London: Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he would reverse Twitter's ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump when he buys the social media platform, the clearest signal yet of Musk's intention to cut moderation of the site. Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc, has inked a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter Inc. He has called himself a "free speech absolutist," but given few specific details of his plans.Musk is expected to become Twitter's temporary CEO after closing the deal, Reuters previously reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. The question of reinstating Trump has been seen as a litmus test of how far Musk will go in making changes, even though Trump himself has said he would not return.Twitter, like other U.S.-based social media platforms, has banned various individuals for violating its policies on misinformation and glorification of violence. Musk, speaking to a Financial Times conference, added that he and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey believe permanent bans should be "extremely rare" and reserved for accounts that operate bots or spread spam."Wrong and bad" tweets should be deleted or made invisible and a temporary account suspension could be appropriate, Musk said. "I think permabans just fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion." Musk said the decision to ban Trump amplified Trump's views among people on the political right, and he called the ban "morally wrong and flat-out stupid."The suspension of Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, silenced his primary megaphone days before the end of his term and followed years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders. Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Twitter cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" in its decision.Megan Squire, a senior fellow for data analytics at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said a permanent ban from mainstream networks, or de-platforming, has been a successful tactic in reducing the reach of abusive messaging and behaviors. Musk has endorsed some limits, telling a European Union official on Monday that EU policy was "exactly aligned" with his own thinking on controlling illegal content.'OUGHT TO BE EVERYWHERE' Conservatives, who have accused San Francisco-based Twitter of bias against right-leaning views, have cheered the prospect of Trump’s return to the platform.Trump "ought to be everywhere he can," Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters when asked about Musk's comments. "We shouldn't have social media companies that are restricting people's ability to get their message out." Senator Roy Blunt, an establishment Republican who is retiring, was one of several Republicans who said they had no opinion about the possibility of Trump's returning to Twitter.“But I suspect that’s a good business decision on (Musk’s) part,” Blount said with a smile. Democrats have said Trump’s potential reinstatement could constitute a threat to democracy, although some hope Trump could upset their base and rev up turnout in the November midterm elections, with Democrats facing tough challenges in retaining their majority in both houses of Congress.Twitter declined to comment. Trump previously told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter if allowed. His own social media app, Truth Social, launched on the Apple app store in late February.Trump has revved up his messaging on the new platform after a slow start, posting about 50 times, mostly in the last week, to his 2.7 million followers. He averaged 18 tweets a day when he was president. There was no immediate comment from a Trump spokesperson.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that Twitter's ban on Trump was a matter for the company to decide. The Biden administration wants online platforms to protect freedom of speech but also ensure they are not forums for disinformation, she said. During the conference, Musk said the deal to acquire Twitter could be done in two to three months in the "best-case scenario."Earlier on Tuesday, Twitter shares fell to a level that indicated the stock market believed it was unlikely Musk would make the acquisition for $44 billion, as he originally agreed. Musk's decision to buy Twitter has concerned some Tesla investors and put pressure on Tesla's stock. Musk on Tuesday added that he would stay at Tesla "as long as I can be useful."—REUTERS

 Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he would reverse Twitter's ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump when he buys the social media platform, the clearest signal yet of Musk's intention to cut moderation of the site.

Musk says he would reverse Twitter ban on Donald Trump

Washington: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday labelled his predecessor, Donald Trump, ''the great MAGA king'' and continued sharp criticism against Republicans ahead of mid-term elections that could be bruising for Democrats.''I think it is important that, as we go forward, you are gonna hear me talking more about not only what we have done, but what they are trying to do,'' the president told an evening Democratic fundraiser crowd of about 40 at a Chicago hotel.The party that controls the presidency usually loses seats during the next election and, with inflation reaching its highest levels in 40 years, Biden's party could see its control of Congress wiped out in November.To try to counter that, Biden has in recent days begun decrying ''ultra-MAGA'' Republicans -- a reference to Trump's ''Make America Great Again'' campaign slogan.He told the fundraiser that the Democratic National Committee is already devoting more time and money to promoting the differences between his party and the GOP, adding, ''We have to make sure we keep this clear contrast on either side.'' The president also said he has not done enough to promote his administration's accomplishments, including a USD 1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure package approved by Congress last fall.''One of the things that I think we have to do is not just talk about what we have done -- we do not do that enough and that is my fault,'' he said. But Biden also added, ''Because of how outrageous some of the things that former president Trump has done and said, I think we found ourselves in the position where it was almost like, how could that happen? How could that be?'' When an attendee's cell phone rang, the president joked: ''I know that is Trump calling. He always does that.'' His remarks at the fundraiser followed a speech earlier Thursday in which Biden offered a new nickname for Trump, who himself enjoys bestowing often unflattering monikers on political opponents.''Under my predecessor -- the great MAGA king -- the deficit increased every single year he was president,'' he told the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference, which was also being held in Chicago. ''The first year of my presidency, the first year, I reduced the deficit.'' During the conference and fundraiser, Biden also repeated criticism he has offered lately of Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott's 11-point plan. It was released in February and suggests imposing a modest tax increase on many of the lowest-paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare.''I call it the ultra-MAGA plan, Make America Great Again plan,'' Biden told the union conference. At the fundraiser, he struck a similar note, saying, ''I think we have to point out how radical it is...so people are reminded what is at stake here.''—PTI

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday labelled his predecessor, Donald Trump, ''the great MAGA king'' and continued sharp criticism against Republicans ahead of mid-term elections that could be bruising for Democrats.

Biden calls Trump 'MAGA king', vows to push GOP contrasts

Washington: Launching an attack against Democrats for not backing measures to increase security in schools, former United States President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to be defending prominent gun-rights lobbying group National Rifle Association amid growing calls for gun reforms. This comes as nationwide outrage is being witnessed after a teenage gunman killed 19 children and two elementary school teachers in yet another mass shooting in the US. Trump made these remarks while addressing the NRA annual meeting amid growing calls for stronger gun control measures after the killing in the town of Uvalde in Texas.The former US President defended the NRA and rejected calls to cancel its annual convention."Every time a disturbed or demented person commits such a hideous crime, there's always a grotesque effort by some in our society to use the suffering of others to advance their own extreme political agenda," Trump said at the event in Houston, Texas. "Even more repulsive is their rush to shift blame away from the villains who commit acts of mass violence and to place that blame onto the shoulders of millions of peaceful, law-abiding citizens who belong to organisations such as our wonderful NRA," he said while referring to gun reform advocates.The former president called for increasing school security instead of focusing on gun reform."If the United States has USD 40 billion to send to Ukraine, we should be able to do whatever it takes to keep our children safe at home," he said.Amid the public uproar over the killings, NRA and Republican officials painted the Uvalde gunman as deranged and evil, directing the blame to the gunman himself.NRA's CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said the group disagrees with US President Joe Biden's position on the law that grants US citizens to bear arms but is on the same page with him on other steps that can be taken to address gun violence. "We do not agree with President Biden on the second amendment, but we share common ground on this. Last week, the President said we do not agree with President Biden on the second amendment. But we share common ground on this: NRA members know that to be true. There are absolutely certain things we can and must do," LaPierre said during remarks at the annual NRA convention.—ANI

Launching an attack against Democrats for not backing measures to increase security in schools, former United States President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to be defending prominent gun-rights lobbying group National Rifle Association amid growing calls for gun reforms.

