Saturday, November 16, 2024

The Latest: Senate panel drops Manafort subpoena

July 26, 2017 by  
Filed under Choosing Lingerie

Comments Off

WASHINGTON — The Latest on probes into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible ties to the Trump campaign (all times local):

6:45 p.m.

A person familiar with negotiations between the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort says the panel has dropped a subpoena that sought to compel his public testimony this week.

The person says Manafort won’t testify during a public hearing Wednesday after he and the committee reached an agreement to continue negotiating the terms of his cooperation. The person demanded anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.

The top Republican and Democrat on the committee have said they want to question Manafort about a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. The meeting was described in emails to President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., as a Russian government effort to aid the Trump campaign.

__Contributed by AP writer Chad Day.

___

1:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser has finished meeting with lawmakers on the House intelligence committee.

The panel that heard from Jared Kushner for about three hours Tuesday is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and possible involvement of Trump associates.

Kushner had a similar interview with staff on the Senate intelligence panel Monday.

Kushner faces questions about his involvement in a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. The meeting was billed in emails to Donald Trump Jr. as a Russian government attempt to help Trump’s campaign.

Kushner said Monday that he did not collude with Russians. He also said he was unaware of anyone in the campaign who did.

___

12:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman has told Senate investigators about his recollection of a Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer last year.

That’s according to two people familiar with the Senate intelligence committee investigation. The people who demanded anonymity to discuss Tuesday’s closed-door interview say that Paul Manafort’s interview with committee staff was limited to the topic of the June 2016 meeting.

One of the people says that Manafort also turned over his contemporaneous notes documenting the meeting. That gathering was described to Donald Trump Jr. in emails as part of a Russian government effort to aid the Trump campaign.

The other person says that Manafort has agreed to additional interviews with the Senate intelligence committee staff.

—Chad Day and Mary Clare Jalonick

__

11:15 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman has met with Senate investigators probing Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

A spokesman for Paul Manafort says the longtime political operative and Trump associate met Tuesday morning with bipartisan staff of the Senate intelligence committee, which is looking into any possible collusion between Russia and Trump associates. Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni says Manafort “answered their questions fully.”

Manafort has been facing questions about his participation in a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower. The meeting was described to Donald Trump Jr. as part of a Russian government effort to aid the Trump campaign.

Manafort led the Trump campaign for several months before being forced to resign in August 2016.

___

10:05 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law is talking with a House committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and possible involvement of Trump associates.

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner arrived on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with the House intelligence committee a day after talking with a Senate committee.

Kushner faces questions about his involvement in a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. The meeting was billed in emails to Donald Trump Jr. as a Russian government attempt to help Trump’s campaign.

Kushner said Monday that he did not collude with Russians. He also said he was unaware of anyone in the campaign who did.

__

9:55 a.m.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has issued a subpoena to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort seeking his testimony at a public hearing on Wednesday.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein made the announcement Tuesday. The two senators said they were unable to reach an agreement with Manafort for a voluntary transcribed interview with the committee.

The two said that late Monday night they issued a subpoena to compel Manafort’s participation in Wednesday’s hearing.

The committee wanted Manafort to testify on enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and Russia’s attempts to influence U.S. elections.

__

8:50 a.m.

A Senate panel won’t require a co-founder of the research firm behind a dossier of allegations about President Donald Trump to appear at a congressional hearing this week. Instead, the man will be questioned in private.

That’s according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had issued a subpoena for Glenn Simpson to appear at Wednesday’s hearing. Simpson’s firm, Fusion GPS, hired a British intelligence officer who compiled a dossier of allegations involving Trump and his ties to Russia.

Simpson had already indicated he would not testify at the hearing, which is focusing on the registration of foreign lobbyists. Under the terms of an agreement, Simpson will no longer be required to appear. He’ll instead be questioned privately.

__

8:25 a.m.

President Donald Trump says Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior White House adviser, “did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians.” Trump also mocked the investigation, suggesting Congress might want to talk to his 11-year-old son next.

Kushner spoke privately Monday with Senate intelligence committee investigators examining ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government. U.S. intelligence agencies say Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump.

Kushner later told reporters “I did not collude with Russia,” and that he didn’t know anyone in the campaign who did.

Trump also maintains there was no collusion with Russia.

In a tweet Tuesday, he again referred to the multiple Russia investigations as a “Witch Hunt.”

Trump says: “Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump!”

__

3:41 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner is returning to Capitol Hill for a second day of private meetings with congressional investigators probing Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Kushner is slated to have a closed-door meeting with lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

On Monday, he answered questions from staff on the Senate’s intelligence panel. He acknowledged four meetings with Russians during and after Trump’s victorious White House bid. But Kushner insisted that he did not collude with Russia and that “all of my actions were proper.”

Kushner is a quiet insider who generally avoids the spotlight. He is the first top Trump lieutenant to be quizzed by the congressional investigators probing Russia’s interference in the election.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS

Warrant: Woman “slapped” squad car before police shooting

July 25, 2017 by  
Filed under Choosing Lingerie

Comments Off

MINNEAPOLIS — A woman approached the back of a Minneapolis police car and “slapped” it shortly before an Australian woman was shot and killed by an officer, according to a search warrant filed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The search warrant obtained by Minnesota Public Radio doesn’t specifically say that the woman was Justine Damond, but: “Upon police arrival, a female ‘slaps’ the back of the patrol squad … After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley.”

News of the warrant came hours after personnel records for the officer who fatally shot Damond were publicly released Monday. The records provided some detail about the training courses the officer took but no insight into his performance on the job.

The records show Officer Mohamed Noor was hired as a cadet in March 2015. In September of that year, he received a letter saying he passed his Peace Officer Licensing Examination and was eligible to become a licensed, sworn officer.

The records also show Noor took multiple training courses, including recent in-service training about active shooter situations during the Super Bowl, which will be held in Minneapolis next year. His file also says he passed all of his annual semi-automatic, handgun and shotgun qualifications, but there are no additional details about how he performed.

Noor is on paid leave after he killed Damond, a 40-year-old spiritual teacher who was engaged to be married, on July 15 after she called 911 twice to report a possible rape.

Noor, who was in the passenger seat of a squad car, shot across his partner in the driver’s seat and hit Damond. His partner told authorities that he was startled by a loud noise shortly before Damond appeared at the police vehicle.

The search warrant did not say whether the slap was the loud noise Noor’s partner described, MPR reported.

State authorities are investigating potential criminal charges. Noor also faces an internal use of force investigation.

Noor was one of several Somali-Americans hired by the department in recent years as part of the city’s public effort to diversify so it better reflects the city.

Questions about police training were raised after details about the shooting were released. Last week, then-police Chief Janee Harteau criticized Noor’s actions but defended his training, saying: “This officer completed that training very well. He was very suited to be on the street.”

Harteau resigned Friday at the request of the mayor.

Minnesota is the only state that requires police officers to have at least a two-year degree, though many departments prefer four-year degrees. People who want to be officers either learn law enforcement degrees, or, if they have four-year degrees in other subjects like Noor, they can complete a certificate program.

Noor got a degree in economics and business administration before applying to become a police officer.

The records released Monday don’t list any awards or commendations for Noor. Records previously released show he had three complaints against him, including one that was dismissed with no discipline and two that are pending.

The records also show that Noor got a raise in September and is earning more than $28 an hour.

___

Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti .

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS