Trump news today: Trump campaign tries to cash in on chaotic testimony

Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal judge in Washington DC to reject Donald Trump’s efforts to strike “inflammatory” descriptions of January 6 from the criminal indictment against him, saying Mr Trump is “responsible for the events at the Capitol” thus the statements are relevant.

“Indeed, that day was the culmination of the defendant’s criminal conspiracies to overturn the legitimate results of the presidential election, when the defendant directed a large and angry crowd—one that he had summoned to Washington, DC, and fueled with knowingly false claims of election fraud—to the Capitol to obstruct the congressional certification proceeding,” the special counsel wrote in the filing.

Mr Smith’s office accused Mr Trump of filing a motion to strike inflammatory allegations from the indictment as a way to “distance himself” from the violent attack on the Capitol in a “meritless effort to evade the indictment’s clear allegations.”

In October, Mr Trump asked the court to remove descriptions of the actions that took place on January 6 from the indictment, claiming it was irrelevant to the case against him because he is not charged with responsibility for the actions.

It was on this day, three years ago, that Donald Trump’s presidency came crashing down in the parking lot of a landscaping company next to an adult bookstore.

The Independent’s Richard Hall was there for one of the more bizarre moments of the last presidential election.

Here’s the report he filed from Philadelphia in early November 2020:

Under Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a court “must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.”

Mr Smith said that the rule is in place purely “to avoid the risks that policymakers have determined cameras pose to the fair administration of justice” and that it should remain for Mr Trump to be fairly prosecuted.

But several media organisations, including The New York Times, The Associated Press, NBC Universal and more, have said the unprecedented case against the ex-president is clearly in the public interest and would benefit from being broadcast.

While various Republicans jockey for position in their party’s ongoing primary and discontent grows among Democrats who fear that the president’s political future is uncertain, voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to decide a set of much smaller contests around the country.

But while the stakes may be slightly lower than the presidential race, the relevance of Tuesday’s vote will still be felt in the everyday lives of millions of Americans. Voters in three states are set to make key decisions that will shape the future of their state’s politics — and in a fourth, they ponder the question of whether to reshape their state’s constitution.

Two of Tuesday’s states-to-watch are set to be major battlegrounds next year as well. As such, many will be looking for signs of Joe Biden’s strength — or, perhaps, his weakness — as the races conclude on Tuesday night. With recent polling indicating a fraying of the coalition that drove Mr Biden to the White House in 2020, a win (or wins) for Republicans could be a bad headline for the president at absolutely the worst possible time.

The Independent is here as your source for thoughtful analysis of tonight’s contests, however they end up being decided. Here’s what we are looking at:

The main focus on Donald Trump’s myriad of legal woes shifted to Lower Manhattan in October as his civil fraud case came to trial at New York state’s Supreme Court.

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the case against the Trump Organization and maintains that between 2011 and 2021 the company falsified financial statements regarding the development of several real estate projects and artificially inflated Mr Trump’s net worth in order to get better financing terms from banks and insurance companies.

This was done by over-stating valuations of the former president’s most prestigious holdings including his triplex penthouse at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

As the prosecution’s case draws to a close, three of his adult children are taking the stand to testify under oath, which begs the question: how are they wrapped up in all this and why is their testimony important at the trial?

Donald Trump continues to complain about the premise of the case against him on his social media platform, first posting a copy of the disclaimer that was included in the Trump Organization’s statements of financial condition.

The disclaimer forms part of the evidence in the case, but nevertheless the former president wanted to give a copy directly to Judge Arthur Engoron.

Here’s what Mr Trump posted today:

This is the Paper that I wanted to submit that the Judge refused to take, because he doesn’t want anybody to know about the Disclaimer Clause at the beginning of each Financial Statement. This is just part of it! That case is a disgrace to the Legal and Judicial System of New York. Hopefully the Appellate Courts will stop this travesty of Justice that everybody is watching and fully understanding!

I am worth Billions of Dollars more than what is on my financial Statements – they are very conservative (Therefore, NO FRAUD!) – and the CORRUPT & RACIST NEW YORK STATE A.G., Letitia Peekaboo James, working in close coordination with the TRUMP HATING, RADICAL LEFT JUDGE, and the Biden White House, refuses to drop the NO JURY ALLOWED CASE that was brought using a Statute never used for this before. In fact, no such lawsuit has ever been brought by the Attorney General’s Office! It is a mockery of our Judicial and Legal System. Something must be done to stop the Fascists. MAGA!

All but one of the Republican candidates appeared to have learned from former President Donald Trump’s deepening legal woes as they appeared for the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.

Former Vice President Mike Pence stood firmly behind his decision to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory despite mounting pressure from Mr Trump and his supporters, which included violent threats to his life.

Mr Pence was praised by the candidates next to him on the debate stage, apart from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who came out swinging with conspiracy theories making the rounds on rightwing social media on a variety of topics.

Mr Ramaswamy instead called on Mr Pence to commit to pardoning Mr Trump.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s appearance on the witness stand at his civil fraud trial, joking that there was one tell-tell sign that the former president was rattled during his courtroom testimony.

Mr Trump has denied the allegations, and has instead claimed that his assets were actually undervalued as he took to the stand in court on Monday, giving rambling and chaotic responses to the state’s questions.

His appearance was the talk of the day, with Mr Kimmel poking fun at the former president on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night.

A group of preeminent conservative lawyers who opposed former president Donald Trump’s efforts to manipulate the legal system are launching a new, long-term project aimed at fostering respect for the US constitution and the rule of law in the legal profession.

The group, which initially began operating in 2018 under the name Checks and Balances, includes preeminent conservative legal figures such as J Michael Luttig, the former Fourth Circuit judge who was shortlisted as a Supreme Court pick during the George W Bush administration, and George Conway, who was former president Donald Trump’s pick to run the Justice Department civil division before he became a prominent critic of the ex-president.

Unlike other groups formed by anti-Trump conservatives during Mr Trump’s presidency, the Checks and Balances group has been a bit of a shoestring operation, until now operating with a small budget raised from its’ members.

But a source familiar with the group’s plans told The Independent that a decision was made by the group’s board to seek outside funding for the purposes of a major relaunch and rebranding operation as the “Society for the Rule of Law,” which has now acquired the proper licenses to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organisation that can undertake some political work. The society’s roll-out will include a “Rule of Law summit” taking place on Wednesday evening in Washington.