Trump rejects gun control calls after Texas shooting

New York: Shocking revelations that former US president Donald Trump coerced security personnel to remove "magnetometers" (devices that detect weapons) from CH and allow his protesters to move freely were made before the democratic Senate Special House Judiciary Committee probing the January 6 Capitol Hill riots.He tried wrenching the steering will of his car at WH to go to Capitol Hill despite security advice that the mob was turning violent.Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to the final White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, made this accusation before the senate saying her boss Meadows did nothing to handle it, but only sought pardon, which was denied in quick succession by Trump as false in his Truth Website.The surprise hearing on Tuesday (June 27), of the special House committee investigating the January 6 attack enlivened the drama that preceded it, providing in meticulous detail of the most intimate picture yet of then President Donald J. Trump's actions as a mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name, reports the New York Times in its detailed coverage of the hearings on the net.The almost Hollywood style testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, a trusted longtime aide of Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, portrayed the president as almost unhinged with fury when his Secret Service detail told him he could not go to the Capitol as his supporters, many of them armed, descended on it.Hutchinson said the former president was little concerned of the violence threat as advised by his secret service and instead said they were not targeting him. The ex-president reportedly sympathised with the armed mob which chanted for the execution of Vice President Mike Pence, who flatly refused his pleas to overturn the election as advised by the lawyer Rudy Guiliani. Cassidy said senior aides had tried in vain to persuade Trump to call off the mob, but he resisted for hours. Her testimony stunned everyone in the committee.The accusations made against Trump'They are not here to hurt me.' Trump thus encouraged an armed mob to go to Capitol Hill.He wanted security officials to allow people milling outside the security perimeter into the space in Capitol Hill so the event would appear well attended. "They are not here to hurt me," he said, according to Ms. Hutchinson, who was within earshot of the president at the time.Using a string of expletives, Trump, she testified, wanted the security features like magnetometers that detect concealed weapons removed.She claimed the president was duly informed that his supporters were violent and had come armed with guns, knives, spears and flagpoles, and wearing body armor. Despite this, Trump encouraged them to go to the Capitol anyway, a detail that could prove legally problematic for him, says New York Times in its report. The ex President reportedly used the abusive term "f...k" devices five times and to remove them, allow the crowd to move freely.Trump refused to call off the mob.Responding to appeals from Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, Meadows had said that former president Trump was not inclined to try to call off the mob, according to Hutchinson's account. "He doesn't want to do anything," Meadows told the White House lawyer when informed that violence was breaking out. Cipollone tried a second time, noting that the mob was chanting, "Hang Mike Pence.""You heard him, Pat, he thinks Mike deserves it," Hutchinson said Meadows responded. "He doesn't think they are doing anything wrong."Trump had bouts of furyProne to rage, Trump, as his attempts to get the election results overturned fell on deaf ears in his administration, he was angry at hearing on December 1 that Attorney General William P. Barr had publicly declared the Trump allegations of widespread voter fraud unfounded, Hutchinson said.Trump slammed his lunch against a wall in his dining room in the White House, as she learned from the valet who cleaned up the broken China and ketchup dripping down the wall. "There were several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flipping the tablecloth to let all the contents of the table go on to the floor and likely break or go everywhere," she said of the president.Hutchinson said she had been told that on January 6, an irate Mr Trump, when informed he could not go to the Capitol to join his supporters, sought to wrench the steering wheel away from the Secret Service agent driving him. He continued to press to head there even after they returned to the White House, the NYT reported.Two top Trump advisers sought pardons after January 6Meadows and Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and Trump's personal lawyer, both sought pardons from Mr. Trump before he left office in case they were implicated criminally in any events leading up to January 6 or the assault itself. As she closed her testimony, Hutchinson testified in no ambivalent terms. It was very clear that her former boss had joined Giuliani in asking for a pardon, neither were granted. Their interest was only in obtaining clemency as they were worried about the consequences from their efforts on the president's behalf.Trump's cabinet weighed removing him after January 6Trump's cabinet was deeply distressed by the assault on the Capitol and his encouragement of the mob and refusal to intervene. The committee was told they quietly discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. "The ignominious prospect of being the first president to be subject to the amendment was one of the reasons he agreed to record a video on January 7 committing to a peaceful transfer of power to the incoming president Joe Biden," the committee was told.The probing panel suspects Trump is discouraging cooperation with its inquiryMembers of the committee are hoping that Hutchinson's willingness to come forward and provide such significant testimony will encourage others still holding back to do the same. "To that group of witnesses, if you've heard this testimony today and suddenly you remember things you couldn't previously recall, or there's some details you'd like to clarify, or you discovered some courage you had hidden away somewhere, our doors remain open," Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and chairman of the committee, said in the hearings which are being televised live to millions in the country. Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and vice chairwoman of the committee, claimed the panel was in possession of information that Trump and his allies were making efforts to influence witnesses and, if this was true, the committee would be considering a strong response.Cassidy Hutchinson's lawyers furnished a statement soon after her deposition before the committee. "Ms. Hutchinson is justifiably proud of her service to the country as a special assistant to the president. While she did not seek out the attention accompanying her testimony today, she believes that it was her duty and responsibility to provide the committee with her truthful and candid observations of the events surrounding Jan. 6. Ms. Hutchinson believes that Jan. 6 was a horrific day for the country, and it is vital to the future of our democracy that it not be repeated," the statement said.NYT said Donald J. Trump posted a dozen messages on his social media website attacking Cassidy Hutchinson and denying her most "explosive testimony". Trump said he never complained about the crowd size on January 6, never claimed that Vice President Pence deserved to be hanged and never tried to grab the steering wheel when the Secret Service allegedly refused to drive him to the Capitol after his rally speech. "Her fake story that I tried to grab the steering wheel of the White House limousine in order to steer it to the Capitol building is sick and fraudulent, very much like the unselect committee itself," Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. —IANS

Shocking revelations that former US president Donald Trump coerced security personnel to remove "magnetometers" (devices that detect weapons) from CH and allow his protesters to move freely were made before the democratic Senate Special House Judiciary Committee probing the January 6 Capitol Hill riots.

