Ad trolls Trump over January 6 committee developments
Donald Trump has seen another defeat in his effort to stymie the 6 January Select Committee’s investigation into the causes and events of the Capitol riot. The Supreme Court has rejected a request from the former president to review the panel’s demand that his records be handed over. He has now several times been defeated in his claims that papers from his time in the White House are covered by “executive privilege” and should not be released to the investigation.
Meanwhile, with Vladimir Putin taking his most concrete steps yet towards a full-on invasion of Ukraine, many Republicans are seeking to blame the crisis on Joe Biden, arguing that Russia did not invade any countries while Donald Trump was president – despite the fact that Mr Trump repeatedly sided with Mr Putin over the US’s military and intelligence agencies, disdained Nato, and attempted to extort the Ukrainian government into investigating the Biden family.
Mr Trump broke his silence on the Russia-Ukraine crisis on Tuesday morning through a tweet posted by his spokesperson.
Voices: TRUTH Social. It’s just as embarrassing as you’re imagining
Last week, Parler announced that Melania Trump has entered into ‘a special arrangement for her social media communications’ and will exclusively use their app. That’s right: even Donald Trump’s own wife doesn’t trust his TRUTH, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan.
Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 18:30
Former Trump ambassador blames Biden and Obama for Ukraine crises
Richard Grenell, Donald Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, is just one conservative figure who has blamed the Ukraine crisis on the Biden and Obama administrations.
“Helsinki” has since been trending on Twitter as a reminder of the infamous 2018 meeting between presidents Trump and Putin.
It is still not known what was discussed and in the press conference following the meeting, Mr Trump sided with Mr Putin over his own intelligence agencies.
Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 18:00
Trump insists Ukraine crisis would not have happened while he was president
Former president Donald Trump broke his silence about the crisis in Ukraine to slam the Biden administration, saying it would not have happened during his administration since he knows Russian President Vladimir Putin well.
Eric Garcia reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 17:06
Lindsey Graham echoes Trump criticism
Lindsey Graham had some choice words for Joe Biden as the Ukraine crisis escalates – though his diagnosis of the president “playing footsie” with the Russian leader rather glosses over the flaws in Donald Trump’s approach to US-Russia relations.
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 16:45
Trump finally speaks out on Ukraine crisis – and blames Biden administration
Donald Trump’s office has issued a statement in which the former president touts his closeness with Vladimir Putin and insists that the current crisis unfolding in Ukraine would not have happened under his administration. Read the text below:
If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all. I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump Administration what he is doing now, no way! Russia has become very very rich during the Biden Administration, with oil prices doubling and soon to be tripling and quadrupling. The weak sanctions are insignificant relative to taking over a country and a massive piece of strategically located land. Now it has begun, oil prices are going higher and higher, and Putin is not only getting what he always wanted, but getting, because of the oil and gas surge, richer and richer. The U.S. was energy independent under the Trump Administration, an independence that we had never obtained before, and oil prices would have remained low. Now, what a mess our Country is in!
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 16:22
Truckers headed for Washington in “freedom convoy” protest
The Canadian truckers’ protest against Covid-19 protection measures has become a cause celebre on the American right, and it was only a matter of time before a copycat protest would spring up on US soil. Now, a “people’s convoy” is apparently planning to drive from Southern California to Washington, DC, with an arrival date sometime in the first week of March.
As Alex Woodward writes, the list of issues the protesters take issue with is growing, and it is unclear what if anything they plan to do when they reach their destination.
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 16:08
‘Let’s have fun!’ Trump trails CPAC appearance
In a video emailed to his supporters with the subject line “This is official correspondence from the Office of the 45th President of the United States”, Donald Trump tees up the CPAC conference in Florida – claiming he asked the organisers to get “a bigger ballroom” because of the size of last year’s crowd.
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 15:40
Supreme Court deals Trump another blow on Jan 6
The US Supreme Court has spurned Donald Trump’s latest attempt to keep the 6 January select committee from accessing records from his time in the White House. The president has tried various tactics to block the panel’s requests, mainly claiming that his files fall under “executive privilege”, but has so far failed across the board.
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 15:10
Republican Senator puts out his own party platform
Rick Scott, who chairs the Republican Party’s Senate campaign arm, has produced his own statement of aims for a GOP-controlled Senate – something the party itself has so far declined to do. And its contents have already met a dismayed reception…
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 14:50
Look back: Trump’s infamous phonecall to Volodymyr Zelensky
As the Ukraine crisis escalates, it’s worth looking back on how the Trump administration dealt with an American ally that now faces a military attack by a belligerent former superpower and American rival.
It was in 2019 that Donald Trump called then-new Ukrainian president and asked him to investigate Hunter Biden’s dealings in his country – in a conversation that later saw Mr Trump impeached by the House of Representatives and put on trial in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it.”
“Whatever you can do, it’s very important that you do it if that’s possible.”
“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great… It sounds horrible to me.”
– Donald Trump to Volodymyr Zelensky
Read The Independent’s analysis from the time below.
Andrew Naughtie22 February 2022 14:11