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| Mueller castigates Trump's decision to commute Roger Stone's sentence – live | Mueller castigates Trump's decision to commute Roger Stone's sentence – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Special counsel breaks his silence and condemns Trump for commuting sentence | Special counsel breaks his silence and condemns Trump for commuting sentence |
| Admiral Brett P Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, has appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press to talk about the surge in Covid-19 cases across the US. | |
| He is asked about reports by CNN and the Washington Post that Dr Anthony Fauci has been sidelined by the coronavirus taskforce. | |
| “There is complete, open, honest discussion within the task force ... Believe me, if there’s a public health opinion that needs to be said, that needs to be it,” says Giroir. “And I respect Dr Fauci a lot, but Dr Fauci is not 100% right and he also doesn’t necessarily, he admits that, have the whole national interest in mind. He looks at it from a very narrow public health point of view. | |
| “But let me just say, there is absolutely open discourse. I feel absolutely free saying anything to the vice president within those rooms. ... It’s got to be science driving the policy. And that’s the way it is.” | |
| Donald Trump wore a mask for the first time in public on Saturday, but had not done so up until then during the pandemic. Giroir is asked if wearing a mask is important. | |
| “I think the public health people have been very, very clear that mask-wearing is essential,” he says. “It’s very important that we can really decrease the transmission. You may not protect yourself, but you really protect everyone else. And the Surgeon General says it very well. ‘Covid stops with me.’ If you want it to stop with you, wear a mask.” | |
| Trump defends his golfing as Covid-19 cases surge | |
| Donald Trump has already been busy on Twitter this morning: | |
| As US coronavirus cases and deaths continue to soar, Donald Trump started the day by defending his golfing record. | |
| Following his latest golf course visit to Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia yesterday – reportedly his 275th as president – he tweeted this morning that he plays “VERY fast” and gets a lot of work done while playing. | |
| He also claimed that his predecessor Barack Obama played “more and much longer” than he does – despite recent counts finding that Trump has played considerably more often. | |
| Comparing himself to business figures and politicians who “work out endlessly…but nobody complains”, he said golf is his “exercise”. | |
| The president wrote: “Actually, I play VERY fast, get a lot of work done on the golf course, and also get a ‘tiny’ bit of exercise. Not bad!” | |
| His golf trip came after his planned rally in New Hampshire – due to take place in Portsmouth last night – was cancelled due to bad weather. However, the weather was reportedly “warm and sunny”. | |
| Also this morning, Trump tweeted a renewed threat of 10-year prison sentences to people who damage or tear down monuments or statues and boasted that his administration has built “240 miles of new Border Wall” and have “some of the best Border Numbers ever.” | |
| Late last night Trump hit out at Republican senators Mitt Romney and Pat Toomey – branding them “RINOS” (“Republican in name only”) - after they criticised his decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. | |
| US sports are beginning to resume, but not without a few problems along the way. Major League Soccer is hosting a month-long tournament in Florida, a hotspot for Covid-19 at the moment. The tournament is taking place at Disney World, where the NBA expects to resume its season at the end of the month. | US sports are beginning to resume, but not without a few problems along the way. Major League Soccer is hosting a month-long tournament in Florida, a hotspot for Covid-19 at the moment. The tournament is taking place at Disney World, where the NBA expects to resume its season at the end of the month. |
| On Sunday, a match between DC United and Toronto FC was postponed after one player rested positive for Covid-19. Two teams, FC Dallas and Nashville, have already withdrawn after positive tests. | On Sunday, a match between DC United and Toronto FC was postponed after one player rested positive for Covid-19. Two teams, FC Dallas and Nashville, have already withdrawn after positive tests. |
| “The results of yesterday’s tests for DC United and Toronto FC produced an initial unconfirmed positive Covid-19 case for one player and an inconclusive test for another player. Because of the arrival time of the clubs in Orlando, the league’s protocol called for retesting both teams this morning and to await the results of those tests prior to playing the match,” the league said in a statement. | “The results of yesterday’s tests for DC United and Toronto FC produced an initial unconfirmed positive Covid-19 case for one player and an inconclusive test for another player. Because of the arrival time of the clubs in Orlando, the league’s protocol called for retesting both teams this morning and to await the results of those tests prior to playing the match,” the league said in a statement. |
| Major League baseball is due to restart on 23 July, while the NFL is scheduled to start at the beginning of September. | Major League baseball is due to restart on 23 July, while the NFL is scheduled to start at the beginning of September. |
| House speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will take legislative action in the wake of Donald Trump’s decision to commute the jail sentence of his former campaign adviser, Roger Stone. | House speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will take legislative action in the wake of Donald Trump’s decision to commute the jail sentence of his former campaign adviser, Roger Stone. |
| Calling Trump’s decision “a threat to our national security,” Pelosi told CNN on Sunday that House Democrats aim to restrict the president’s powers of clemency. | Calling Trump’s decision “a threat to our national security,” Pelosi told CNN on Sunday that House Democrats aim to restrict the president’s powers of clemency. |
| Mitt Romney and Robert Mueller are among the many figures to have voiced concern over Trump’s commutation of the sentence. | Mitt Romney and Robert Mueller are among the many figures to have voiced concern over Trump’s commutation of the sentence. |
| The former special counsel Robert Mueller made a rare move on Saturday to publicly defend his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election – and to castigate Donald Trump’s decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. | The former special counsel Robert Mueller made a rare move on Saturday to publicly defend his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election – and to castigate Donald Trump’s decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. |
| Mueller wrote an opinion article for the Washington Post [paywall] published under the headline “Roger Stone remains a convicted felon, and rightly so”. | Mueller wrote an opinion article for the Washington Post [paywall] published under the headline “Roger Stone remains a convicted felon, and rightly so”. |
| “The work of the special counsel’s office – its report, indictments, guilty pleas and convictions – should speak for itself,” he wrote. | “The work of the special counsel’s office – its report, indictments, guilty pleas and convictions – should speak for itself,” he wrote. |
| “But I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office ... | “But I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office ... |
| “Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.” | “Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.” |
| Trump commuted the sentence of Stone on Friday night, sparking outrage from Democrats and some senior Republicans. | Trump commuted the sentence of Stone on Friday night, sparking outrage from Democrats and some senior Republicans. |
| Read the full story below: | Read the full story below: |
| Good morning. There are plenty of news lines around today as reaction continues after Donald Trump’s decision to commute the prison sentence of his former campaign adviser, Roger Stone. The president himself was seen on Saturday wearing a mask in public for the first time during the pandemic. | Good morning. There are plenty of news lines around today as reaction continues after Donald Trump’s decision to commute the prison sentence of his former campaign adviser, Roger Stone. The president himself was seen on Saturday wearing a mask in public for the first time during the pandemic. |
| That decision came as records are set for coronavirus cases across the US, particularly in the south and southwest of the country. | That decision came as records are set for coronavirus cases across the US, particularly in the south and southwest of the country. |