Merrick Garland appoints special counsel to oversee Trump investigations
Donald Trump has finally lost his battle to block Democratic-led House committees from obtaining his tax returns, setting up a sprint by investigators with Democratic lawmakers to review them before the next Congress is sworn in.
Having sought for years to shield his tax returns from being released Mr Trump saw a final defeat on Tuesday, ironically at the hands of the conservative majority that he himself installed on the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in New York are awaiting a verdict in the tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization after resting their case on Monday following just two witnesses taking the stand.
And in Washington, Dr Anthony Fauci, the Trump Covid response team member-turned top target of the Maga right, gave his final press conference on Tuesday as director of the nation’s top agency for combatting the infectious disease.
Dr Fauci’s tenure at NIAID led to his celebration as a hero among Democrats and many other Americans who looked to him as the prime source for information about the government’s efforts to fight Covid-19.
