White House deflects Trump’s name to ‘nationalize’ elections, says it’s in reference to Save Act
Speaking to reporters outdoors the White House at this time, press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the president’s feedback on Dan Bongino’s podcast, where he urged Republicans to “nationalize the voting” in 15 states, have been in reference to the Save Act. This is a bit of laws which might require folks registering to vote to current proof of citizenship in individual, like a passport or delivery certificates.
“The president believes in the United States constitution. However, he believes there has obviously been a lot of fraud and irregularities that have taken place in American elections,” Leavitt mentioned, re-upping Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud. “Voter ID is a highly popular and commonsense policy that the president wants to pursue, and he wants to pass legislation to make that happen for all states across the country.”
Key occasions
Trump scolds NCS reporter Kaitlan Collins for not smiling as she asks about survivors of Epstein’s abuse
Frustrated by her persistence in asking questions about Jeffrey Epstein throughout an Oval Office occasion he needed to make use of to advertise himself and his occasion, Donald Trump scolded the NCS correspondent Kaitlan Collins for supposedly not smiling sufficient in his presence.
The alternate started with Collins declaring that Trump’s try to border the disclosures within the newest batch of Epstein information as damning solely for Democrats by declaring that additionally they revealed that Epstein had shut ties to 2 of his allies, Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick, his commerce secretary.
Trump shrugged dismissively as Collins talked about Musk and Lutnick and mentioned that whereas he had not learn their pleasant emails with Epstein, the late intercourse offender he was additionally associates with for 17 years. “I’m sure they’re fine,” Trump mentioned, “otherwise there would’ve ben major headlines.” There have been, in reality, headlines about the revelations that Musk and Lutnick have been nearer to Epstein than they’d beforehand said.
When Collins famous that “a lot of women who are survivors of Epstein are unhappy with” the best way the justice division redacted the docuemnts, together with, “entire witness interviews are totally blacked out”, Trump tried to finish the dialogue by saying: “I think it’s really time for the country to get on to something else, now that nothing came out about me”.
The president then steered that there was “a conspiracy against me”, in reference to a beforehand disclosed e-mail alternate by which the writer Michael Wolff had urged Epstein to “help finish” Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign by coming ahead after the Access Hollywood recording of Trump’s declare that he favored to seize girls by their genitals was revealed. Epstein, nonetheless, did not agree to do this, so there was no conspiracy.
When Trump tried to finish the alternate by repeating, “I think it’s time, now, for the country maybe to get on to something else”, Collins requested: “But what would you say to people who feel they haven’t gotten justice, Mr President?”
“What did you say?” an irritated Trump shot again. He then launched into a private assault on Collins, a former reporter for the conservative Daily Caller who he has repeatedly vented anger at throughout each of his phrases in workplace.
“What would say to people the survivors who feel that they haven’t gotten justice?” Collins requested.
“You know, you are the worst reporter,” Trump mentioned disdainfully. “You know, she’s a young woman,” Trump mentioned the Republican lawmakers arrayed round his desk. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” he mentioned, turning again to Collins. “
“I’ve known you for ten years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” Trump mentioned bitterly.
“Well,” Collins interjected, “I’m asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, Mr President.”
Ignoring her reply, Trump continued his rant: “You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth. And you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”
“These are survivors of a sexual abuser” Collins replied.
Trump then ended the alternate by turning to a different reporter who obliged by altering the topic away from Epstein, the infamous pedophile the future president called “a lot of fun to be with” on the peak of his abuse. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” Trump mentioned of his pal in 2002.
Trump’s aides have been so pleased with the tantrum he threw at Collins on Tuesday that they instantly clipped video of the exchange and posted it on an official White House social media account with a caption suggesting he had “nuked” her.
In 2020, Trump memorably stormed out of a news conference when Collins refused to assist him take the ground away from a fellow reporter Trump had minimize off for asking what he known as “a nasty question”.
Trump repeats declare that federal authorities ought to run elections in some states
Asked by a reporter to clarify his suggestion on Monday, to podcaster-turned-FBI deputy-director-turned-podcaster-again Dan Bongino, that the US ought to “nationalize” elections and have them run by the federal authorities, Trump repeats his false claims that elections in states he misplaced in 2020 have been “crooked”.
“I want to see elections be honest,” Trump mentioned.
“If you think about it, the state is an agent for the federal government” within the conduct of elections for federal workplace, the president claimed, which is an incorrect assertion of the provisions for elections within the US structure, which give states the facility to run their very own elections.