Shocking Revelations On Trump Before Senate Committee Probing Jan 6 Capitol Hill Riots

New Delhi: Former United States President Donald Trump has promised that he will take America's relationship with India to the next level again if he wins the presidential election in 2024.
In a Diwali speech organised by Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump, 76, told a gathering of about 200 Indian-Americans that he shared a great relationship with Hindus, India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said he would nominate RHC founder Shalabh Kumar as his ambassador to India if he gets elected as the US president in 2024.
A video of Trump's speech at the Diwali reception last Friday was released by RHC on Tuesday, in which the former president says that he has not yet announced if he will run, but if he does, and goes on to win in 2024, he has certain commitments towards the Indian American community. "We had support from the Hindu population, the great Hindu people both times (2016 and 2020) and great support from India, people from India. I fully endorsed the idea of building a Hindu Holocaust memorial in (Washington) DC. I think it's time. We are going to get that done," Trump said.
His remarks came days ahead of the crucial mid-term polls on November 8. Trump said he probably would not have won in 2016 but for the support from the Hindu community in the battleground States.
He vowed that he will take America's relationship with India to the next level again if he wins the presidential election in 2024.
In his remarks, Kumar said Trump has been a strong friend to the Hindu community and the RHC is proud of the achievements it has made throughout the years to empower and embolden the diaspora in America.
"Diwali is a time for all of us to reflect upon the victory of light over darkness, and to look towards a new year of prosperity and peace," he said.
Under Trump, US-India relations had never been stronger, as both sides fostered a relationship rooted in facing common threats from Pakistan and China and with respect and admiration for each other, the RHC said in a statement.
Indo-US relationship made great strides in 2017, with President Trump keeping his electoral promise of being the 'best friend of India' inside the White House.
India was the only country for which the Trump administration came out with a 100-year plan; an honour not accorded to even America's top allies.
Not only did the Trump administration rechristened the Asia Pacific region as Indo-Pacific, much to the anxiety of China, giving a greater role and space for New Delhi in the entire region, but also for the first time the United States stated in clear terms that India is a key player in Afghanistan.
As Trump announced his South Asia Policy -- giving India a key role in bringing peace in the war-torn nation -- in August, for the first time a US president aligned himself with New Delhi's position that terrorism emanates from Pakistan. —PTI

Former United States President Donald Trump has promised that he will take America's relationship with India to the next level again if he wins the presidential election in 2024.

Will Take US-India Ties To Next Level Again: Trump

San Francisco (The Hawk): Almost two years after the former US president was barred from the social media site for encouraging violence, Elon Musk has reinstated Donald Trump's account on Twitter.After Musk, the platform's new owner, conducted a poll on the social media site, which showed slender support for allowing Trump to return, Trump's account returned on Twitter on Saturday.The question of whether Trump's account should be resurrected received more than 15 million votes, with a narrow majority of 51.8 percent choosing to do so."The people have had their say. Trump will be re-elected, tweeted Musk.Trump, though, stated earlier in the day on Saturday that he was not interested in returning to the stage.When asked by a panel at the annual leadership gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition whether he intended to return to Twitter, the former president responded via video, "I don't see any need for it."Trump declared he would remain with his new platform Truth Social, an app created by his start-up Trump Media &amp; Technology Group (TMTG), which he claimed was performing "phenomenally well" and had higher user interaction than Twitter.Trump, who on Tuesday announced his intention to run again for president in 2024, also hailed Musk and claimed to have admired him his entire life.The former president added that Twitter's issues were "extraordinary" and that it was plagued by bots and false accounts.The timing of any comeback by the former president was eagerly monitored — and feared — by many of Twitter's advertisers when Musk initially stated in May that he wanted to overturn the ban on Trump.Since then, Musk has made an effort to reassure users and advertisers that such a move would be carefully considered by a content moderation council made up of individuals with "widely diverse perspectives," and that there would be no account reinstatements before the council met.He said that unless there was a "clear method for doing so," Twitter would not allow any banned users to reapply.Musk this week allowed comic Kathy Griffin to return after she had been suspended for violating his new policy against impersonation by changing her profile name to "Elon Musk" without making it clear that it was a parody account.Regarding the reinstatement procedure or the moderation council, there hasn't been any fresh information released.Major advertisers, already alarmed by Musk's radical remaking of the site, may become less worried if Trump does not return to Twitter.He has drastically reduced the trust and safety team, which is in charge of stopping the spread of hazardous content and misinformation, and he has cut the personnel in half.Large firms have stopped advertising on the site while they examine how the platform handles hate speech as a result of these moves and Musk's tweets.Only days after an engineering-related mass resignation, Bloomberg reported on Saturday that Twitter may be forced to lay off further staff members in its sales and partnership units.(Inputs from Agencies)

Almost two years after the former US president was barred from the social media site for encouraging violence, Elon Musk has reinstated Donald Trump's account on Twitter.

