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Trump impeachment: House to debate charge of 'incitement of insurrection' – live Trump impeachment: House to debate charge of 'incitement of insurrection' – live
(32 minutes later)
Third-ranking GOP member in House, Liz Cheney, says she’ll vote to impeachThird-ranking GOP member in House, Liz Cheney, says she’ll vote to impeach
Prominent lawyers who helped fuel Donald Trump’s baseless charges of election fraud to try and thwart Joe Biden’s win, are now facing potentially serious legal and financial problems of their own tied to their aggressive echoing of Trump’s false election claims, say former Department of Justice lawyers and legal experts.
They include a federal investigation into the Capitol attack by a pro-Trump mob, possible disbarment and a defamation lawsuit.
Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who led Trump’s conspiratorial drive to overturn the election and gave an incendiary talk to the Trump rally right before the march on the Capitol began, could be ensnared in a federal probe of the attack and is facing a disbarment complaint in New York.
Pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Cleta Mitchell have, respectively, been hit with a defamation lawsuit for making false claims, and losing her law firm post after coming under scrutiny for her work promoting Trump’s false claims.
“I never saw allegations of misconduct that I think are as seriously unethical as the conduct of lawyers who have been propounding the false claims of President Trump,” said Mary McCord, who led the DoJ’s national security division at the end of the Obama administration until May 2017, and also served for six years on the DC Circuit’s Grievance Committee.
Giuliani, a former New York mayor and ex federal prosecutor who led Trump’s ad hoc legal team, seems to be the most endangered of Trump’s lawyers.
Without offering evidence, Giuliani told Trump’s Save America rally in DC before the Capitol attack that “I’m willing to stake my reputation, the president is willing to stake his reputation, on the fact that we’re going to find criminality there.” And he pointedly said, “Let’s have trial by combat.”.
The day after the mob attack which led to five deaths, Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney for Washington DC, publicly launched an investigation into the riot, and signaled he would be looking at numerous participants including instigators which could implicate Trump and Giuliani for their roles in inciting the attack.
McCord said Giuliani seems to have crossed the legal red lines in advising Trump after Giuliani left a detailed voice message at the wrong office for Alabama’s newly elected senator Tommy Tuberville on 6 January about how to “slow down” the electoral college vote.
Read more of Peter Stone’s report here: Lawyers face fallout from fueling Trump’s false claims of election fraud
Michael Kranish writes for the Washington Post overnight about Liz Cheney, the highest ranking Republican yet to come out in favor of impeaching president Donald Trump. He reports:
He also traced her actions back to a phone call from her father on 6 January:
Read more here: Washington Post – Before riot, Trump said ‘we got to get rid’ of Rep. Liz Cheney. Now she supports impeaching him.
According to the figures from the Johns Hopkins university, yesterday the US recorded 215,805 new coronavirus cases, and 4,327 further deaths. This takes the total death toll in the pandemic in the US to 380,485, and marks the highest single daily death figure recorded by the university since the pandemic began. The previous highest figure of 4,194 was recorded on 7 January.
The Covid Tracking Project reports that 131,326 people are currently hospitalized in the US with Covid-19. It is the 42nd day in a row that the figure has exceeded 100,000.
Christina Maxouris at CNN reports that over the past week, the US has averaged more than 3,300 deaths every day, a jump of more than 200% since November. She writes:
Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that more than 27.6 million vaccine doses have so far been distributed in the US, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced changes in the distribution plan to try and speed up the roll-out.
Azar said “We are telling states they should open vaccinations to all people 65 and over, and all people under age 65 with a comorbidity with some form of medical documentation.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s leading immunologists, said that “When people are ready to get vaccinated, we’re going to move right on to the next level, so that there are not vaccine doses that are sitting in a freezer or refrigerator where they could be getting into people’s arm.”
Overnight, Kansas woman Lisa Montgomery was executed, the first time in nearly seven decades that the US government has put to death a female inmate.Overnight, Kansas woman Lisa Montgomery was executed, the first time in nearly seven decades that the US government has put to death a female inmate.
Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1.31am after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner to receive a lethal injection there since July when Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus.Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1.31am after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner to receive a lethal injection there since July when Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus.
“The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight,” Montgomery’s attorney, Kelley Henry said in a statement. “Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.”“The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight,” Montgomery’s attorney, Kelley Henry said in a statement. “Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.”