Trump claimed that when there are “rigged crooked elections” the federal authorities ought to have the facility to take management of the counting of votes. He went on to quote what he mentioned have been American cities the place earlier elections have been corrupt, particularly naming Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta, cities with giant numbers of Black voters.
In 2020, Trump misplaced all three of the states these cites are in, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, to Joe Biden, however refused to confess that he had misplaced and as a substitute shared conspiracy theories about the vote counts and pressed native officers to say the outcomes have been fraudulent. In court docket, nonetheless, his attorneys failed to provide any proof to help these claims in dozens of circumstances.
After his 2020 loss, Trump notoriously known as the secretary of state of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, and pressed him to “find 11,780 votes” and declare that they have been fraudulently forged for Biden, to ship the state’s electoral votes to him as a substitute. As president, he had no function within the counting of Georgia’s votes, however he apparently now desires the Republican Congress to vary the regulation to offer him that proper.
“If they can’t count the votes legally,” Trump mentioned, the federal authorities must be ready to step in.
When it was identified to him that this may violate the Constitution, Trump did not tackle the query however moved on to take one other query.
Trump makes use of look to signal authorities funding invoice to air grievances and marketing campaign for Republicans
Donald Trump is presently talking, at size, at a televised ceremony within the Oval Office to signal the spending bundle to finish the partial authorities shutdown, utilizing the chance to boast about what he calls his accomplishments, unveil a brand new crimson marketing campaign hat and invite Republican lawmakers to reward him and tout what they name the insurance policies that ought to ship them success within the midterm elections for the House and Senate they’re in peril of shedding.
The cap has the slogan “America Is Back” on the entrance, the numbers 45 and 47 on the facet, to confer with Trump’s two phrases, as the forty fifth and forty seventh president on the facet.
After Trump signed the invoice, he took questions from the reporters invited to be current.
The funding re-opens the federal authorities and retains the Department of Homeland Security funded for two weeks, to permit Democrats and Trump to barter reforms to how the administration’s immigration crackdown is performed.
The White House press secretary just announced that Donald Trump plans to signal the funding invoice to finish the partial authorities shutdown in a couple of minutes, at 4:30 pm ET.
Here’s a recap of the day up to now
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The House narrowly handed a bundle of 5 annual funding payments, and a stopgap measure to maintain the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) open for two weeks – ending the partial authorities shutdown. By a vote of 217-214, the bundle funds a lot of the federal authorities by 30 September. It features a short-term invoice to fund DHS till 13 February. The payments head to Trump’s desk for his signature, and tee up a bitter negotiation between Democrats and the White House over guardrails for federal immigration enforcement.
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Donald Trump has continued to sow doubt within the election system. While showing on former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino’s podcast on Monday, the president known as on Republicans to “nationalize the voting,” in at the least “15 places”, though he did not make clear which of them. In the interview, Trump repeated baseless claims that undocumented immigrants being “brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally”. Later, the White House deflected and mentioned the president’s feedback have been in reference to the Save Act – a bit of laws which might require folks registering to vote to current proof of citizenship in individual, like a passport or delivery certificates.
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James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, introduced that former president Bill Clinton, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, have agreed to seem for closed-door depositions as a part of the committee’s ongoing investigation into the dealing with of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes. Hillary Clinton will give testimony first, on 26 February, and the previous president will seem for his deposition on 27 February. Their respective testimonies can be transcribed and filmed.
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Tulsi Gabbard, the director of nationwide intelligence, is working her personal evaluate into the 2020 election with Donald Trump’s approval, the Guardian has discovered, working individually from a justice division investigation even as she joined an FBI raid of an election heart in Georgia final week. Her presence on the raid drew criticism from Democrats and former intelligence officers, who questioned why the nation’s prime intelligence officer with no home regulation enforcement powers would seem on the scene of an FBI raid.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has vowed to problem a federal choose’s ruling that blocks the tip of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians within the US. “Supreme Court, here we come,” said assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “This is lawless activism that we will be vindicated on.” Judge Ana Reyes, a Joe Biden appointee, issued a halt on the expiration of this system for greater than 300,000 Haitian immigrants who’re dwelling and dealing with authorization within the US.
Renee Good’s brothers testify on Capitol Hill
On Capitol Hill, Renee Good’s brothers – Luke and Brent Ganger – are testifying earlier than Democratic lawmakers at a listening to to debate the violence and use of pressure by federal immigration brokers all through the nation.
