Related video: Georgia election official debunks one Trump conspiracy theory after another
Donald Trump tightened his grip on the loyalty of Mike Pence as he continued to push the vice president to challenge the rectification of the certification of the Electoral College results.
Trump denied reports that Pence told the president it wasn’t in the constitutional powers to block the process of electing Joe Biden to the presidency, and claimed that is within their legal rights.
As Democrats looked on course to flip the Senate in the Georgia runoff elections, pro-Trump supporters and police began clashing in Washington DC.
The Maga faithful (minus the Proud Boys leader ejected the city) are there to hear the president’s speech at a rally to object to the vote.
It may all be for theatrics, however, as the president reportedly planned on flying to Scotland to be playing golf during the inauguration of Biden on 20 January.
After the country’s first minister, Nicola Stugeon, said Trump would not be allowed to enter due to Covid lockdown measures, the White House denied there were ever any plans for the president to hit the Scottish greens.
Check out The Independent’s live coverage and analysis below.
Threat to crash plane into US Capitol on day Biden election win certified is made on air traffic control frequencies
The FBI launched an investigation after air traffic controllers heard a threat to crash an airplane into the US Capitol on the day Joe Biden’s election win is certified.
The shocking message said that the terror act would be done to “avenge” the death of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
“We are flying a plane into the Capitol on Wednesday. Soleimani will be avenged,” the message heard by controllers in New York said according to CBS News.
The threat was made on the one year anniversary of the 2020 drone strike killing ordered by Donald Trump.
It is unknown who made the threat and federal officials reportedly do not believe that it is credible.
The Independent’s Graeme Massie has the story.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 04:40
Eric Trump to ‘primary’ Republicans that don’t object to election results
The Trump doesn’t fall far from the Trump.
Eric Trump threatened to campaign against any Republicans who don’t support his father’s challenge to the Electoral College votes.
“I will personally work to defeat every single Republican Senator / Congressman who doesn’t stand up against this fraud – they will be primaried in their next election and they will lose,” he said on Twitter.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 04:20
Trump supporters clash with police in DC ahead of vote on Electoral College results
As the Democrats look to be on course to flip the Senate with the Georgia runoff, Trump supporters and police have begun to clash in Washington DC.
Videos posting to Twitter show police pushing back the crowd from BLM plaza as people can be heard saying: “This is f*cking American plaza” and “F*** BLM!”
“You lost both sides of support. We had your f***ing back, but we ain’t got your back no more!” one man says to police.
Another says: “Heads are going to roll”.
Police can be seen spraying protestors in the face, most likely with some kind of mace or pepper spray, with reports from the ground via journalist Lindsay Watts that six arrests in DC surrounding protests ncluding firearm offences, assaults on an officer and traffic-related offences.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 03:59
Trump continues ‘voter dump’ narrative as GOP falls behind in Georgia runoff
“Waiting to see how many votes they need?” Trump asked in a tweet.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 03:41
BREAKING: Trump turns screws on Pence after ‘tense lunch’ and falsely insists he can block Biden win
Donald Trump has heaped extra pressure on Mike Pence, insisting he does have the constitutional power to bock Joe Biden’s victory after the vice president told him he did not.
On Wednesday, Mr Pence is scheduled in his constitutional role, to oversee a joint session of Congress, in which the House and Senate will vote to formally confirm Mr Biden’s victory, a move that represents the final step in the process before his inauguration.
Around 150 Republicans, among them senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, have said they will vote against certification.
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported Mr Pence told Mr Trump that while he supported him, it was not within his constitutional powers to block the certification process and derail Mr Biden’s move into the Oval Office.
CNN said the meeting had been “tense”, and that Mr Trump told Mr Pence that not stopping Mr Biden would be politically “damaging”.
The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe is following the story as it unfolds.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 03:38
Nancy Pelosi urges Democrats to give ‘civics lesson’ in protecting democracy
Nancy Pelosi told Democrats they will give a “civics lesson” in protecting US democracy when Congress meets to certify Joe Biden’s election win.
The House Speaker told her colleagues in a letter that Mr Biden had beaten Donald Trump “decisively” with his “resounding victory” in November.
“Tomorrow is a day of enormous historic significance, as the United States Congress meets for a Joint session to count the results of the 2020 election – which president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris won, decisively,” she wrote in the letter on Tuesday.
“When the Congress meets tomorrow, this resounding victory will be recognised, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be officially declared the next president and vice president of the United States.”
Graeme Massie has the story.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 02:45
‘that’s not how the Constitution works’: Romney gets into it with Trump supporter on way to DC to vote on Electoral College votes
A viral video posted earlier purported to show a plan heckling Mitt Romney as a “traitor”, but the Senator couldn’t be clearly seen in the shot to confirm it was, in fact, Romney himself people were yelling at.
Now a new video has posted online showing Romney clash with a Trump supporter while they were waiting for the flight.
The two-minute video is below, but the jousting between the two is worth a full read -Romney’s quotes in bold.
Romney: “Put your mask on.”
Don’t tell me what to do.
“Please put your mask on it’s required by law in this airport.”
I’m standing six feet away.
Ok I’ll tell you what I’m going to go ahead and do it because I want to have a chat with you. Why aren’t you supporting president Trump?
“I do support president Trump on the things I agree with.”
You’re not supporting him
“I do agree with many of the things he’s for and I support those things.”
Are you going to support him in the fraudulent vote…
“Overturning the election? No I’m not”
“It’s a long story but, we have a Constitution, the Constitution process is clear. I will follow the Constitution. And I will explain all that when we meet in Congress this week.”
You haven’t supported him and you didn’t even support him in the election.
“For reasons I explained at the time.”
You were voted in as a conservative to represent the conservative constituents period.
“Actually, that’s not how the Constitution works.”
It is you’re voted in to represent us, you work for us, am I wrong?
“I work for the people of Utah.”
Exactly and I am from Utah.
“Yes well you’re not the only one.”
I know there a lot of people that didn’t vote for you.
[Indecipherable crosstalk]
You’re a joke, absolute joke, it’s a disgusting shame.
[At this point the woman goes into making allegations of assault by one of Romney’s colleagues]
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 02:36
George Bush to attend Biden inauguration
George Bush and wife Laura will attend the inauguration of Joe Biden, according to his spokesman Freddy Ford.
Ford confirmed Bush’s attendance on twitter, saying they look forward to the swearing in of Biden and Kamala Harris.
“I believe this will be the eighth Inauguration they’ve had the privilege of attending – President Trump’s being the most recent- and witnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old,” he said.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 02:11
A farewell favour for fossil fuel allies as Trump guts migratory bird protections
The Trump administration is using its waning power to complete rollbacks on a number of environmental and climate protections including on Tuesday, protections for migratory birds, writes climate correspondent Louise Boyle.
“The rule change means that the federal government will no longer fine or prosecute industries for practices that kill birds unintentionally such as oil spills, electrocutions on power lines, wind turbines that knock them from the air, and waste pits where landing birds perish in toxic water.”
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 02:00
BREAKING: Democratic candidates in Senate runoffs ahead of Biden’s vote pace
The Democratic challengers in Georgia’s Senate runoff races are running ahead of President-elect Joe Biden in several Democratic stronghold counties, suggesting a large voter turnout in urban areas.
Democratic Party officials and the Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock campaigns had aimed for just that: Big turnouts in places like Atlanta and Macon to offset expected big wins for the GOP candidates in the states’ deeply red northern and southern regions.
John T Bennett has the story.
Justin Vallejo6 January 2021 01:39