Trump road tests election lies defence at rally, as his CNN ‘Hitler’ lawsuit fails – news

Donald Trump has already been indicted twice. By the end of the summer, he may be the subject of as many as four criminal cases.

The latest episode in his legal peril appeared to be taking shape on Thursday 27 July, when the ex-president’s legal team met with the prosecution team led by Special Counsel Jack Smith in a last-ditch attempt to convince Mr Smith and his team from seeking another indictment against Mr Trump for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

That same day, the special counsel’s team hit Mr Trump with superseding charges in federal court in Florida. Officials accused the former president and an employee at his Mar-a-Lago club of attempting to destroy security camera footage once Mr Trump learned he was under subpoena in the investigation over his handling of classified documents.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump said prosecutors notified him that he was also a target of Mr Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The former president is understood to be facing the possibility of charges under three federal criminal statutes: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law, and witness tampering.

His former chief of staff Mark Meadows was writing his memoir, The Chief’s Chief, and a writer and publisher for the book had come to meet with the former president.

During the recorded conversation that followed, he boasted about possessing “highly confidential” military documents about Iran as the group laughed at his jokes about his political rivals – in particular Hillary Clinton.

Little did Mr Trump know that leaked audio of this conversation might one day lead to his downfall.

Just over two years later, on 27 July 2023, this conversation landed the former president with one of the latest charges in a mounting criminal case over his handling of classified documents since leaving the White House.

Donald Trump took the stage at the Iowa Republican Dinner to a song that started out with the lyrics, “One could end up going to prison, one just might be president”.

The ironic moment came as the former president’s legal woes are mounting. Mr Trump has already been indicted twice. By the end of the summer, he may be the subject of as many as four criminal cases.

The latest episode in his legal peril appeared to be taking shape on Thursday 27 July, when the ex-president’s legal team met with the prosecution team led by Special Counsel Jack Smith in a last-ditch attempt to convince Mr Smith and his team from seeking another indictment against Mr Trump for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

That same day, the special counsel’s team hit Mr Trump with superseding charges in federal court in Florida. Officials accused the former president and an employee at his Mar-a-Lago club of attempting to destroy security camera footage once Mr Trump learned he was under subpoena in the investigation over his handling of classified documents.

GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd was booed by a crowd after he accused Donald Trump of running for office for a third time in a desperate attempt to avoid prison.

“Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again, Donald Trump is not running to represent the people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,” he told the 1,200-people crowd in Des Moine. “Listen, I know the truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House and America can’t handle that.”

Amid booing from the audience, Mr Hurd went on to wrap up his speech and get off stage. But despite the crowd’s audible reaction as evidence of Mr Trump’s hold on the Republican party, Mr Hurd has since doubled down on his stance.

Mr Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to slam the federal prosecutors investigating him in multiple probes.

“Why did the Radical Left Democrat Prosecutors wait so long to bring these ridiculous cases against me,” he asked. “They could have been brought years ago but no, they waited to bring them in the middle of my campaign for President because that way they could Interfere and disturb my run for the White House. Two more coming, I guess? What they didn’t count on is the fact that the people of America understand these thugs and lowlifes, and my poll numbers have only gone up!”

Former President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday: “In Iowa last night I noticed that a little known, failed former Congressman, Will Hurd, is ridiculously running for President.”

“He quit Congress because it would have been impossible for him to win in his district – he did a really bad job. Anyway, he got SERIOUSLY booed off the stage when he said I was running ‘to stay out of jail.’ Wrong, if I wasn’t running, or running and doing badly (like him & Christie!), with no chance to win, these prosecutions would never have been brought or happened!” he added.