Trump news: Judge says ‘plausible’ ex-president incited Jan 6 riot as Mar-a-Lago docs referred to DoJ

A lieutenant in the Washington, DC, police intelligence branch has been put on administrative leave, as federal officials investigate whether he had improper contacts with the extremist Proud Boys gang.

Washington police chief Robert J Contee II declined to name the officer during a Wednesday news conference, but said the police department, as well as the FBI and Justice Department, are looking into whether the allegations are true.

Josh Marcus has the story.

Former president Donald Trump, in a seemingly furious statement in reaction to a significant court defeat, accused Hillary Clinton of breaking into the White House.

“In other words, she can spy on a Presidential candidate and ultimately, the President of the United States—and the now totally discredited Fake News Media does everything they can not to talk about it,” he said.

The former president alleged that Ms Clinton broke into “my apartment, buildings I own, and my campaign” as well.

Andrew Buncombe reports.

Lawyers for former president Donald Trump said on Thursday that New York state attorney general Letitia James is targeting the former president because they think that he can win another presidential campaign in 2024, Law & Crime reported.

Alina Habba made the statements in a hearing with the Manhattan Supreme Court along with other attorneys Ron Fischetti and Alan Futerfas. The court will determine whether Mr Trump and his two children Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump would have to comply with subpoenas for a civil investigation into the Trump Organization, according to CNBC.

Ms Habba made the argument that Mr Trump was part of a “protected class,” which was met with scepticism from the judge.

Eric Garcia reports.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has accused the SEC of a “harassment campaign” aimed at chilling “his exercise of First Amendment rights”.

Mr Musk’s lawyers claimed that his client was being targeted by the SEC because he is an outspoken critic of the government.

The CEO believes the SEC is investigating him to shut him up.

Graig Graziosi has more.

A judge has ruled that former president Donald Trump as well as his children Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump must testify in an investigation into his business practices being conducted by the New York attorney general’s office.

Eric Garcia reports.

Rep Bill Pascrell, the Democrat who represents New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District, on Thursday slammed Republicans for voting to make former president Donald Trump “a dictator”.

He wrote on Twitter: “407 days ago insurrectionists ransacked the US Capitol and *hours later* 138-of-202 (68 per cent) House republicans voted to make Trump a dictator.”

“They tried to finish the rioters’ job and end democracy. Never forget it,” he added.

Fox News was set to broadcast Hillary Clinton’s speech to the New York state Democratic Party convention on Thursday, but those plans appeared to quickly change once the 2016 candidate actually began speaking.

Netizens on Twitter noticed that the network cut away from coverage of her speech while Ms Clinton was in the middle of a blistering attack on former president Donald Trump and the Republican Party, where she declared that the GOP supported rioters who battled police officers and sought to conduct an insurrection.

John Bowden reports.

An early version of former president Donald Trump’s social media app ‘Truth Social’ is being tested out by at least 500 people.

The testing of the platform comes a year after Mr Trump was banned from Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet’s YouTube.His new media and technology venture, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), has pledged to deliver an “engaging and censorship-free experience” on the app.

By late Wednesday, the former president’s account on Truth Social had 317 followers, Reuters reported.

An almost replica of microblogging platform Twitter, Mr Trump’s Truth Social allows users to post and share a “truth” the same way they would do so with a tweet.

After years of keeping a relatively low profile, the Democratic grandee who nearly became America’s first woman president is staging a political comeback.

After two failed efforts, there is even talk of another run for president in 2024, writes Richard Hall.

Former president Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed Republican congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz, who has been accused of abusing her stepdaughter.

“Monica De La Cruz will be an incredible Congresswoman for the people of Texas’ 15th Congressional District!” Mr Trump wrote in a statement.“A successful small businesswoman, Monica will fight hard to Grow our Economy, Secure our Military and Vets, and Defend the Second Amendment,” the statement read.

Ms De La Cruz has been accused of verbal and physical abuse against her 14-year-old stepdaughter.

Her estranged husband Johnny Hernandez, in a divorce petition, accused MsDe La Cruz of being “cruel and aggressive” towards his daughter and claimed that the woman had once pinched the girl to stop her from crying, Washington Post reported.