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Trump agrees to FBI interview about assassination attempt so agents can 'get his perspective'

3 months ago 20

By Dailymail.Com Political Reporters

Published: 13:03 BST, 29 July 2024 | Updated: 19:46 BST, 29 July 2024

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Donald Trump has agreed to a formal victim interview with the FBI about the assassination attempt on him earlier this month.

It comes as bombshell text messages between counter-snipers suggest they were aware of gunman Thomas Crooks' presence 90 minutes before he opened fire.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris is narrowing her running mate choices with 99 days to go until the presidential election.

And Joe Biden, 81, has called for an overhaul of the Supreme Court including term limits.

Follow DailyMail.com's U.S. politics live blog for all the developments  

Trump agrees to be interviewed by FBI about assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into the assassination attempt on him earlier this month.

The expected interview with the 2024 Republican presidential nominee is part of the FBI's standard protocol to speak with victims during the course of their criminal investigations.

The FBI said on Friday that Trump was struck by a bullet or a fragment of one during the July 13 assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, said:

We want to get his perspective on what he observed. It is a standard victim interview like we would do for any other victim of crime, under any other circumstances.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Lawmakers on Trump assassination attempt task force unveiled

The House unanimously voted last week to establish a bipartisan task force to take a fine-tooth comb to the occurrences that led to the near-assassination of Donald Trump earlier this month.

The below lawmakers were appointed by Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries to investigate Trump's near-assassination.

Republicans:

  • Mike Kelly (Pa.)
  • Mark Green (Tenn.)
  • David Joyce (Ohio)
  • Laurel Lee (Fla.)
  • Michael Waltz (Fla.)
  • Clay Higgins (La.)
  • Pat Fallon (Texas)

Democrats:

  • Jason Crow (Colo.)
  • Lou Correa (Calif.)
  • Madeleine Dean (Pa.)
  • Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.)
  • Glenn Ivey (Md.)
  • Jared Moskowitz (Fla.)

Barron Trump's friends lift the lid on his high school years

Biden stops to tell reporters the Supreme Court ‘needs to be reformed’

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden speaks toward reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 29, 2024. Biden is heading to Texas to deliver remarks commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

After revealing his new Supreme Court reform plan in a printed op-ed, President Joe Biden made a brief case for it to the press.

Biden stopped and briefly answered a shouted question while boarding Marine One at the White House en route to Texas.

Asked how the high court would be reformed, he gave a circular response: ‘Reform the Supreme Court because it needs to be reformed.’ He plans to speak at length later Monday at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin.

The brief comment came after he called for a binding code of conduct, got behind 18-year term limits for justices who currently get lifetime appointments, and called for a constitutional amendment to ‘make clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office.’

Republicans skewer Biden's Supreme Court plan as 'dangerous' and 'unconstitutional'

Republicans are skewering President Joe Biden's plan to fundamentally reshape the Supreme Court, calling the attempt an unconstitutional and dangerous gambit to force progressive policies.

The president called for sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court, including term limits, a binding code of conduct for its nine justices and a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity in an op-ed for the Washington Post.

But Republicans are calling that move a 'radical' and 'dangerous gambit' that will never pass through Congress because it is 'unconstitutional.'

'Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are trying to destroy the independence of the Supreme Court because they can't control it,' Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, an attorney, exclusively told DailyMail.com.

Approval ratings for one candidate see a huge boost as presidential race heats up

Vice President Kamala Harris has seen her favorability rating shoot up after President Joe Biden ended his presidential campaign and she became the presumptive presidential nominee.

According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, Harris' favorability rating among Americans hit 43 percent in late July. It's a sharp increase from its 35 percent before Biden exited the race.

Her unfavorable rating was 42 percent, down from 46 percent before Biden dropped out.

It comes as the campaign season has seen a jolt of enthusiasm with the stake-up at the top of the ticket as Democrats have rallied behind the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Kari Lake takes her son Leo, 19, to buy a shotgun for dove season: 'We've decided it's time for him to have one to call his own'

Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake kept up a family tradition by buying her 19-year-old son a 12-gauge shotgun – after gifting his older sister a handgun this spring.

Lake, a gun enthusiast who has urged supporters to 'strap on a Glock' for 2024, purchased the firearm for her son Leo in time for dove season, which begins in September in her hotly-contested state.

'It warms this mama's heart that my son has taken a liking to the sport of hunting. He's a great shot with Jeff's shotgun, but we've decided it's time for him to have one to call his own,' she told DailyMail.com, referencing her husband Jeff Halperin.

