The Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump began in acrimonious fashion on Tuesday, with the Republican-dominated chamber voting down 11 Democratic proposals for amendments to the rules, including the rejection of subpoenas for ex-national security adviser John Bolton and White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to give testimony on the Ukraine scandal.
Democratic impeachment managers Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler complained the marathon process was “ass-backwards” and accused Republicans of “voting for a cover-up”, observing: “Only guilty people hide the evidence.”
Looking on from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump fired out 50 retweets in support of his cause overnight while insisting he was “making great progress” at the global summit, as a new poll makes bleak reading for his supporters ahead of 2020.
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The attorney general of Washington D.C. has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, alleging an abuse of non-profit funds that ultimately benefited the first family’s private business.
Attorney General Karl Racine said in the lawsuit that the committee was made to “grossly overpay for event space” at the Trump International Hotel in Washington during the president’s inauguration, while failing to seek out cheaper options.
Mr Trump’s inaugural committee funding has been steeped in controversy ever since it was reported to have spent over $100m (£76m) on lavish events — far more than past inaugural budgets — and more than $1m (£761,300) at the Trump hotel.
"District law requires non-profits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” the attorney general said when announcing the lawsuit on Wednesday. “In this case, we are seeking to recover the nonprofit funds that were improperly funnelled directly to the Trump family business.”
Here's my latest:
Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton for calling her a “Russian asset”
Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii Democrat and 2020 hopeful, has filed a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton claiming the former 2016 Democratic nominee defamed her by insinuating on a podcast that she was a “favourite of Russians”.
The Independent’s Clark Mindock has more on the $50 million lawsuit filed on Wednesday in the Southern District of New York.
“God didn’t make us for that. He made a man to be a man,” he continued, adding: “You never see two male animals coming together.”
“We’ve got to expose what the devil is doing,” he said.
