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As it happenedended1550616224

Trump 'asked Whitaker to put prosecutor of his choosing in charge of Cohen probe'

The White House has also launched a major campaign to end criminalisation of homosexuality

Chris Riotta
New York
,Clark Mindock
Tuesday 19 February 2019 22:43 GMT
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Former White House ethics chief, Richard Painter: Donald Trump is 'mentally unwell'

Donald Trump’s White House faced another day of turmoil as a new Congressional report alleged senior administration officials attempted to share information on nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia.

The House Oversight Committee announced a new investigation into the accusations, in which whistle blowers within the president’s administration described “abnormal acts” between the White House and the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump continued to lash out against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe after the official confirmed he launched a counterintelligence investigation into the president.

Mr McCabe was fired last year after the Justice Department’s inspector general concluded that he had misled officials about his role in a news media disclosure. He has denied the allegations, described his firing as politically motivated and, in a series of interviews this week, has said he plans to sue the Justice Department over it.

Mr McCabe also said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that the FBI had good reason to open a counterintelligence investigation into whether Mr Trump was in league with Russia, and therefore a possible national security threat, following the May 2017 firing of then-FBI Director James Comey.

The controversies continued erupting throughout the day when an explosive New York Times report alleged the president asked his then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to put a prosecutor of his choosing in charge of an investigation into his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Mr Trump’s turmoil arrived a day after protests erupted across the country on President’s Day in opposition to his national emergency declaration.

“Trump is the national emergency!” chanted a group of hundreds lined up Monday at the White House fence while Trump was out of town in Florida. Some held up large letters spelling out “stop power grab.” In downtown Fort Worth, Texas, a small group carried signs with messages including “no wall! #FakeTrumpEmergency.”

At least 16 states have sued the president over the declaration.

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Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has confirmed for the first time in an interview with Savannah Guthrie that the agency opened a counterintelligence investigation into Donald Trump. 

“No one objected,” the former FBI official said. “Not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts.”

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 14:20
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Here's video of Bernie Sanders announcing his 2020 presidential campaign. The question now is whether the progressive lifelong Independent senator can re-capture the hearts of the Democratic Party's left-wing voters in a crowded pool of popular lawmakers. 

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 14:35
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It's interesting to note the level of typos the American public sees on a daily basis shared by the president of the United States. 

Whereas past presidential statements often went through careful and meticulous editing processes, Donald Trump often appears to be tweeting off the cuff while watching Fox News. Below is a screenshot of the tweets he shared earlier this morning that were quickly deleted due to the excessive typos:

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 14:47
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The Supreme Court has issued an order in the case surrounding a mystery Grand Jury in the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election led by Robert Mueller:

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 15:00
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Buckle up: As Michael Cohen prepares to deliver a major testimony, his attorney Lanny Davis has said the president’s former attorney will provide “chilling” revelations to the House Oversight and Reform Committee. 

"He needs to tell his personal story to the American people," Mr Davis said. "And when he does, you're going to hear personal, front-line experiences of memories, and incidents, and conduct, and comments that Donald Trump said over that 10-year time period behind closed doors that, to me when I first heard Michael tell me all this, even as much as I knew about Trump that was negative, was chilling."

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 15:15
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At least two of the federal lawsuits challenging Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration will go to a Washington judge appointed under the president: 

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 15:30
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Democratic lawmaker and possible 2020 candidate Eric Swalwell is calling on Americans to get “loud” in their support form a major common sense gun reform bill that could reach the president’s desk if backed by the Republican Senate.

“Next week the House will vote to pass background checks on ALL gun purchases,” he said on Tuesday. “Then it goes to the Senate, where we will really need you to be loud, to get it to @realDonaldTrump’s desk. You ready to say #EnoughIsEnough? Let’s do this. #HR8.”

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 15:45
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Here’s video of the moment in which former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe confirms for the first time he opened a counterintelligence investigation into Donald Trump. 

“No one objected,” the former FBI official said. “Not on legal grounds, not on Constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts."

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 16:00
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Donald Trump has posted a message about former a FBI director's wife, Jill McCabe. 

The president's denies calling Andrew McCabe's wife a "loser". 

Lucy Anna Gray19 February 2019 16:15
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As news about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' statement on New York Times v. Sullivan, it's important to note Donald Trump ran his 2016 presidential campaign with a vow that he would look into changing the nation's libel laws. It appears the president has at least one potential supporter of this notion on the country's highest court.

Chris Riotta19 February 2019 16:15

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