“The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman,” Henry said. “Lisa Montgomery’s execution was far from justice.”“The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman,” Henry said. “Lisa Montgomery’s execution was far from justice.”
It came after hours of legal wrangling before the supreme court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next week’s inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.It came after hours of legal wrangling before the supreme court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next week’s inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.
An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay of execution on Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judge’s ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldn’t comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution of the only female on federal death row to go forward.An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay of execution on Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judge’s ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldn’t comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution of the only female on federal death row to go forward.
Montgomery killed 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the north-west Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.Montgomery killed 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the north-west Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.
Ed Pilkington wrote for us last week about the background story to Lisa Montgomery’s life: ‘A lifetime of torture’: the story of the woman Trump is rushing to executeEd Pilkington wrote for us last week about the background story to Lisa Montgomery’s life: ‘A lifetime of torture’: the story of the woman Trump is rushing to execute
Nancy Pelosi accused Donald Trump of associating himself with sedition and treason in a strong statement yesterday calling for the removal of the president through impeachment after a failed call for enactment of the 25th amendment.Nancy Pelosi accused Donald Trump of associating himself with sedition and treason in a strong statement yesterday calling for the removal of the president through impeachment after a failed call for enactment of the 25th amendment.
The final vote on Tuesday night was 223 to 205, with only one Republican backing the non-binding resolution that asked Mike Pence, the vice-president, to declare Trump ‘incapable’ under the 25th amendment.The final vote on Tuesday night was 223 to 205, with only one Republican backing the non-binding resolution that asked Mike Pence, the vice-president, to declare Trump ‘incapable’ under the 25th amendment.
The vote was largely symbolic, since Pence had already said he would not do so, arguing he did not believe “such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our constitution” and warned that efforts to remove Trump from office risked “further divide and inflame the passions of the moment”.The vote was largely symbolic, since Pence had already said he would not do so, arguing he did not believe “such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our constitution” and warned that efforts to remove Trump from office risked “further divide and inflame the passions of the moment”.
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics for Wednesday, when the House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach president Donald Trump for a historic second time.Welcome to our live coverage of US politics for Wednesday, when the House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach president Donald Trump for a historic second time.
The House voted to formally call on the vice-president, Mike Pence, to invoke the 25th amendment and strip Donald Trump of his presidential authority. Only one Republican backed the measure and Pence has rejected the call.The House voted to formally call on the vice-president, Mike Pence, to invoke the 25th amendment and strip Donald Trump of his presidential authority. Only one Republican backed the measure and Pence has rejected the call.
It will now move forward with impeachment. A single article charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection,” and directly quotes the president’s speech to supporters at the rally near the White House on 6 January.It will now move forward with impeachment. A single article charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection,” and directly quotes the president’s speech to supporters at the rally near the White House on 6 January.
Four Republican representatives, including third-ranking GOP member Liz Cheney, have said they’ll vote to impeach Trump. “The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said.Four Republican representatives, including third-ranking GOP member Liz Cheney, have said they’ll vote to impeach Trump. “The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has told colleagues that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses, according to the New York Times.Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has told colleagues that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses, according to the New York Times.
Representatives for the FBI and the justice department said more than 160 case files have been opened in connection to last week’s violence at the Capitol.Representatives for the FBI and the justice department said more than 160 case files have been opened in connection to last week’s violence at the Capitol.
The US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff put out a rare message to service members saying the pro-Trump mob attack on the US Capitol last week was an assault on America’s constitutional process and against the law.The US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff put out a rare message to service members saying the pro-Trump mob attack on the US Capitol last week was an assault on America’s constitutional process and against the law.
There were 215,805 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the US yesterday, and 4,327 further deaths. It is the highest daily death count recorded by the Johns Hopkins university since the pandemic began.There were 215,805 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the US yesterday, and 4,327 further deaths. It is the highest daily death count recorded by the Johns Hopkins university since the pandemic began.
The US carried out the first federal execution of a woman in nearly seven decades. Lisa Montgomery was pronounced dead early in the morning after supreme court cleared the path for her death.The US carried out the first federal execution of a woman in nearly seven decades. Lisa Montgomery was pronounced dead early in the morning after supreme court cleared the path for her death.