russia also denies it meddled in the election, contrary to the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies.

    On Monday, Sullivan ordered the special counsel to release a redacted, five-page FBI account of Flynn’s January 2017 interview, saying it was relevant to his sentencing.

  • ‘Trump may face impeachment, jail over hush money’

    U.S. President Donald Trump could face impeachment and jail time if hush money payments reported by his former lawyer are proven to be campaign finance violations, Democratic lawmakers said on Sunday.

    Court filings on Friday in cases that stemmed from a federal probe into Russian activities during the 2016 presidential election pointed to potential problem areas for Trump, including whether he instructed six-figure payments to two women during the campaign to keep quiet about affairs.

    Reuters reports that Federal prosecutors sought prison time for longtime Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen for paying off an adult film star and a former Playboy model at Trump’s behest, evading taxes and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Organization building in Moscow.

    If the payments are proven to be felony campaign finance violations, Democratic U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler told CNN those would be grounds for impeachment.

    “Well, they would be impeachable offenses. Whether they are important enough to justify an impeachment is a different question,” said Nadler, who will lead the Judiciary Committee when Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in January.

    Under U.S. law, campaign contributions, defined as things of value given to a campaign to influence an election, must be disclosed. Such payments are also limited to $2,700 per person.

    The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Friday that Cohen has lied repeatedly and that the filing was insignificant.

    Friday’s court filings also revealed new information about contacts between people working for Trump and Russians in the cases of Cohen, Trump’s former longtime personal lawyer, and Paul Manafort, Trump’s short-lived campaign chairman who was convicted in August on tax and bank fraud charges.

    Special Counsel Robert Mueller said Manafort lied to investigators about his interactions with a Russian tied to Russian intelligence services. Mueller’s office said the lying prompted prosecutors last week to retract a plea agreement with Manafort on two separate conspiracy charges.

    “I think what these indictments and filings show is that the president was at the center of a massive fraud – several massive frauds – against the American people,” Nadler told CNN.

    Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow to sway the election. Russia denies interfering in the 2016 election and Trump has denied any collusion occurred.

    The investigation has cast a shadow over Trump’s presidency, with its implication Moscow may have had a hand in his White House victory. The Republican president repeatedly has expressed his impatience with the probe that Mueller took over in March 2017, saying it was politically motivated.

    Trump said the filings did not prove any collusion with Russia and called for an end to the investigation.

    “Time for the Witch Hunt to END!” Trump said in a Twitter post on Saturday.

    However, the end of the Mueller probe could be the beginning of bigger problems for Trump.

    “There’s a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office the Justice Department may indict him, that he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time,” Representative Adam Schiff, the Democrat who will lead the House Intelligence Committee next year, told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

    Legal experts are divided over whether a sitting president can be charged with a crime, as well as on whether a violation of campaign finance law would be an impeachable offense.

    Republican Senator Rand Paul warned against over-criminalizing campaign finance violations, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that errors in disclosures should be punished with fines, not jail.

    Republican Senator Marco Rubio told CNN he was waiting for the results of the Russia investigation and related federal probes. However, he cautioned that “no one should be above the law.”

    Rubio said it would be a “terrible mistake” if Trump pardoned Manafort, saying that “could trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should be amended.”

    Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Manafort, praising him as a good man. In contrast, he has said Cohen, who has cooperated with federal prosecutors, should go to jail.

    Schiff said Trump may end up needing to seek a pardon for himself from the next U.S. president. House Democrats have promised an array of investigations into Trump’s activities.

    “What is clear also is that the Republican Congress absolutely tried to shield the president,” Nadler said. “The new Congress will not try to shield the president.”

  • Trump mourns ex-president, George Bush

    Trump mourns ex-president, George Bush

    Donald Trump, President of the United States of America paid tribute to late former leader George H.W. Bush, praising his lifetime of service to the nation and “unflappable leadership” during the waning days of the Cold War.

    “Melania and I join with a grieving nation to mourn the loss of former president George H.W. Bush,” Trump said in a statement from Buenos Aires, where he was attending the G20 summit.

    “Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service.”

    Bush’s demise comes just months after the death in April of his wife and respected first lady Barbara Bush — his “most beloved woman in the world” — to whom he was married for 73 years.

    He is survived by his five children and 17 grandchildren.

    Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, a family spokesman revealed.

    The US leader was a foreign policy stalwart who declared a “new world order” in 1990 and drove Iraq from Kuwait but saw his military mediation in the Middle East serve as a harbinger of chaos to come.

    The decorated war pilot and former CIA chief suffered the ignominy of being a one-term president, denied a second term over a weak economy when he lost the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

     

  • JUST IN: Trump cancels meeting with Putin at G20

    United States President, Donald Trump, has cancelled his scheduled meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over Ukraine crisis.

    Details later…

  • BREAKING: CNN drags Trump, White House to court for barring its reporter, Jim Acosta

    BREAKING: CNN drags Trump, White House to court for barring its reporter, Jim Acosta

    CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s access to the White House.

    The lawsuit is a response to the White House’s suspension of Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass,” last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.
    The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning.
    Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, the director of the Secret Service, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away last Wednesday. The officer is identified as John Doe in the suit, pending his identification.
    The six defendants are all named because of their roles in enforcing and announcing Acosta’s suspension.
    Last Wednesday, shortly after Acosta was denied entry to the White House grounds, Sanders defended the unprecedented step by claiming that he had behaved inappropriately at a presidential news conference. CNN and numerous journalism advocacy groups rejected that assertion and said his pass should be reinstated.
    On Friday, CNN sent a letter to the White House formally requesting the immediate reinstatement of Acosta’s pass and warning of a possible lawsuit, the network confirmed.
    In a statement on Tuesday morning, CNN said it is seeking a preliminary injunction as soon as possible so that Acosta can return to the White House right away, and a ruling from the court preventing the White House from revoking Acosta’s pass in the future.
    “CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court,” the statement read. “It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN’s Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.
    The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.”
    The White House Correspondents’ Association said it “strongly supports CNN’s goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.”