On Twitter, Elon Musk'reinstates' Donald Trump

New Delhi (The Hawk): With less than 10 days until voting in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is attempting to capitalise on the fact that Manish Sisodia's name was omitted from the first chargesheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Excise Policy scam.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has often asserted that Manish Sisodia was at the centre of the alleged anomalies and the Excise Policy fraud as a whole. However, not even his name was mentioned in the CBI's chargesheet.
The public will now judge the party on this in the MCD polls on December 4, according to an AAP source, who described it as "like a certificate of honesty for the party."
The source claimed that Manish Sisodia, who had previously been named as the first culprit, was not even mentioned in the chargesheet.
Gopal Rai, the state chairperson for the AAP in Delhi, claimed that for the past six months, both the BJP leadership and the federal government have claimed that there is sufficient proof against Sisodia.
"However, despite all of this, Sisodia's name was not even mentioned in the chargesheet because there is no evidence. In advance of the MCD and Gujarat elections, a plot was hatched to malign Sisodia and the party.
"The BJP was in a position where they would lose terribly in the MCD elections in March, so they delayed it under the guise of a merger of the MCD. A few months later, when Arvind Kejriwal began campaigning in Gujarat and the party was enjoying significant support there, the BJP launched a campaign to disparage Manish Sisodia in an effort to divert attention from the AAP, the speaker claimed.
The AAP leaders spoke to the media on Friday following the CBI's filing of its chargesheet and emphasised the party's sincerity. They also targeted the BJP for making up tales to discredit the group.
"The BJP was misleading the entire country for the last six months to malign AAP and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government," AAP leader Atishi claimed in a briefing.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj stated in a different briefing that the BJP should apologise to Delhi's schoolchildren and their parents for targeting Sisodia.
As the scandal continued, Manish Sisodia demanded an apology from the Prime Minister and the dismissal of the Chief Secretary and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
In a tweet, Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal stated: "Manish Sisodia's name is not even in the ED's chargesheet. If Sisodia, who helped India become known for its educational revolution, was falsely accused, shouldn't PM Narendra Modi apologise to the nation? Will the nation advance if those who carry out good deeds are imprisoned?
Kejriwal stated to the media on Saturday that "the MCD election has now become apparent."
"Now, the populace must choose between 10 works by Arvind Kejriwal and 10 BJP videos. On December 4, the MCD elections would be decided by the general population, he announced on Saturday.
Even while the party is emphasising the need to remove Sisodia's name from the CBI chargesheet, the civic body election appears to centre on two issues: the three "trash mountains" and the much-discussed AAP's "honesty."
(Inputs from Agencies)

With less than 10 days until voting in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is attempting to capitalise on the fact that Manish Sisodia's name was omitted from the first chargesheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Excise Policy scam.

For the MCD elections, AAP would use the CBI not naming Sisodia as a trump card

New York: Trump's attempt to return to the White House in 2024 has been derailed after he was charged by a grand jury in Manhattan on charges connected to paying off a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign.
The Republican president, now 76 years old, was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday for allegedly trying to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels by paying her.
It is unclear what offences Trump has been charged with or how many charges there are in the indictment because it is still under secrecy. According to CNN, the ex-president faces more than 30 charges.—Inputs from Agencies

Trump's attempt to return to the White House in 2024 has been derailed after he was charged by a grand jury in Manhattan on charges connected to paying off a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign.

First US ex-president indicted for hush money payments, Donald Trump

New York: Former President Donald Trump surrendered on Tuesday at a local court here, making history as the first former holder of the US' highest office to be arrested.
He will now face charges stemming from a payoff to a porn star to buy her silence.
After he was booked like a common crime suspect -- except he was not handcuffed or paraded around -- he was waiting to be taken before New York State's Acting Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to be formally charged.
Given his status, the arrest took place under the watchful eye of the Secret Service that is charged with protecting former presidents making it an odd scenario.
Trump came in a convoy from his Trump Tower penthouse four miles away to the building housing the local courts as his supporters and opponents held separate rallies.
He was taken in through a side entrance.
Trump became the first former President to be arrested and face a trial in the nation's 246-year history, plunging the US into unchartered legal and political territory.
He is also a candidate for next year's presidential election, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, and only two per cent behind President Joe Biden in an aggregation of polls by RealClear Politics.
Trump is facing charges relating to a payoff he allegedly made before the 2016 election through his former lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels who claimed to have had an affair with him in 2006.
Cohen was convicted in a federal court in connection with the $130,000 payoffs and sentenced to three years. Federal prosecutors declined to prosecute Trump.
Cohen is the prime witness in the local New York case.
The charges, handed down by a grand jury - a panel of citizens convened to decide if there was a prima facie case - are under seal and will be unsealed shortly in court.
Since hush money payments and extra-martial affairs are not illegal, it is likely that the charges will be about bookkeeping irregularities in how they were recorded and if they can be made out to be in violation of campaign finance laws.
Some leaks reported by the media have said that Trump will be bludgeoned with over two dozen charges, some of them serious criminal allegations or felonies with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
In a social media post, Trump asked Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg to charge himself for violating the laws against disclosure of a sealed indictment before it is released in court.
Trump's lawyers have said that he will fight the charges at the trial that will be months away.
Bragg, a Democrat elected prosecutor in a partisan election, is to hold a news conference in the afternoon after Trump is produced before Merchan, whom Trump had personally attacked saying, "He hates me".
Trump is scheduled to fly back to his home in Mar-a-Lago in Florida on his private Boeing 757 after his arraignment in court and hold a meeting there later.
The city was under a blanket of heavy security with police on the alert.
Areas around Trump Towers and the courthouses were barricaded with steel fences and police buses.
Screaming protesters trading insults across a barrier were kept apart by police.
Trump had warned of "potential death and destruction" after the indictment was announced on Thursday.
The protest outside the courthouse was called by a right-wing Republican member of the House of Representatives, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known for her extreme rhetoric, drawing a warning from Mayor Eric Adams, ""When you're in town, be on your best behaviour".
Greene's speech was drowned out by anti-Trump protesters.
So far, the protests have been in a carnival atmosphere with even a dancing semi nude anti-Trump protester shouting foul-mouthed challenges to him.
There was no rioting like the attack on Congress in January 2021 by his supporters buying into Trump's claims that President Biden had "stolen" the election.
—IANS

Former President Donald Trump surrendered on Tuesday at a local court here, making history as the first former holder of the US' highest office to be arrested.

Trump Becomes First Former US President To Be Arrested

Washington: US Senator Tim Scott announced his candidacy for the 2024 US Presidential elections, emerging as the latest opponent to Donald Trump, CNN reported citing Federal Election Commission's website. Scott, the Senate's lone Black Republican, started a presidential exploratory committee in April, emphasising his evangelical faith, colour, and upbringing as the son of a single mother, CNN said on Friday. He defined his personal ethos as "individual responsibility," and his political approach is motivated by the notion that the United States is "the land of opportunity, not the land of oppression." The filing comes ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Monday in South Carolina.  Scott has been circling the US presidency for months. Since embarking on a tour focusing on "Faith in America" in February, he has made frequent visits to many early-voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, according to CNN. The US senator has joined former President Donald Trump, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, software entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and talk radio presenter Larry Elder in the race. According to CNN, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis is set to file paperwork declaring his much-anticipated candidature next week. In November last year, former United States President Donald Trump filed papers to contest for the post of president again. He filed his documents establishing his candidacy to run for the presidency again in 2024, CNN reported. In April, US President Joe Biden announced that he will be running for re-election as the President of the United States. Biden, the oldest US president in history, as he launched his campaign had said, "Let's Finish the Job." (ANI)