'As a United States Senator, I will do everything in my power to preserve and protect our sacred 2nd Amendment so that every American, Leo included, can not only enjoy a day in the field hunting, but can also protect themselves against anyone that might threaten their safety,' she added.

J.D. Vance doubles down on 'childless cat lady' comments AGAIN as he is grilled on Fox News about the Republicans who don't have kids

GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance pushed back on critics of his 'childless cat lady' comments claiming those putting him on blast lied about what he said.

The 39-year-old Ohio senator appeared on the Fox News show 'Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy' where he doubled down on what he meant.

'If you look at what the left has done, they have radically taken this out of context and, in fact, aggressively lied about what I’ve said,' Vance claimed.

Harris barely pulls ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania

Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are essentially neck-and-neck in a new poll among key swing state voters in Pennsylvania.

A Commonwealth Foundation poll taken in the days after President Joe Biden ended his campaign last weekend has Harris one point ahead of the former president – 47 percent to 46 percent.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is on the short list for Harris' VP candidate, are campaigning in Philadelphia on Monday.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz join Shapiro as the favorites in the eyes of the Harris campaign to join her ticket, Bloomberg reported.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Pool)

Gov. Whitmer shares a timeline for Kamala Harris picking a running mate

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks to the attendees before signing a state spending plan for 2025, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., July 24, 2024.   REUTERS/Rebecca cook

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who serves as co-chair of the Harris campaign, shed more light on the timeline in which Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to pick a running mate.

'Everything's truncated, and she's going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days,' Harris said. 'I imagine we'll know who her running mate is.'

It comes as the Democratic National Convention is coming up later next month, but Democrats have a August 7 deadline to nominate their candidates to make sure they get on the ballot in every state.

Whitmer said she is not part of the vetting at all and is committed to being governor of Michigan through the end of her term at the end of 2026.

She said she can be the best ally on the ground in Michigan as co-chair of the Harris campaign.

But she also said she does not believe Harris' running mate needs to be a white man. She pointed out that most leaders in her state are women despite it being suggested there were too many women on the ticket before they all won.

'We've proved that wrong in the swingyest of swing states,' she said.

U.S. has 'serious concerns' about results of Venezuela's election

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he has 'serious concerns' about the outcome of Venezuela's election after both candidates declared victory.

Blinken said on Monday:

We have serious concerns that the results announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people... the international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly

Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the presidential race on Sunday - but the opposition and key regional neighbors immediately rejected the results and accused the longtime incumbent of election fraud.

Maduro - who warned citizens there would be a 'bloodbath' were he to lose - secured re-election with 51.2 percent of votes, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 44.2 percent, the electoral council announced.

The 61-year-old addressed supporters at the presidential palace minutes after the announcement, declaring: 'I can say, before the people of Venezuela and the world, I am Nicolas Maduro Moros, the re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

'There will be peace, stability and justice. Peace and respect for the law.'

But Venezuela's opposition coalition insisted it had garnered 70 percent of the vote, rejecting the figures from Maduro's loyalist electoral authority.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves also denounced the official result as 'fraudulent,' while Chile's president described it as 'hard to believe.'

Kamala Harris' 'religious bigotry' issue against Catholics

Roman Catholics are reviving their grievances against Vice President Kamala Harris after Democrats rallied to her support to replace Catholic President Joe Biden as the 2024 presidential nominee.

'Kamala Harris hates what we believe,' CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement this week, recalling her 2018 attacks against a Catholic judge.

At the time, Harris leveled several written questions to Brian Buescher, a nominee for the judgeship for the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, questioning his membership in the Knights of Columbus, a popular parish Catholic fraternal charity group with over two million members.

Buescher replied patiently that his membership in his parish group would not affect his rulings

That was a step too far for most Catholics, who described Harris' questions as posing an unconstitutional 'religious test' to serve a position in the legislative branch of government.

At this time, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska reacted sharply by introducing a Senate resolution that specifically said that disqualifying a nominee to the courts on the basis of membership in the Knights of Columbus violated the Constitution. The resolution passed unanimously.

But Catholics did not forget.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rips VP Kamala Harris as 'vapid, leftist San Francisco Democrat'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed Vice President Kamala Harris as a 'vapid leftist' in a post responding to her glowing publicity.

Responding to a New Yorker magazine cover featuring Kamala Harris sitting atop a coconut with Democratic party stalwarts dancing around, the Florida governor ridiculed the pro-Harris caricature as corporate media gaslighting.

