Trump news today: Trump valet pleads not guilty as unredacted affidavit shows what led to Mar-a-Lago search

Pam Hemphill, who received a two-month sentence in federal prison for her involvement in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, says she was “brainwashed”.

In an interview with CNN, the 70-year-old said she was a part of “the Trump cult”.

Earlier, Ms Hemphill, the self-proclaimed citizen journalist said that “You don’t see it as a cult when you’re in it.” She told the Daily Beast. “You don’t recognise it.”

Chris Christie said that former president Donald Trump retained classified documents after leaving the White House because he wanted to keep feeling like a president.

In an interview with CNN, Mr Christie stated that the former president’s actions as being driven purely by ego.

He said Mr Trump yearned to sustain the facade of being president. “Look at what I still possess, look at what I still know,” he said, referring to Mr Trump’s retention of classified documents.

“I think he could not and still cannot to this day deal with the fact that he’s the only person outside the state of Delaware to ever lose to Joe Biden, and he wants to pretend he’s still president.

“He wanted to continue to pretend he was president and show these things to people and say, ‘Look what I still have, look what I still know,’” Mr Christie added.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been mocked for saying the quiet part out loud about taxing the rich, during a campaign stop.

“I don’t really buy into the rich need to pay their fair share,” he told an audience of potential Republican primary voters.

Mr Pence appeared alongside Iowa Republican Representative Randy Feenstra at the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday when he was asked by an attendee about billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos avoiding taxes while ordinary people are “stuck footing the bill”.

A federal judge yesterday ruled that Donald Trump can be subjected to a deposition in the lawsuit filed by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok against the Justice Department.

Mr Strzok alleges that his termination following the Russia investigation was a result of the former president’s personal vendetta against him.

Additionally, the ex-FBI agent claims that the Justice Department unlawfully disclosed text messages he exchanged with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who is also pursuing legal action.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson approved the request to depose Mr Trump, considering the deposition’s limited scope and the former President’s apparent availability for other ongoing civil litigation, as indicated by his schedule.

Mr Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The team led by special counsel Jack Smith has indicated their ongoing attention on an eventful meeting that occurred in the Oval Office during the closing days of the Trump administration, it was reported.

According to CNN, investigators have questioned multiple witnesses — both in front of the grand jury and during interviews about the bizarre Oval Office meeting.

The investigation has been ongoing for several months, the report said.

Some witnesses have been asked about the meeting earlier, while others, including Rudy Giuliani, have faced inquiries more recently, it was reported.

So maybe not the running mate she hopes to be?

Nearly a month after former president Donald Trump was arraigned on the 38-count federal indictment that he and his longtime aide Walt Nauta are facing for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstructing justice, the ex-president’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to charges of having assisted Mr Trump in concealing classified documents from the government.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Does it matter if a piece of evidence, or an anecdote, or a sworn statement in a legal fight that makes it to the US Supreme Court turns out to be fake?

What if someone’s identity and statements they never made were involved without their knowledge, by attorneys who now accuse them of lying?

Alex Woodward explains what is happening.

Florida Governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has doubled down on an ad widely blasted as homophobic.

The ad slammed his main rival for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, for his past comments in support of the LGBT+ community.

Mr DeSantis said on Wednesday that Mr Trump’s comments were “totally fair game” amidst accusations of homophobia from Republicans and Democrats.