US Senator Tim Scott announced his candidacy for the 2024 US Presidential elections

US Senator Tim Scott files for 2024 US presidential run

Washington: Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday filed the paperwork for his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, setting the stage for a highly anticipated face-off within the Republican Party and a clash with his running mate of elections past, former President Donald Trump, CNN reported. Pence is set to formally announce his candidacy on Wednesday ahead of a CNN presidential town hall that evening. This contest will feature Mike Pence, who served as both vice president and a staunch supporter of former President Trump, competing against Trump himself for the GOP nomination. Having indicated at his potential entry into the race for several months, Pence will now have to overcome Trump's strength with the Republican primary electorate and convince voters he is a better choice than the man he spent four years cheerleading before their relationship strained after the 2020 election, the Hill reported. An unpredictable battle lies ahead as Trump who helped incite an insurrection in his bid to cling to power and his once-loyal vice president who played a role in stopping that effort to thwart democracy. Pence has publicly criticized Trump over his assertion that Pence had the authority to overturn the 2020 election results, but he has not taken aim at Trump's character and has repeatedly said that he's proud of their administration's record, CNN reported. Pence, a 63-year-old former congressman and Indiana governor, was selected as Trump's running mate in 2016 in part because he could help Trump shore up the GOP's socially conservative base. He is backed by a super PAC, Committed to America, which launched in mid-May and is co-chaired by former Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and veteran GOP consultant Scott Reed. The group's executive director is Bobby Saparow, who managed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's (R) successful reelection campaign in 2022, the Hill reported. Trump, in contrast, has already unleashed personal barbs at other 2024 Republican rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. During Trump's tenure in the White House, Pence headed the White House's coronavirus task force and laid the foundation for vaccine distribution. However, Pence disagreed with Trump regarding the former president's actions following the 2020 election, which are currently being investigated by a special counsel, CNN reported. A CNN poll released in late May found Pence was the first choice of 6 per cent of Republican and Republican-leaning primary voters, trailing Trump, who was the first choice of 53 per cent of voters, and DeSantis (R), who was the first choice of 26 per cent. The poll also found 54 per cent of those surveyed said they support or would consider supporting Pence. In speeches, Pence has tried to fuse a forward-looking vision for the Republican Party with his credentials as Trump's right-hand man for four years. Pence has spent the last several months making frequent trips to early primary states like South Carolina and New Hampshire, and he has put a particular focus on Iowa, which holds the first caucus on the GOP primary calendar, The Hill reported. —ANI

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday filed the paperwork for his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination

Mike Pence Files To Run For US President In 2024, Setting Up Clash With Trump

Washington: Donald Trump has been charged with 37 counts in relation to the mishandling of records at Mar-a-Lago as well as his efforts to block the government from recovering the documents, The Hill reported. Federal prosecutors accused him of illegally keeping top secret files on US nuclear and defense programs. An indictment unsealed by the Justice Department Friday underscores the high-level material the former president kept after leaving office, the times he improperly shared it with those without clearances and the extent he sought to block any efforts to retrieve them. The filing indicates Trump weighed a number of methods to avoid returning them, asking his attorney to "hide or destroy" the documents in his possession following a June subpoena last year, The Hill reported. "The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defence and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack," the filing states. "The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods." Trump is facing 31 counts on the Espionage Act alone, with a breakdown of the documents detailing that most of them dealt with intelligence collected on foreign countries or American military capabilities, The Hill reported. The filing details two specific instances where Trump is alleged to have shared highly sensitive materials with individuals at his Bedminster, N.J., club who did not have security clearances. The first came in July 2021, when Trump is said to have shown and described a "plan of attack" prepared for him by Pentagon officials while in the White House. The meeting, which was with a writer, a publisher and two staff members, was recorded. CNN earlier Friday reported on the transcript of the audio, which included Trump acknowledging the document was secret and that he did not declassify it while he was president. The filing details a second incident in August or September of 2021 in which the former president showed a representative of his political action committee who did not possess a security clearance or a classified map related to a military operation. Trump is said to have told the associate during the meeting at his Bedminster, N.J., club that he should not be showing it to the person and that they should not get too close, The Hill reported. The filing also alleges that Trump tried to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued possession of classified documents by suggesting his attorney falsely represent to the FBI that he did not have the documents in question. Prosecutors alleged Trump directed Walt Nauta, a longtime aide also charged in the case, to move boxes of documents to conceal them, suggested his attorney hide or destroy documents included in a grand jury subpoena and falsely claimed he had turned over all the necessary documents while knowing that was not the case, The Hill reported. In another instance after Trump's attorney Evan Corcoran went to gather records in response to a May subpoena, Trump gestured for Corcoran to "pluck out" any documents he did not think they should return to the government. The indictment alleges Trump coordinated directly with Nauta to move 64 boxes in and out of the Mar-a-Lago storage room in the weeks between a discussion with Corcoran about a subpoena for the documents, and the lawyer's return to collect the records. The indictment notes Corcoran was not informed of the movement, The Hill reported. Prosecutors allege that Trump after leaving office retained classified documents originating from or with connections to the CIA, the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Energy, the Department of State and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research within the State Department. The filing details how Trump instructed aides to move boxes within his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In May 2021, Trump is said to have directed the storage room on the ground floor of the club to be cleaned out so it could be used to put the boxes containing classified materials in there. In December 2021, prosecutors said that Nauta found several documents spilt on the floor of the storage room that was labelled "secret" and only releasable to members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance of the US, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. The indictment also dedicates an entire page to Trump's past statements on the need for tough treatment for those who mishandle classified records. "We can't have someone in the oval office who doesn't understand the meaning of the word confidential or classified," he said as a 2016 candidate. "In my administration, I'm going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law." —ANI

 Donald Trump has been charged with 37 counts in relation to the mishandling of records at Mar-a-Lago as well as his efforts to block