“The completely surreal scenes taking place on the streets of Minneapolis are beyond explanation. This is not just a bad day, or a rough week, or isolated incidents,” Luke Ganger mentioned in his opening remarks. “These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives, including ours, forever. I still don’t know how to explain to my four year old what these agents are doing when we pass by.”
White House deflects Trump’s name to ‘nationalize’ elections, says it’s in reference to Save Act
Speaking to reporters outdoors the White House at this time, press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the president’s feedback on Dan Bongino’s podcast, where he urged Republicans to “nationalize the voting” in 15 states, have been in reference to the Save Act. This is a bit of laws which might require folks registering to vote to current proof of citizenship in individual, like a passport or delivery certificates.
“The president believes in the United States constitution. However, he believes there has obviously been a lot of fraud and irregularities that have taken place in American elections,” Leavitt mentioned, re-upping Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud. “Voter ID is a highly popular and commonsense policy that the president wants to pursue, and he wants to pass legislation to make that happen for all states across the country.”
Speaking to reporters at this time, Walz added that federal officers have but to verify to the governor the identities of the officers who shot and killed Alex Pretti.
“This assault on Minnesota for whatever false reason they want to give, and it continues to change, they don’t care,” Walz mentioned of the Trump administration. “We’re just the test grounds for this and what works here and what doesn’t work here.”
The governor had alternative phrases about the arrival of Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar”, within the Twin Cities. Homan changed the belligerent border official Gregory Bovino in Minnesota following Pretti’s dying.
Walz mentioned the “only reason” Homan was now in cost was as a result of “Donald Trump was watching TV last Saturday, a week ago, saw the horrific aftermath of Alex’s murder, and told them that this doesn’t look good … This is reality TV for him, and he was losing in the ratings.”
‘This known as harm management’: Walz slams Noem as immigration officers issued physique cameras in Minnesota
Minnesota governor Tim Walz slammed homeland safety Kristi Noem at a press convention at this time. When requested about her newest replace, that each one immigration officers deployed can be issued with physique cameras, Walz mentioned Noem is the “absolutely worst choice for any cabinet position”. The governor additionally famous that he’s requested for physique digicam footage of Alex Pretti’s deadly capturing which he’s but to obtain.
“This is called damage control,” Walz mentioned. “I put no stake in what she says at all. But here’s the good thing, every single Minnesotan has a camera. Keep filming. Keep keeping track of this.”
House narrowly passes funding payments to finish partial authorities shutdown
The House narrowly handed a bundle of 5 annual funding payments, and a stopgap measure to maintain the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) open for two weeks – ending the partial authorities shutdown.
By a vote of 217-214, the bundle funds a lot of the federal authorities by 30 September. It features a short-term invoice to fund DHS till 13 February.
The persevering with decision was met with extreme pushback from House Democrats, who say that the Trump administration will not use the window to barter in good religion, and argue any guardrails on federal immigration enforcement (together with using judicial warrants and the necessity for officers to stay identifiable) must be assured now.
House oversight chair units dates for Clintons’ depositions
James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, introduced that former president Bill Clinton, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, have agreed to seem for closed-door depositions as a part of the committee’s ongoing investigation into the dealing with of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes. Hillary Clinton will give testimony first, on 26 February, and the previous president will seem for his deposition on 27 February. Their respective testimonies can be transcribed and filmed.
The Clintons’ concession follows a months lengthy standoff between the pair and Republicans on the oversight committee, which included Comer marking up laws to carry the Clintons in contempt of Congress.
“Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved,” Comer mentioned in an announcement. “We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors.”
On Monday, the Clintons lastly agreed to testify as a part of the House investigation. “They negotiated in good faith. You did not,” Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for the Clintons, replied to Comer, in a submit on social media. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care. But the former president and former secretary of state will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
Man accused of attacking Ilhan Omar seems in federal court docket
The man accused of spraying congresswoman Ilhan Omar with an unidentified substance at a Minneapolis city corridor final week is showing earlier than a federal choose at this time.
The justice division charged Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, on a single rely of “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered” with Omar – against the law that carries as much as a yr in jail.
A Justice of the Peace choose at this time denied Kazmierczak’s request for launch whereas he awaits trial.
In a felony grievance and connected affidavit, signed by an FBI particular agent, a forensic group decided that the substance sprayed at Omar was a mix of “water and apple cider vinegar”. Court paperwork state that Kazmierczak rushed the lectern after Omar known as for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished “for good” and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, Kristi Noem, to resign. “She [Noem] is not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak mentioned after he sprayed the lawmaker, in line with the affadavit.