Trump news – live: Ex-president faces fierce GOP backlash after endorsing TV’s Dr Oz in

Liz Cheney usually doesn’t have to worry about fending off rivals in her ultra-safe Wyoming seat, but this year’s Republican primary is different. Having voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role instigating the Capitol riot and then joined the 6 January select committee, she has been expelled from the GOP’s House leadership and seen her primary challenger endorsed by party leaders.

However, Politico today reports that the intense effort to get rid of her has raised her nearly $3m just the first three months of this year, bringing her total horde of campaign cash to $6.8m – this in a state where a few hundred thousand dollars a quarter is usually ample.

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Retiring GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger has stepped up to defend his 6 January committee colleague Liz Cheney against a strange attack from on-off Trump ally Chris Christie, who said on ABC News yesterday that Ms Cheney “wanted to be kicked out” of the Republican House leadership.

“Remember, the first time that she made the statements she made she was reelected to her leadership position,” the ex-governor said. “It’s only when she continued after that, that looked like somebody who wanted to make a point and wanted to be kicked out.”

In response, Mr Kinzinger took a shot at Mr Chistie’s own integrity.

Amid the various characteristically grandiose and wide-of-the-mark claims Donald Trump made at his weekend rally was one about his own character.

“‘You know, you’ve been investigated years and years, millions and millions of pages of documents, they found nothing’,” Mr Trump said, supposedly quoting private remarks from a friend. “‘You are the cleanest on Earth when you think about it.’”

He continued: “I think I’m the most honest human being, perhaps, that God ever created.” Amid laughter and cheers from his supporters, he added: “Perhaps.”

The prospect of Dr Mehmet Oz becoming a US senator is a major worry for his many longtime critics, who have tried for years to raise the alarm about the sometimes off-base medical advice he has been giving viewers.

As Julie Charnet wrote when he announced his campaign, his intentions are one thing, but his judgments are something else:

Mr Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair after he was injured in a car crash, spoke to a crowd in Selma before Mr Trump’s address on Saturday evening. The freshman Republican, who is the youngest member of Congress elected, was speaking to the crowd about the upcoming midterm election.

“My friends, this country can change very quickly and it may seem impossible, people tell me it’s impossible,” he said before he wheeled up to the lectern and, with the help of two aides, propped himself up on metal braces.
Read full report

Government ethics experts say they are stunned after the US State Department said records are missing of the gifts Donald Trump received while he was president.

Nathan Place has details:

Some of former President Donald Trump’s loudest allies on Twitter are in open revolt after the ex-president made his endorsement in the Pennsylvania US Senate race this weekend.

In a statement released on Saturday evening as he attended a campaign-style rally in North Carolina, the 45th president made his second attempt at kingmaking in the Republican Senate primary, following his previous endorsement and retraction of support for Sean Parnell.

Read John Bowden’s report

GOP strategist Susan Del Percio says the sparse crowd in Donald Trump’s Selma rally shows a “very shrinking base” and that his supporters are done with him.

“That’s what you saw there,” she told MSNBC’s Cori Coffin one day after Mr Trump addressed the crowd in Selma, North Carolina.

“Those crowds are getting smaller and people aren’t buying into it, mostly because Republicans want to move on. They don’t want to talk about the Big Lie,” she said. “The people of this country don’t want to hear about it anymore.”

According to a report only about 1,000 to 2,000 people attended the event, in comparison to the rally of 15,000 at the same venue in 2016 for Mr Trump’s address.

“They’re done with Donald Trump and his lies, except for a small group that we see there,” she said.

A Canadian steel magnate is set to pay a “record-breaking” fine levied by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) after being found liable for steering nearly $2m in donations to a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump and candidates aligned with his agenda.

The FEC announced the decision last week in response to a claim against the businessman filed by the Campaign Legal Centre in 2019. The original complaint was based on reporting initially published in The New York Times.

Barry Zekelman of Zekelman Industries “participated in Wheatland Tube’s decision-making process to contribute to [America First Action],” the FEC’s decision stated.