Former US president Donald Trump claims he can declassify top secret documents just ‘by thinking about it’
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared silent days after his wife and Donald Trump’s former transportation secretary was subjected to “racist” comments from the former president.
Mr Trump said Elaine Chao was “China loving” in a Truth Social post and that her husband, the most senior GOP figure in Congress, had made “a DEATH WISH” by agreeing to a spending plan that would see the government funded until 16 December and after the midterm elections.
While Mr McConnell has not issued a response to the attack, Republican Senator Rick Scott also avoided any confrontation with Mr Trump on the matter and told CNN in a weekend interview that the former president wanted to make sure “we don’t keep caving into Democrats.”
Other Republican Senators, like Susan Collins of Maine, said the tone of violent rhetoric in US politics is ratcheting up, to the point where she’s worried a member of Congress might get assassinated however, That was closely followed by right wing Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene telling Trump rally goers in Michigan that Democrats wanted to “kill” Republicans. Those claims were unfounded.
Trump told Maggie Haberman she was ‘like his psychiatrist’
Donald Trump told New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman she was “like my psychiatrist” during a post-presidency interview for her new book Confidence Man.
According to an excerpt published in The Atlanticthe former president turned to two aides during their interview at Mar-a-Lago and said: “I love being with her; she’s like my psychiatrist.”
Trump told Maggie Haberman she was ‘like his psychiatrist’
‘The reality is that he treats everyone like they are his psychiatrists,’ New York Times reporter Ms Haberman writes in new book
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 12:25
Rick Scott Rick Scott refuses to defend Mitch McConnell and wife
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida refused to condemn former president Donald Trump’s comments about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was criticised for voting with Democrats on spending legislation.
“Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J Trump,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.
He went on to accuse Elaine Chao, Mr McConnell’s wife and a former transportation secretary, of being “China loving” in language that was widely derided for being racist.
GOP senator awkwardly kowtows to Trump after ‘racist’ attack on McConnell’s wife
‘It never ever OK to be racist,’ GOP senator Rick Scott says when pressed
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 11:41
Trump’s beef with Maggie Haberman continues
During a rally in Michigan on Saturday, Donald Trump continued his attacks on a forthcoming book about him from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
In a speech in Warren, the former president denied one of the book’s more shocking claims, that Mr Trump considered firing his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner from their White House roles via tweet, which he said”didn’t happen”.
Here’s our full report.
Trump attacks Maggie Haberman book as ‘disgusting’ and denies he nearly fired Ivanka
Former president has repeatedly attacked New York Times reporter’s forthcoming book on White House
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 11:00
The Mar-a-Lago mystery deepens…
The National Archives and Records Administration sent a letter to Congress saying that it is still missing records from the Trump administration, despite the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
More details in our full report:
National Archive says it is still missing some Trump administration records
Letter says ‘we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should’
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 10:00
Even hurricane relief is political
Representative Matt Gaetz voted against legislation that would have provided relief for victims of Hurricane Ian, which left a path of devastation in the congressman’s home state of Florida.
The House of Representatives voted 230 to 201 on a continuing resolution to keep the government open until 16 December on Friday. The continuing resolution also gives the Federal Emergency Management Authority the power to spend money through the Disaster Relief Fund.
Matt Gaetz votes against hurricane relief money in home state of Florida
Rick Scott also voted against it and Marco Rubio was not not present
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 09:00
Senators warn of violent threats against legislators
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine warned about increasing violent threats against lawmakers in an interview with The New York Times.
The Republican senator spoke about her concerns in the wake of a man smashing a brick through her home in Bangor, Maine, and as political figures like Donald Trump and his supporters deploy increasingly incendiary language.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a senator or House member were killed,” she said. “What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence.”
The threat against Ms Collins came amid escalating threats against lawmakers. In 2018, after she voted to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, she received a message that featured a beheading.
Susan Collins issues dark warning: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if a senator were killed’
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also received numerous threats
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 08:00
Is Donald Trump plotting his ‘revenge’
If he is re-elected in 2024, Donald Trump is going to take “revenge” against his political antagonists, federal officials and even former allies like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to Mr Trump’s niece Mary Trump.
More details in our story:
Trump plans to take ‘revenge’ on Ron DeSantis if reelected, Mary Trump says
Trump once endorsed DeSantis, but relationship has soured
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 07:00
GOP won’t condemn Trump’s racist attacks
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida refused to condemn former president Donald Trump seeming to make a death threat against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Eric Garcia has the full story:
GOP senator awkwardly kowtows to Trump after ‘racist’ attack on McConnell’s wife
‘It never ever OK to be racist,’ GOP senator Rick Scott says when pressed
Gino Spocchia3 October 2022 06:00
Will a disclaimer get Donald Trump out of New York’s $250m lawsuit against him?
Armen Morian, a former prosecutor in the New York Attorney General’s Office, thinks Donald Trump might have a point.
The former president has claimed that New York can’t bring a $250m fraud lawsuit against him and his family company because the Trump Organization consistently warned banks and insurers to rely on their own valuations before offering him business.
“What the disclaimers are saying is, ‘Beware when you read these financial statements,’” Mr Morian told Insider. “That’s all it has to do.”
Here’s more information on the lawsuit.
NY attorney general files $250m lawsuit against Trump and three of his children
Letitia James is also referring the former president’s conduct to the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Internal Revenue Service
Josh Marcus3 October 2022 05:00
Trump finally comments on Hurricane Ian after silence on devastating storm
Former president Donald Trump opened a political rally in Michigan by breaking his week-long silence on Hurricane Ian, the category five storm that has devastated his home state of Florida.
Speaking in Warren, Michigan, Mr Trump said he wanted to send “profound sympathy and our immense support to everyone back in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas who are struck by this brutal wrath of the hurricane”.
“Not a good hurricane. This was a big one,” he said, adding that he wanted to “say hello to everybody” in the affected area.
“We want to say we love you very much … please know our hearts are with you and our prayers are with you,” he said.
Andrew Feinberg has the details.
Trump finally breaks silence on Hurricane Ian after devastating storm hits Florida
‘Not a good hurricane. This was a big one,’ Trump says of Hurricane Ian
Josh Marcus3 October 2022 04:00