Trump news: President says North Korea sanctions will remain as he backtracks on Wikileaks scandal
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US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin has failed to release Donald Trump's tax returns in time to meet a deadline demanded by House Democrats as the president continues to insist, incorrectly, that he cannot do so himself because his affairs remain “under audit”.
“The legal implications of this request could affect protections for all Americans against politically-motivated disclosures of personal tax information, regardless of which party is in power,” Mr Mnuchin wrote in a letter to House Ways and Means committee chairman Richard Neal.
He said the Department of Treasury respects lawmakers’ oversight duties and would make sure taxpayer protections would be “scrupulously observed, consistent with my statutory responsibilities” as the department reviews the request.
Mr Neal said in a statement that he “will consult with counsel and determine the appropriate response to the commissioner in the coming days.” Under the law, the IRS commissioner is required to provide access to any taxpayer’s returns when directed by the chairmen of the House or Senate tax-writing committees.
Mnuchin said Neal’s request raised important questions of “constitutional scope of congressional investigative authority, the legitimacy of the asserted legislative purpose, and the constitutional rights of American citizens.”
Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet
Show all 20He quoted Capitol Hill Republicans in calling the request “Nixonian” and warned that it could set a precedent for disclosing personal tax information for political purposes.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr Trump weighed in, telling reporters that he won’t agree to release his returns while he is under audit.
The president said, “I would love to give them, but I’m not going to do it while I’m under audit.” The IRS says there’s no rule against subjects of an audit from publicly releasing their tax filings.
Neal asked the IRS last Wednesday to turn over six years of the president’s tax returns within a week. Mr Trump has broken with decades of presidential precedent by not voluntarily releasing his returns to the public.
The president has meanwhile called for an inquiry into the “attempted coup” against him, attacked the EU over Brexit on Twitter and marvelled at the sheer size of Texas on a trip to San Antonio.
Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
The arrest of WikiLeaks hacker Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London this morning was carried out, in part, "on behalf of United States authorities" with a view to his extradition, according to a Met Police spokesman.
Political pressure to act against Assange has increased since Donald Trump's election, although ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone, for one, is alleged to have had dealings with the whistleblowing website.
Speculation in the US has already begun.
Here's our home affairs correspondent, Lizzie Dearden.
Senior Republicans are warning Trump off nominating Kris Kobach, former Kansas secretary of state, to be his new "border czar".
"I wouldn’t be able to support him,” Texas senator John Cornyn said. “I think his rhetoric on immigration is very damaging to Republicans and would not help us solve what is a very complex problem, which is going to require some negotiation and compromise."
There are also doubts the hard-right Kobach would secure enough support to pass his nomination hearing in the Senate.
If you're unfamiliar with the man, here's Sarah Harvard on one of his many bright ideas.
A little more insight into chaos within the Department of Homeland Security as under secretary Claire Grady joins Kirstjen Nielsen in heading for the door.
Texas Republican congressman Tony Tinderholt has tabled a bill that would criminalise abortions and make it possible for women to receive the death penalty for having one.
The Abolition of Abortion in Texas Act, which would criminalise both women who have abortions and doctors who carry them out, stipulates that state and local government officials should enforce the bill "regardless of any contrary federal law, executive order, or court decision".
It would allow no exceptions, even in cases of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk.
Maya Oppenheim has more on a measure indicative of the mounting pressure to roll back reproductive rights under Donald Trump's leadership.
MSNBC host Chuck Todd has accused attorney-general William Barr of "gaslighting the country" with his remark before the Senate on Wednesday stating his belief the Trump campaign was spied on in 2016.
"The country’s chief law enforcement officer went in front of Congress and gave credence to a factless conspiracy theory," Todd said on Meet the Press Daily.
"Using the word 'spying' plays into the president’s language that the Russia investigation to him is just a witch hunt. Every time they’ve brought up this allegation, there has been zero factual basis for it," he continued.
"Every effort to perpetuate the spying conspiracy theory has been debunked."
"It doesn’t matter what the truth is, does it? I mean, I hate to say this now, but that’s the whole point. It feels like that basically the attorney-general gaslit the country."
The New York Post's frontpage this morning in response to Ilhan Omar.
Presented without comment.
It’s another high-profile day of White House visits and Congressional hearings.
The Senate Committee on Armed Services is examining proposals to establish a US Space Force, as subcommittees meet on Capitol Hill to pour over 2020 budgets.
Meanwhile, the president and first lady will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife at the White House at noon, before the two leaders participate in an expanded bilateral working lunch.
Donald Trump will also greet World War II veterans later this afternoon.
As MSNBC’s Mika Brzensiski pointed out on live television, Donald Trump’s new poll number claims do not reflect reality.
“There’s a problem — it’s totally inaccurate,” the morning news show host said Thursday. “It’s false.”
She’s right. The president does not have 55 per cent approval. His approval instead stands at 43 per cent — according to the very poll he’s citing.
Democrats are expressing concerns following Attorney General William Barr’s public testimonies this week over his handling of the Mueller report.
“When Barr opens his mouth, Trump's words come popping out,” said Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono on CNN this morning. “So I'm sure that made Trump very happy ... I found it astounding that the Attorney General would use a highly charged word like 'spying' — astounding, but, you know, he sounded like the president to me."
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