Trump releases a 12-page rant against Jan 6 hearings – follow live

William Barr’s testimony was absolutely devastating for Trump. Indeed, it was some of the most damning testimony for Trump I’ve ever heard in any of the many Trump corruption hearings I’ve covered over the last five years, and that’s saying something — especially considering it came from one of Trump’s formerly biggest sycophants.

Users of Truth Social — former President Donald Trump‘s ostensibly free speech-oriented social media platform — are claiming that they’ve been banned for posting about the Capitol riot committee hearings.

One of those users, political commentator Travis Allen, posted a screenshot of his Truth Social page to Twitter, showing that he had been “permanently suspended” after discussing the January 6 committee on the platform.

While a second hearing from a House committee investigating the events leading up to and surrounding the Capitol riots was underway, the Fox Corporation aired a live debate on its Fox Nation platform between Senators Lindsey Graham and Bernie Sanders, who sparred over healthcare, the economy, gun reform and Donald Trump’s legacy.

The debate – which aired after the right-wing media network faced widespread criticism for rejecting live coverage of the committee’s first bombshell hearing – largely covered well-worn territory for both men, with Vermont’s Independent senator warning against growing wealth inequality and the North Carolina Republican arguing that progressive tax policies would have disastrous economic fallout.

Donald Trump lashed out at the “pitiful” 6 January Capitol riot investigation on Monday, after the congressional committee held a day of scathing testimony accusing the former president of lying to supporters and losing touch with reality as he tried to overturn the 2020 election.

In the statement, Mr Trump ambiguously teased about returning for the 2024 presidential run.

“This is merely an attempt to stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the Presidency,” Mr Trump wrote, before blaming Democrats for inflation and high gas prices.

“The Democrats know that I would correct all of this, and they are doing everything in their power to stop me – but we can’t be stopped,” he continued. “We have to Save America.”

Read the details in this report by Josh Marcus:

One big bonus of nepotism is ensuring that you’re surrounded with unthinking, uncritical loyalists. So Donald Trump must be especially miffed that his own family has been nervously but definitively sliding the knife between his shoulder blades during the ongoing January 6 Congressional hearings.

Former president Donald Trump on Monday issued a 12-page statement accusing the Democrats of using the hearing to distract the country from domestic issues including inflation and gas prices.

“Our nation is SUFFERING. Our economy is in the gutter. Inflation is rampant. Gas prices have reached an all-time high. Ships are unable to unload cargo. Families cannot get needed baby formula. We are an embarrassment around the world.”

He also reiterated his previously disproven claim of electoral fraud as he called it a “sham investigation” by the “Unselect Committee”.

Issuing a rebuttal on the second day of House panel investigation, he said the committee is “making a mockery of justice” as they “have refused to allow their political opponents to participate in this process and have excluded all exculpatory witnesses, and anyone who so easily points out the flaws in their story.”

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign raised $250 million from supporters by telling them the money would be used to fight voter fraud, but the campaign knew those claims of fraud were bogus and instead diverted the money to his own political organisation, the House committee investigating the January 6 attacked claimed on Monday.

Mr Trump’s campaign sent millions of fundraising emails to supporters encouraging them to donate to help fight voter fraud between election day and January 6, the committee said.

David Axelrod, who once served as an adviser to former President Barack Obama, said Joe Biden‘s age will be a “major issue” for him if he seeks a second term in 2024.

“The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue,”Mr Axelrod told the New York Times.

Mr Axelrod was one of 50 Democrat officials interviewed by the Times over their “frustrations” about Mr Biden.

Former Attorney General William Barr laughed out loud during testimony played before the 6 January insurrection hearings on Monday at the mentioned of 2000 Mules, a debunked election conspiracy documentary embraced by his former boss Donald Trump.

“My opinion then and my opinion now is that the election was not stolen by fraud,” Mr Barr said. “And I haven’t seen anything since the election that changes my mind on that, including the 2000 Mules movie.”

The former New York Mayor and Mr Trump’s personal lawyer blasted the committee as Ms Cheney was delivering her opening statement during Monday’s hearing.