Good morning, and welcome to the Epoch Times News Brief for Wednesday, March 13, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas.
Trump Driver Refuted Jan. 6 Claim From Star Witness
The Secret Service agent driving the SUV with President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, denied claims that the president tried to grab the wheel, according to a U.S. House of Representatives report. The agent testified that he did not witness any attempts by the president to control the vehicle.President Trump “never grabbed the steering wheel,” the agent said, according to a transcript reviewed by The Epoch Times. “I didn’t see him lunge to try to get into the front seat at all.”
The testimony was given to a select committee, but the transcripts were not released. House Republicans have included quotes from the testimony in their own report.
However, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, testified that President Trump did try to grab the steering wheel, based on information from another Secret Service agent. The select committee chose to validate Ms. Hutchinson’s version of events, despite the driver’s testimony contradicting it.
The committee did not release the transcript of the driver’s testimony. The committee’s final report concluded that President Trump wanted to join the violent mob at the Capitol. White House officials also gave testimony, but their transcripts showed no corroboration of Ms. Hutchinson’s claims. The officials did not recall President Trump making comments about hanging Mike Pence or attempting to grab the wheel.
The driver did confirm that President Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, but the White House officials stated they were not aware of any plans for President Trump to go there.
Ms. Hutchinson, who was an assistant to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, changed key details in her testimony in an errata she sent to the select committee. The errata was never released by the committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who is leading the GOP probe, was recently able to review testimony from the driver and others, including four White House officials. Republicans said the testimony “directly contradicts claims made by Cassidy Hutchinson and by the select committee in the final report.”
“The American people deserve the entire truth about what caused the violent breach at the United States Capitol of January 6, 2021,” Mr. Loudermilk said in a statement. He accused the select committee of “political inclinations” and “false narratives,” and said that his objective is “to uncover the facts about January 6, without political bias or spin.”
“My report today is just the beginning,” Mr. Loudermilk said.
Federal Judge Sides With Trump, Allows More Time to File Motions
A federal judge has given President Trump’s defense lawyers a 10-day extension to file motions in the classified documents case.The extension was granted due to his lawyers needing to prepare for a separate criminal trial in New York over state charges of falsifying business records. President Trump’s attorneys argued that they needed more time to prepare for the documents case and for a hearing related to the case in Fort Pierce, Florida.
However, Jay Bratt, a Department of Justice official who handles certain counterintelligence matters and works under special counsel Jack Smith, objected to the request, stating that the defense’s need to travel to Florida was not a valid reason for delay. He added that the filing from President Trump’s attorneys on Monday is a last-minute attempt to delay the case.
A trial date for the Trump documents case has not yet been set, but federal prosecutors suggested July, which the judge appeared to reject.
In addition to the documents case, President Trump is facing other federal charges for mishandling sensitive materials and obstruction, as well as charges in New York City, Washington, and Georgia. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The former president is scheduled to go to trial on March 25 over claims that he falsified business records related to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The judge has allowed two amicus briefs in support of President Trump’s case, including one from former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese.
Mr. Meese’s brief argued that current Attorney General Merrick Garland improperly appointed Mr. Smith to be special counsel in the two cases, arguing that only Congress can appoint such officials.
New York Attorney General Says Trump Should Post Full Bond to Appeal
New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office says the court should require President Trump to post bond covering the full $464 million-plus penalty in his civil fraud case, as well as set an expedited schedule for any appeals.The state argues that the Supreme Court’s thorough decision and the lack of evidence for extraordinary relief make a stay pending appeal unnecessary. The state also argues that allowing President Trump to do otherwise could undermine the state’s ability to enforce judgments in the future and would “severely harm OAG [Office of the Attorney General] and the public interest.”
By state law, appellants must put the full penalty amount into an escrow account or post bond covering that amount in case an appeal fails or is withdrawn.
State attorneys have requested a deadline for appeal briefs, replies, and a hearing.
The defense has argued that the sum of $464 million, which includes backdated interest, was set as disgorgement (repayment for ill-gotten gains) but that no profit was ill-gotten, and that the figures used by the state were arbitrary.
The state argues that the defense has not met the extraordinary bar required for a stay on the judgment. Furthermore, the defense has yet to demonstrate that President Trump’s liquid assets are enough to cover the penalty, potentially forcing the state to expend public resources to execute the judgment. If needed, the state is prepared to ask a judge to seize Trump Organization buildings.
The defense has criticized the lack of named victims in the case, while the state maintains that the Trump Organization defrauded financial organizations and the public.
Representatives from the Zurich insurance group and Deutsche Bank, which courted President Trump’s business, had testified that they reviewed the financial statements and also did their own analyses.
President Trump testified that he paid financial institutions back in full and on time, and even early if a bank holiday was around the corner.
House Republicans Say They’re Investigating Fani Willis Collusion With Jan. 6 Panel
Republicans on a House committee are investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her communications with the House Jan. 6 committee.A report revealed that the Jan. 6 committee had communicated with Ms. Willis before she launched her case against President Trump. The House Administration Committee is now investigating the extent of the coordination between Ms. Willis and the select committee.
The report also revealed that the select committee shared records with Ms. Willis, including claims about President Trump and his advisers in relation to the 2020 Georgia election results.
The Jan. 6 committee, led by Liz Cheney and Jamie Raskin, blamed President Trump for the breach at the U.S. Capitol, but Republicans argue that it was a partisan panel that omitted significant details.
Rep. Jim Jordan accused Ms. Willis of not following grant rules. He had issued a subpoena weeks earlier to Ms. Willis to obtain documents related to a potential misuse of federal funds related to her case against President Trump and more than a dozen other co-defendants.
The district attorney’s office has condemned Republicans’ requests, claiming they are politically motivated.
Ms. Willis is currently facing allegations of an improper relationship and financial benefit from a special prosecutor. A judge will rule this week on her potential removal from the Trump case. The report also challenges official accounts of the Capitol breach and disputes testimony given by a former White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the Jan. 6 panel. Her claims about what happened on Jan. 6 weren’t backed by four other former Trump administration employees, it found.
Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead in Car by Apparent Suicide
John Barnett, a whistleblower involved in a lawsuit against Boeing, has died in what appears to be a suicide. Mr. Barnett, a former Boeing employee, had been critical of the company’s safety and production practices. He was a key witness in a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming that Boeing retaliated against him for reporting defects.Mr. Barnett’s body was found in a vehicle on the day he was scheduled to appear in court. Boeing expressed condolences but did not comment on the allegations.
Mr. Barnett had raised concerns about Boeing’s quality control issues, particularly in the 737 and 787 aircraft programs. He pointed to a door plug blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines flight and suggested that it may reflect broader quality control problems within the company. The incident led to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes and investigations into production safety standards. The Federal Aviation Administration found instances of non-compliance in Boeing’s manufacturing processes.
The whistleblower recounted an experience in 2012 when he claimed to have identified roughly 300 defects at a supplier, Spirit Aerosystems, only to discover later that inspectors sent after him were given limited time and were lauded for finding fewer issues. That raised questions about the integrity of Boeing’s quality control procedures, according to Mr. Barnett.
Mr. Barnett’s death has increased scrutiny on Boeing by federal authorities.
Finally, as we wrap up today’s episode of the Epoch Times News Brief, it was on this day in 1901 that Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, passed away. Harrison signed into law the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, the first legislation to curtail combinations of power that interfere with trade and reduce economic competition. It outlaws both formal cartels and attempts to monopolize any part of commerce in the United States.
John Tate, an American mathematician, was born on this day in 1925. He won multiple awards in recognition of his outstanding work in the field of mathematics.
