Roger Stone claims Steve Bannon blackmailed Trump to get pardon
A new report from Rolling Stone says that while Donald Trump is seriously considering running for president in 2024, one of his main motives for doing so might be to seek the protection of presidential immunity in the face of multiple intensifying legal investigations that could result in criminal charges.
The report comes as Mr Trump’s ally Steve Bannon faces the start of his trial on criminal contempt of Congress. The former president’s longtime lieutenant and hardcore right-wing agitator refused to comply with the House select committee’s subpoena, and his various last-ditch efforts to head off or delay the trial have failed.
On another front, the January 6 committee is expected to receive the deleted text messages and audios by Secret Service by tomorrow.
“We expect to get them by this Tuesday,” representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, said. “We need all the texts from the 5th and the 6th of January.”
The committee’s next hearing is set to focus on Mr Trump’s inaction during the attack on the Capitol. It will be held in prime time on Thursday.
