Liz Cheney delivers a speech on the future of the GOP
Republican US representative Liz Cheney delivered a fiery speech to call out Donald Trump and GOP leaders at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Wednesday night, receiving thunderous applause from the audience.
Ms Cheney, who is the vice-chair of the House committee investigating the 6 January riots, said Mr Trump’s efforts have turned out to be “more chilling and more threatening” than first imagined.
“Republicans cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution,” she said, to a round of applause.
As her panel subpoenaed Trump’s White House counsel Pat Cipollone, whose resistance to Mr Trump’s false claims was once again detailed at this week’s bombshell hearing with former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson, the Wyoming congresswoman warned that in Donald Trump, Americans are confronting a “domestic threat” like nothing seen before.
Meanwhile, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has revealed a text exchange she had with Melania Trump during the 6 January attack, showing the then-first lady refusing to tweet a condemnation of the violence unfolding on Capitol Hill.
Biden to address Jan 6 implications when committee finishes work – report
The White House has largely stayed away from the 6 January committee’s work while its seismic hearings continue. But according to NBC News, Joe Biden is planning to address what has been exposed once the panel wraps up its public sessions, which it is expected to do well in advance of the midterm elections.
Read the full report here.
Andrew Naughtie30 June 2022 15:44
Liz Cheney takes her stand
Liz Cheney delivered a scorching condemnation of her party and Donald Trump on Wednesday following an explosive hearing of the January 6 committee a day earlier.
In a speech to guests at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a monument to one of the GOP’s most well-known leaders, Ms Cheney excoriated the former president for his ongoing attempts to undermine confidence in the US elections system and rule of law in general.
“At this moment, we are confronting a domestic threat that we have never faced before — and that is a former president who is attempting to unravel the foundations of our constitutional republic,” she told attendees.
Ms Cheney is set to debate her main GOP primary opponent, the Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, in Wyoming tonight, alongside three other challengers. While she has so far outraised Ms Hageman by 2-to-1, she has a steep uphill climb to hold onto the seat, which is regarded as an ultra-safe Republican hold.
John Bowden has the story.
Andrew Naughtie30 June 2022 15:28
Analysis: The GOP has put Trump-worship ahead of governing
As the Republican Party fight hard to retake Congress in this year’s midterm elections, Eric Garcia writes, they are making it increasingly clear where their priorities lie: not with the job of legislating for the benefit of Americans’ lives, but with performative displays of loyalty to their de facto leader.
“Nowadays, the top priorities for Republicans are no longer governing and passing legislation but fealty to Mr Trump and ‘owning the libs’. Republicans could likely win back a majority in both chambers–which would stymie any of Joe Biden’s agenda – but a lack of institutional knowledge could make it harder for the next president to pass legislation.”
Andrew Naughtie30 June 2022 15:00
Monica Lewinsky’s January 6 meme raises some eyebrows
Mr Trump wanted to go to the Capitol so badly that he attempted to grab the steering wheel of “The Beast” after being told he was going back to the White House instead, she testified. He also grabbed at the clavicle of a Secret Service agent, she added.
Tony Ornato, then White House deputy chief of staff, told Ms Hutchinson that Robert Engel, the Secret Service agent in charge on 6 January 2021, had repeatedly told Mr Trump on their way back to the White House after his rally speech that it was not safe to go to the Capitol.
Namita Singh has the story.
Andrew Naughtie30 June 2022 14:30
ICYMI: Giuliani associate linked to Trump’s Ukraine scandal jailed for fraud and campaign finance crimes
Lev Parnas, who assisted Rudy Giuliani’s attempts to find damaging information about Joe Biden in Ukraine, has been sentenced to just under two years in prison for fraud and campaign finance violations during the the 2018 elections.
Parnas, a Soviet-born, Florida-based businessman, was convicted in October of seeking funds from Russian businessman Andrey Muraviev to use in an influence campaign, donating to candidates thought to be helpful in opening a recreational-marijuana business in the US. He will…
Read More: Jan 6 hearings latest: Liz Cheney warns of Donald Trump’s ‘domestic threat’ as