Trump news – latest: Jan. 6 texts ‘wiped’ from Pentagon officials’ phones, court documents reveal

Donald Trump reiterated his claim that he wanted 10,000 troops on Capitol Hill on January 6, but the request was rejected by Nancy Pelosi and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

He wrote on Truth Social:

The Unselect Committee of Political Thugs has not spent a single hour on the massive election fraud and irregularities that occurred in the 2020 presidential election, the reason hundreds of thousands of people marched on Washington on January 6th. When will they start? The Unselects also refuse to look into why crazy Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of DC rejected 10-20,000 troops. Why is that, I wonder?

But testimony at the Jan. 6 hearings denies that order ever took place.

CNN reports that the Defense Department wiped the phones of top officials leaving at the end of the Trump administration, erasing any texts from key witnesses to events surrounding the Capitol uprising, according to court records.

The admission that Pentagon officials’ phones had been wiped was first revealed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the US Watchdog against the Defense Department and the military. The oversight group is seeking records on Jan. 6, 2021, from former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, former Chief of Staff Kash Patel and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, among other prominent Pentagon officials — having filed initial FOIA requests just days after the attack on the Capitol.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg with the latest:

Former President Donald Trump couldn’t resist taking a swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her trip to Taiwan.

He wrote on Truth Social: “Why is Nancy Pelosi crazy in Taiwan. It always causes trouble. Nothing he does turns out well (Two failed referrals, losing House, etc.). I’M WATCHING!”

Former President Donald Trump has slammed Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers after Mr. Bowers repeatedly criticized the former president.

The former president criticized Mr. Bowers on the social media platform Truth Social this week and called on Republican voters to vote for him in the GOP primary.

The former president marked today’s primary by calling on the electorate to vote for “Impeachment Slime” Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse and Peter Meijer.

Posted on Truth Social:

Knock out Impeachment Slime Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, Peter Meijer, TODAY. The rest, including now-disgraced RINO Liz Cheney, are either gone, or soon to be. Five have already resigned because they were too far behind. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Morning Joe Host Joe Scarborough has slammed Donald Trump for his “disgusting” comments about jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner.

“We’ve got Donald Trump calling Brittney Griner ‘spoiled’ and Donald Trump talking about her being ‘full of drugs.’ There was no testimony, no evidence, no indication that she was, quote, “loaded with drugs,” Mr. Scarborough said during MSNBC’s Monday morning broadcast.

“It shows once again what a horrible guy he is, what a despicable person. How hard it is. And you can’t help but wonder if she’s saying that because she’s a black basketball player,” the former congressman added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the highest-level trip by a US official in 25 years, has sparked a diplomatic crisis between the US and China.

Beijing warned the United States it was “playing with fire” if it allowed the speaker’s visit to take place, and even Joe Biden had warned against it.

So why is Ms. Pelosi’s trip so controversial? reports Richard Hall.

Michigan, Kansas, Arizona and Missouri will hold primaries on Tuesday night. As usual, former President Donald Trump has endorsed several Republican primaries, hoping to expand his influence in the GOP as he promotes candidates who will spread his lies for the 2020 presidential election.

He may also be getting some help from Democrats in Michigan as they hope to elevate an election denialist to win over a Republican lawmaker who voted to impeach Mr. Trump. Meanwhile, Kansas will be the first test of abortion rights in a post-Roe v. Wade world.

Here’s what to watch in tonight’s primary.

When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s US Air Force jet landed at Taiwan’s Taipei Songshan Airport, she became the highest-ranking US official to visit the island since Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Andrew Feinberg explains the importance of this high-level visit and why the president is not making the trip.

Last week, Senate Republicans took a beating from the press, the public and veteran activists after 25 Republicans reversed their previous vote for the PACT Act. The act would provide care for US veterans who had been exposed to toxic exposure from burns.

Veterans also saw a boost in publicity for their fight thanks to Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, who spoke out against GOP Senators who opposed the legislation. But now, possibly sensing that public opinion is not on their side, Republican senators have a new line of complaint: Democrats started it.