Donald Trump Indicted On 37 Counts In Classified Documents Case

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has described his federal indictment as "ridiculous" and "baseless". He made the remarks at a Republican Party convention in Georgia during his first public appearance since the charges were unsealed, accusing him of 37 counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of sensitive documents related to national defense information at his Mar-a-Lago property, CNN reported. Trump on Saturday cast his federal indictment as "election interference," telling Georgia Republicans it represented an abuse of power by the Biden administration, it reported. "This is a political hit job. Republicans are treated far different at the Justice Department than Democrats," said Trump who offered no evidence for his claims at a state GOP convention in Columbus. Former US President Donald Trump faces a total of 37 counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. While addressing the people in Georgia, he said that any other Republican at the top of the party's 2024 ticket will face similar scrutiny and legal challenges, as per the CNN report. "The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration's weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country," CNN quoted the former president as saying. Trump's remarks were reminiscent of his first rally after last summer's FBI search of his Mar-A-Lago estate. Speaking to supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in September, Trump accused Biden of weaponizing federal law enforcement in what he said was "one of the most shocking abuses of power by any administration in American history,"as per the news report. Donald Trump said, "Somebody else? They're not going to withstand that fire." While speaking about his second indictment in less than three months, he said, "Our people are angry." He denied wrongdoing and called the probe as "a sad day for the country." He is scheduled to appear in a federal courtroom in Miami on Tuesday, where he will be read the charges against him. Trump has avoided legal culpability in his personal, professional and political lives. He has settled a number of private civil legal cases through the years and paid his way out of disputes concerning the Trump Organization, according to CNN report. After leaving office, the US Justice Department's criminal probe into the alleged retention of classified information at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election cast dark clouds over the former president. Earlier in March, the Manhattan district attorney in New York indicted Trump on charges related to hush-money payments to a former adult star. —ANI

Former US President Donald Trump has described his federal indictment as "ridiculous" and "baseless"

Donald Trump Calls His Indictment 'Ridiculous' And 'Baseless'

Washington: As the first former US president to face federal criminal charges, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty during his formal arraignment in a Miami court on claims that he broke the law dozens of times by hiding confidential materials in his Florida home. Trump, 76, was taken into the federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, about 15 minutes before the hearing began on Tuesday and sat hunched down in his chair, hands clutched in his lap, waiting for the judge to come in his navy suit and crimson tie.
Trump's son, Eric, joined him in court for the landmark case that could change the political and legal landscape in advance of the 2024 presidential election.
Trump, who has announced a second run for the presidency, spent much of the session staring at the floor, and his lawyer reportedly refused to have the indictment's 49 pages read aloud.
On Friday, a federal grand jury unsealed a comprehensive indictment charging Trump, a Republican, with willfully withholding confidential records collected during his presidency and obstructing justice in his efforts to conceal these materials from investigators. Thirty-one counts of violating the Espionage Act were among the 37 federal charges brought against the ex-president.
At the arraignment, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche stated, "We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty," to the charges against his client.
US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, with whom the former president was flanked by Blanche and Christopher Kise, said that he intended to order the former president to have no contact with witnesses in the case or with his co-defendant, Waltine "Walt" Nauta, as the case progresses. Trump was silent save for a few whispered remarks to Blanche and Kise. Blanche argued against the judge's plan, claiming that Nauta and other witnesses are paid employees of Trump's. As Blanche put it, the case involves "everything in President Trump's life." The judge backed down a little, stating Trump couldn't discuss the case details with Nauta or other witnesses. The judge ordered the prosecution team to furnish a list of Trump workers who could be impacted by the limitation.
Although Goodman regularly referred to Trump as the "former president," his attorneys always referred to him as "President Trump." Since Nauta did not retain a Florida attorney, he was unable to enter a plea. On June 27th, he was set to appear in court for his arraignment.
During the 45-minute session, neither the date nor location of Trump's next court appearance was discussed.
After working in the White House before and throughout Trump's presidency, Nauta became the former president's personal butler at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. He is accused of working with Trump to conceal sensitive data from law enforcement officials.
Trump, the first former US president to face criminal charges, faces the possibility of a lengthy prison term if he is proven guilty. In the hours preceding up to his court appearance, he aggressively assailed the investigation's main special counsel, Jack Smith, calling the seasoned prosecutor a "thug" and a "lunatic" in social media posts.
In court on Tuesday was Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November but who did not participate in the hearing.
CNN noted that while Trump's court appearance on Tuesday was the second time in a little over two months in which he had pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, the federal charges pose a more serious legal threat to the former president than the Manhattan district attorney's charges did.
Although he is running for president again as a Republican, Trump may find himself sitting as a defendant in federal and state trials that take place at the same time as the primaries or conventions.
According to the indictment, the former president and his body man Walt Nauta spent months moving boxes holding the secret documents from a ballroom to a bedroom, bathroom and storage room at Mar-a-Lago in an effort to evade federal officials.
Prosecutors claim that at Trump's direction, Nauta concealed some of the evidence from the former president's lawyers, leading them to falsely report to the Justice Department and FBI in June 2022 that a "diligent search" in response to a grand jury subpoena had turned up only a few dozen papers.
More than a hundred secret files were taken from Trump's home by the FBI in August.
Trump, meanwhile, was greeted like a hero when he returned to his New Jersey golf club for a private fundraiser on Tuesday night, hours after entering his not guilty plea.
At a rally attended by several hundred people, Trump claimed he had been the victim of "political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation." During his 30-minute talk, the 45th president added, "They ought to drop this case immediately because they're destroying the country."
Trump claimed that Vice President Joe Biden had ordered his arrest and indictment without providing any proof. He called Jack Smith, the special counsel, "a deranged lunatic." This is the most cruel and vile abuse of power in our country's history, and we saw it today. He remarked, "It's a sad thing to see." According to the article, "a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponents arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty." On the occasion of his 77th birthday on Wednesday, Trump took a short break from his rant to have the audience sing "Happy Birthday" to him.
Isn't this a great birthday? Grumbled, he. Those people were singing 'Happy Birthday' I was celebrating my grandfather's birthday with my son Eric, his wife Lara, and their children when I heard the news that he had been arrested and sentenced to 400 years in jail. Former President Trump, who is widely expected to win the 2024 Republican nomination, has claimed that he is being treated unfairly in comparison to former Vice President and current Senator Biden, whose handling of sensitive information during his time in office is also being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Hur.
Hillary Clinton did illegal things. Trump said, "And she wasn't indicted." To far, Joe Biden has not been indicted despite the fact that he has broken the law in several other ways that have come to light. I followed the rules and was still charged. Trump claimed that he didn't have time to go through the classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, therefore he refused to return them when asked to do so by the National Archives.
I've been questioned by a lot of people, "Why do you need these boxes?" Trump explained that his entitlement to access the boxes under the Presidential Records Act was secondary to the fact that they contained "clothing, memorabilia, and much, much more" than just shirts and shoes.
To examine all the packing materials, I hadn't got the time. It's a long, boring work that I was ready to undertake, but I'm just too busy right now. Trump claimed that Biden was even more careless with confidential information since he allegedly hid some of it in his garage in Wilmington.
His now-famous Corvette was housed among classified paperwork that was scattered across the floor of his garage. He thinks so highly of that car. He complained that there was no protection and that the door was frequently left open.
The former president claimed that the Biden administration indicted him in a historic first in order to "distract" from corruption allegations linked to the first family's foreign business dealings. One such allegation is that former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter received USD 5 million in bribes to do the bidding of the corrupt Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings.
Trump stated, "(It's" no coincidence that the charges were filed against him on the same day it was disclosed that Joe Biden had accepted a bribe of $5 million from the Ukrainian government. The ex-president made an effort to spin his federal criminal case as a potential campaign advantage.
Biden said "no" when asked if he would discuss his thoughts on the arraignment at Tuesday's press briefing, and the White House ultimately decided not to comment on the issue.
One man was arrested holding a "Lock him up" sign and attempted to block the former president's motorcade as it left the Miami courthouse during the day as Trump supporters and opponents battled.—Inputs from Agencies

