Fox News host says Trump must ‘learn to lose’
The House select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection has requested “voluntary cooperation” from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to provide information about his conversations with former president Donald Trump during the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814.
However, McCarthy has refused to cooperate with the committee, citing the “illegitimate” investigation by the panel, in a statement hours after the request.
Liz Cheney, one of the panel’s only two Republicans, said her party’s House leader is attempting to “cover up” what happened on 6 January 2021 and that the committee would evaluate other options for obtaining his testimony. “I wish that he were a brave and honorable man,” she told CNN.
This came after Trump grabbed headlines for hanging up on an NPR journalist who challenged him with questions about the Capitol insurrection and his fixation on non-existent election fraud in 2020. He also drew attention with an interview in which he poured scorn on Republicans who refuse to say whether or not they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
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Trump divides conservatives with ‘gutless’ jab on boosters as Ann Coulter lashes out
Donald Trump has called politicians who refuse to say whether they’ve had a Covid-19 booster shot “gutless” – and he appeared to be referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has dodged questions on if he has taken up the latest coronavirus shot.
Speaking on conservative One America News Network, the former president said “You gotta say it. Whether you had it or not, say it.”
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter lashed out at Mr Trump in defence of Mr DeSantis on Twitter.
“Trump is demanding to know Ron DeSantis’s booster status, and I can now reveal it. He was a loyal booster when Trump ran in 2016, but then he learned our president was a liar and con man whose grift was permanent. I hope that clears things up,” she wrote on Twitter.
Jade Bremner has the story.
Justin Vallejo14 January 2022 01:00
Kevin McCarthy hits out at CNN in testy exchange over his refusal to testify in January 6 probe
Kevin McCarthy mocked CNN after one of the network’s reporters asked if the House Minority Leader was covering up his role in the US Capitol riot.
CNN”s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked Mr McCarthy why the public shouldn’t conclude he was trying to “hide something” and prevent the “facts from coming out”.
Mr McCarthy, who has rejected a January 6 select committee’s request for information, fired back it was a “great question”, but before answering added in a knock on Mr Raju’s network
“I hope that everything gets corrected at CNN, work through all that with the, your employees,” Mr McCarthy said.
CNN is facing several scandals with its news staff beyond the sexual assault allegations against Don Lemon, which he denies, and the high-profile firing of primetime anchor Chris Cuomo for helping his brother, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, defend against sexual harassment allegations of his own.
The network also fired John Griffin, a veteran producer who had previously worked with Cuomo, after a federal grand jury in Vermont indicted him for allegedly attempting to “induce minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity,” according to the Justice Department.
Rick Saleeby, a top producer for Jake Tapper, resigned after he was arrested as part of an investigation into “serious allegations involving potential juvenile victims”.
Justin Vallejo14 January 2022 00:47
Trump ally Jeanine Pirro given permanent hosting gig on daily Fox News programme
Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro has been named as a new host on the right-wing network’s panel talk show The Five.
The promotion from her weekly Saturday night show Justice with Jeanine comes after she was named as a co-defendant in a $2.7bn defamation lawsuit filed by voting software company Smartmatic.
The lawsuit names Ms Pirro, along with Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo, Rudy Giuliani and attorney Sidney Powell as falsely accusing Smartmatic of rigging the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has the story.
Justin Vallejo14 January 2022 00:00
BREAKING: Accused Capitol rioter Baked Alaska jailed for 30 days for macing Arizona bouncer
Right-wing internet personality Baked Alaska, who is facing separate charges for allegedly joining in on the 6 January storming of the US Capitol, was sentenced to 30 days jail time on Thursday for pepper-spraying a bouncer at a Scottsdale, Arizona, nightclub.
The Independent’s Josh Marcus is following the breaking news.
Justin Vallejo13 January 2022 23:19
BREAKING: Accused Capitol rioter Baked Alaska jailed for 30 days for macing Arizona bouncer
Right-wing internet personality Baked Alaska, who is facing separate charges for allegedly joining in on the 6 January storming of the US Capitol, was sentenced to 30 days jail time on Thursday for pepper-spraying a bouncer at a Scottsdale, Arizona, nightclub.
The Independent’s Josh Marcus is following the breaking news.
Justin Vallejo13 January 2022 23:19
Liz Cheney accuses McCarthy of ‘clearly trying to cover up what happened’ on January 6
Liz Cheney accused House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of trying to cover up what happened during the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January of last year.
Ms Cheney, who serves as the vice chairwoman of the select committee investigating the riot, made the remarks to CNN after Mr McCarthy rebuffed a request by the committee to provide information.
“I wish that he were a brave and honorable man,” Ms Cheney told CNN. “He’s clearly trying to cover up what happened. He has an obligation to come forward and we’ll get to the truth.”
Justin Vallejo13 January 2022 20:55
Kyrsten Sinema to speak in Senate
Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema is shortly to make a rare speaking appearance on the Senate floor, a sign that Joe Biden’s outreach to his Capitol Hill colleagues is in trouble.
Andrew Naughtie13 January 2022 16:58
Raphael Warnock: “You cannot remember Dr King and dismember his legacy at the same time”
Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, a pastor in whose church Martin Luther King Jr once preached, yesterday laid into Republican colleagues who are falling back on “states’ rights” arguments as they attack Democratic voting rights bills.
“The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act is the legacy of Dr King,” he said. “And if you would give lip service to his name, you need to find yourself on the right side of history, pushing to get these bills done.”
Andrew Naughtie13 January 2022 16:50
House of Representatives passes new voting rights bill
After a string of party-line statements by representatives from both sides, the House has passed voting rights legislation in its latest form. The final tally was 220-203.
Andrew Naughtie13 January 2022 16:35
Ilhan Omar goes after McCarthy – with his own words
As the House minority leader resists the call to testify to the 6 January select committee, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has dug up one of his past statements to undermine his case for refusing:
Andrew Naughtie13 January 2022 16:18