'Is it possible to completely manufacture a cultural phenomenon by taking a vapid, leftist San Francisco Democrat and turning her into something that she’s not through nonstop gaslighting?' DeSantis posted.

'Corporate media is certainly trying to make “fetch” happen…'

Kamala Harris backs Biden call for Supreme Court overhaul

Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris says she backs President Biden's call for Supreme Court reforms.

Harris released a statement Monday morning after the president announced his three-step proposal:

In the course of our Nation’s history, trust in the Supreme Court of the United States has been critical to achieving equal justice under law. President Biden and I strongly believe that the American people must have confidence in the Supreme Court. Yet today, there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court as its fairness has been called into question after numerous ethics scandals and decision after decision overturning long-standing precedent.
That is why President Biden and I are calling on Congress to pass important reforms – from imposing term limits for Justices’ active service, to requiring Justices to comply with binding ethics rules just like every other federal judge. And finally, in our democracy, no one should be above the law. So we must also ensure that no former President has immunity for crimes committed while in the White House.

Harris said the reforms would help restore confidence in the Supreme Court, strengthen Democracy and ensure that no one is above the law.

Democratic Senator John Fetterman tests positive for COVID

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) announced on Sunday that he tested positive for COVID.

The Democratic senator said he was experiencing 'minor symptoms'.

'After a busy week in D.C., I’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and am experiencing mild symptoms,' he wrote on X.

'I’m grateful to be fully vaccinated and will be working from home, following the appropriate CDC guidance.'

The Senate is in its last week of votes before the August recess.

Kamala Harris narrows her VP shortlist to three contenders

Kamala Harris has narrowed her search for a running mate to a list of three top Democrats, reports suggest.

The vice president has two weeks to pick who will join her on the ticket and has been frantically vetting candidates to take on Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in November.

She has considered a wide range of elected members of the Democratic Party, but now is believed to have zeroed in on a trio of the most popular figures in the country.

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are currently the favorites in the eyes of the campaign, Bloomberg reported.

Shapiro and Kelly are said to be the candidates Republicans most fear going into the general election.

They are both from swing states that will be critical in determining the outcome of the election.

Google sparks frightening new election conspiracy as key feature omits Trump

Google's Autocomplete function provides no further results about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, leading conservatives to accuse the web giant of election tampering.

Now, those who enter the terms 'the assassination attempt of' into the system, the attempt on the life of Donald Trump just two weeks ago doesn't show up via Autocomplete.

Roger Marshall, a Republican Senator from Kansas, announced Sunday night that he's launching an Congressional inquiry into the company.

The news also reached Donald Trump Jr. who issued a blistering statement on X regarding the omission.

Trump countersnipers' chilling text messages before assassination attempt reveal how gunman was one step ahead of Secret Service and local law enforcement

A series of bombshell text messages from countersnipers who were supposed to protect Donald Trump at the Pennsylvania rally where an assassin's bullet nearly killed the president showed them a step behind the gunman.

A massive inquiry has started in the wake of the attempt, which Trump miraculously survived, with the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle coming soon after the July 13 shooting.

When one of the three countersnipers was about to call off at the end of their shift at around 4:26pm, they noticed a man who they later confirmed to be Crooks sitting on a picnic table.

'Guys I am out. Be safe,' he wrote. 'Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know. I'm just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there,' he wrote.

Biden announces huge three-step Supreme Court overhaul - including a constitutional amendment targeting Trump

President Joe Biden has called for sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court, including term limits, a binding code of conduct for its nine justices and a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity.

Biden, citing 'recent ethics scandals' involving justices and high court rulings that 'overturned long-established legal precedents protecting fundamental rights', has called on Congress to pass three major reforms in a bid to 'restore trust and accountability' in America's democratic institutions.

The White House on Monday detailed the contours of Biden's court proposal, noting how the Democrat believes 'no one - neither the President nor the Supreme Court - is above the law'.

The President will officially propose the changes today during a speech in Austin, Texas, however his proposals appears to have little chance of being approved by a deeply-divided Congress with just 99 days to go before Election Day.

Regardless, Democrats hope Biden's proposal will help to focus voters as they consider their choices in the tight presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has sought to frame her race against Republican former President Donald Trump as 'a choice between freedom and chaos'.

Key Updates

  • Kamala Harris' 'religious bigotry' issue against Catholics

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rips VP Kamala Harris as 'vapid, leftist San Francisco Democrat'

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