As the first former US president to face federal criminal charges, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty during his formal arraignment in a Miami court on claims that he broke the law dozens of times by hiding confidential materials in his Florida home.

Trump makes historic court appearance, pleads not guilty to classified document charges

Miami: Slamming the administration of President Joe Biden over his indictment, former President Donald Trump has called his predecessor "a corrupt sitting president," reported CNN. Former President Donald Trump made these remarks on Tuesday night in Bedminster, New Jersey while criticising the current administration over his indictment for the alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump said to a crowd of supporters, "Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country," adding, "Very sad thing to watch, a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he's losing very badly." Trump was arrested in a historic arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to 37 criminal charges. Trump, who was arrested along with his adviser and co-defendant Walt Nauta, is the first former president to be charged with a crime on a federal level. Just a few months ago, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump in a different hush-money case. Earlier in the day, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents, CNN reported. His lawyers have asked for a jury trial during Trump's arraignment at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday. Trump's attorney Todd Blanche said to the judge, "We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty." Trump was arrested after surrendering to federal authorities at the Miami courthouse, NBC News reported. The booking process took around 10 minutes. Prior to the arraignment, deputy marshals booked Trump and took electronic copies of his fingerprints, according to CNN report. The officials did not take a mugshot of the former US President considering he is easily recognizable. Trump's aide and co-defendant Walt Nautu has also been arrested, fingerprinted and processed. The criminal charges in the US Justice Department's classified documents case escalate the legal jeopardy surrounding the Republican Party front-runner for the 2024 Presidential elections, the report said. Former US President Donald Trump is facing 37 felony counts, alleging he illegally retained national defence information and that he concealed documents violating witness-tampering laws in the US Justice Department's investigation into the materials, CNN reported. Trump's aide Walt Nauta has also been charged in the indictment which alleges the two men were involved in a conspiracy to hinder the federal probe. —ANI

Slamming the administration of President Joe Biden over his indictment, former President Donald Trump has called his predecessor

After Court Appearance, Trump Slams Biden As 'Corrupt Sitting President'

Washington: The legal team of United States' former President Donald Trump has asked the federal judge to postpone his trial on charges of illegally retaining classified documents after he left office, said that the proceeding should not begin until all “substantive motions” in the case were resolved, The New York Times reported.  The former president’s legal team, on Monday, argued in a court filing that no trial date should be set until all “substantive motions” in the case were resolved, setting up an early key decision by Judge Aileen M. Cannon. If granted, it could push Trump’s trial into the final stages of the presidential campaign in which he is now the Republican front-runner or even past the 2024 election. While timing is important in any criminal matter, it could be hugely consequential in Trump’s case, in which he stands accused of illegally holding on to 31 classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim them. The filing came in response to one submitted last month by prosecutors working for the special counsel, Jack Smith, who requested a trial date of December 11. Judge Cannon, appearing to adopt the brisk calendar mandated by the Speedy Trial Act, had initially scheduled the case to go to trial in August, reported The New York Times. Trump’s lawyers pitched their request to Judge Cannon as a plea for cautious deliberation and as a means of safeguarding democracy. Trump is the first current or former president in US history to face criminal charges. Beyond the federal charges he faces connected to the documents, he also faces New York state charges related to falsifying business records in connection to hush-money payments made to a porn star. Trump has been charged with three pre-election hush-money cases, including the one made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in an official statement. In the statement, the attorney mentioned three instances of the 'catch and kill' scheme in Donald Trump's indictment. "In one instance, American Media Inc. ("AMI"), paid USD 30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock," Bragg said in a statement. The attorney also stated that AMI paid USD 150,000 was paid to the woman who claimed to have a sexual relationship with Trump. And former President asked his lawyer to reimburse AMI in cash. AMI admitted its conduct was unlawful in an agreement with federal prosecutors and made false entries in its business records concerning the true purpose of the USD 150,000 payment. "In a third instance - 12 days before the presidential general election - the Special Counsel wired USD 130,000 to an attorney for an adult film actress. The Special Counsel, who has since pleaded guilty and served time in prison for making the illegal campaign contribution, made the payment through a shell corporation funded through a bank in Manhattan," the statement read. Bragg also said that during the 2016 election, Trump and others employed a "catch and kill" scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects. —ANI

The legal team of United States' former President Donald Trump has asked the federal judge to postpone his trial on charges 

Trump's Legal Team Seek Postponement Of Documents Trial

Washington: In a hearing before an Indian-American judge, former US President Donald Trump pled not guilty to four counts of criminal conspiracy to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.
On January 6, 2021, the alleged conspiracy Trump, 77, is accused of orchestrating got violent, and a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., not far from the US Capitol, was where Trump filed his plea on Thursday.
Trump flew in from Bedminster, New Jersey, and arrived at the courthouse in a motorcade while dressed in a dark blue suit and a crimson tie.—Inputs from Agencies

In a hearing before an Indian-American judge, former US President Donald Trump pled not guilty to four counts of criminal conspiracy to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.

Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges of plotting to overturn 2020 election

Washington: Former United States President Donald Trump claimed that there is “no way” he will get a fair trial over the 2020 election fraud case, that he faces, and called for moving the case to a different venue and a different judge to oversee the federal case, New York Post reported.  “NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL, OR EVEN CLOSE TO A FAIR TRIAL, IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,” Trump posted on Truth Social platform on Sunday.  He slammed the Biden administration claiming that in the city of Washington DC, murders have shattered “all-time records” and tourists have fled, and called out for a federal takeover of “filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment”. Trump further said that the case against him could have been brought up years ago, but it has been brought right in the middle of the election campaign.  “I HOPE YOU ARE WATCHING AMERICA. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he stated in another post.  The former President said that he will be asking for the recusal of Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is overseeing the case regarding the ex-president’s alleged attempts to thwart the 2020 election — “on very powerful grounds.”  “WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT IF D.C.,” Trump said in a subsequent post.  Notably, Chutkan, who did not oversee the former president’s arraignment on Thursday but is presiding over the case, has a reputation for being a harsh “punisher” of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as per New York Post.  She is regarded as much 'tougher' than Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who is presiding over the case accusing him of hoarding top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.  Chutkan was randomly selected to preside over the third criminal indictment lodged against Trump. She was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama. The 61-year-old judge recently rejected a bid from Trump’s legal team seeking more time to respond to the Justice Department’s request for her to issue a protective order limiting what information he can publicly share about the case, New York Post reported.  Last week, Trump was charged on a four-count indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith pertaining to his efforts to challenge the 2020 election.  Charges against him include: obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights, and conspiracy to defraud the US, according to the New York Post.  Notably, the former President has been indicted three times since March. He also faces a 34-count indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office over alleged hush money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election. And he faces a second federal indictment on 40-counts in the classified documents case out of Florida, New York Post reported.  Trump also pleaded not guilty to the new charges special counsel Jack Smith brought against him in the case alleging mishandling of classified documents from his time in the White House.  The filing marked the second time in 24 hours that the former president entered a ‘not guilty’ plea, following his arraignment Thursday in the special counsel’s separate investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Meanwhile, Trump’s next hearing in the 2020 election case — during which a trial date is expected to be set — is slated for August 28, five days after the first GOP debate in the 2024 presidential race, New York Post reported. —ANI

Former United States President Donald Trump claimed that there is “no way” he will get a fair trial over the 2020 election fraud case

Donald Trump Seeks Recusal Of Judge, Change Of Venue In January 6 Case

Washington: Coming out hard after his fourth indictment, former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that he will produce an “irrefutable” report that “should” lead to all charges against him getting dropped, New York Post reported. This comes after the former President was indicted by the Georgia grand jury in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State. “A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete &amp; will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey. Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me &amp; others - There will be a complete EXONERATION! They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!” Trump said on ‘Truth Social’ platform. The charges, against the former President was brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The raps against him include violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, false statements, and asking a public official to violate their oath of office, New York Post reported. Right after the indictment, Trump denounced the ruling and called the situation a “total shutdown of democracy”. “These monsters, all controlled and coordinated by the DOJ and Radical Left Lunatics, are Criminalizing Political Speech, a total SHUTDOWN OF DEMOCRACY!” Trump stated on Truth Social. “WITCH HUNT!” he added in a subsequent post. He even called the District Attorney “failed” and “corrupt” and raised speculations of the ruling being “rigged”. “So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people were indicted tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out-of-control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, 'I will get Trump.' And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me! Why didn’t they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!” Trump stated. He added, “Can you believe it? This failed District Attorney from Atlanta, Fani Willis, where murders and other violent crime soars daily to new record highs, is charging me with 2020 Presidential Election Interference. No, Fani, the only Election Interference was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election. Those are the ones you should be going after, not the innocent people that are fighting for Election Integrity!” Meanwhile, eighteen alleged co-conspirators were indicted along with Trump in the Georgia case, including his lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Kenneth Chesebro, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and the former president’s 2020 Election Day director of operations Michael Roman. He is also charged in three other criminal cases — in Manhattan, Miami, and Washington, DC — while facing a total of 91 counts and potential prison sentences adding up to 712 years and 6 months, as per New York Post. —ANI

Coming out hard after his fourth indictment, former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday

Donald Trump Denounces Fourth Indictment, Says Will Present 'Irrefutable' Report

Washington: The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has released a mug shot of former US President Donald Trump, CNN reported. Jail records show Trump was placed under arrest and booked as inmate No. P01135809. Meanwhile, the former US President has been released on bond after completing the booking process at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, according to jail records, CNN reported. Jail records show that the former US President was placed under arrest and booked at the Fulton County jail on Thursday (US local time) night in connection with the Georgia election subversion case. He was at the jail for about 20 minutes. Trump on addressing reporters after being arrested and released from jail, said: “I did nothing wrong,” CNN reported.  Trump described the criminal case against him as “a travesty of justice.” “We have every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest,” he said. Trump also addressed the other criminal cases pending against him, saying, “This is one instance but you have three other instances. This is election interference.” Trump was released after he agreed to a USD 200,000 bond and other release conditions, including not using social media to intimidate co-defendants or witnesses in the case, which were previously negotiated by his attorneys. The former president covered the cost of the bond by putting 10 per cent toward it and he worked with a local Atlanta bonding company Foster Bail Bonds LLC, sources told CNN. Fulton County marks the first case where Trump has been required to pay a cash bail. His odds of being released without a cash bail were slim in Georgia. Trump was already facing three other felony indictments when he was charged here. Earlier on Thursday, Trump surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta to be booked on more than a dozen charges stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results, CNN reported. Protestors gathered outside the jail could be heard yelling against District Attorney Fani Willis, who charged Trump and 18 others in the election subversion case. “Lock Fani up!” the former president's supporters chanted, as per CNN. Trump landed at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday. Prior to Trump’s arrival, law enforcement amped up security outside of the Fulton County jail. More than ten agencies from the Metro Atlanta area were at the scene. Canine units were deployed to make sure there were no explosives and drones could be seen flying in the air. Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D) gave Trump, his 18 co-defendants a deadline of Friday at noon to voluntarily surrender after indicting them last week. According to The Hill, the jail has gained a reputation for its poor conditions. An investigation into the facility was opened by the Justice Department last month over concerns that an individual died there covered in insects and filth. The sheriff’s office has since announced that another inmate who was being held on a shoplifting charge, died in the jail Thursday. The state judge overseeing the case has approved two defendants’ bond agreements. John Eastman, an attorney involved in strategizing a scheme to submit false slates of pro-Trump electors, agreed to a USD 100,000 bond, and Scott Hall, who is charged in connection with an elections office breach, agreed to a USD 10,000 bond, court filings show. Willis charged the 19 co-defendants in a 41-count indictment last week focused on racketeering charges. It is the fourth set of criminal charges Trump faces, according to The Hill. —ANI

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has released a mug shot of former US President Donald Trump, CNN reported

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