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Trump ‘beyond angry’ with impeachment defense team’s showing: sources
Former President Trump was "furious" and "beyond angry" over his defense team’s showing on day one of his second impeachment trial despite his ultimate acquittal being almost certain, two sources told Fox News late Tuesday.
The sources, who spent time with Trump, said he was particularly incensed with the effort thus far by his attorney Bruce Castor. Trump believes Castor gave a rambling opening argument, they said. Castor’s 45-minute opening remarks were widely panned on social media after he praised the House impeachment managers for a job "well done."
"The American people just spoke and they just changed administrations," Castor said at one point. He said the public was smart enough to "pick a new administration if they don’t like the old one, and they just did."
Trump watched the proceedings from his quarters in Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla. The AP, citing an unnamed source, said Trump was impressed with the opening video presentation from Democrats. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- Trump impeachment trial's six most interesting first-day moments
- Senate votes Trump impeachment trial is constitutional
- Trump's impeachment trial: Everything you need to know
- Six GOP senators vote that Trump impeachment trial is constitutional and can proceed
- Why Trump lawyer David Schoen covered his head with every sip of water
- SEN. TED CRUZ: Should the Senate exercise jurisdiction over Trump's impeachment trial? Why the answer matters
Biden AG pick Merrick Garland to face Senate panel hearings next week
Confirmation hearings have been scheduled for Feb. 22 and 23 for Merrick Garland, President Biden’s nominee to be U.S. attorney general, according to reports.
Garland will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in hopes of winning confirmation to the Cabinet post, which is the leadership position of the U.S. Justice Department.
The schedule makes a confirmation vote on Garland’s nomination likely for March 1, Politico reported, noting that Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, had agreed to the schedule.
In January, a spokesman for Grassley told Fox News that Garland's hearing would include questions about the current federal investigation into Hunter Biden, the president's son, who has confirmed that his "tax affairs" are under government scrutiny. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Graham blasts Durbin over Garland hearing request before impeachment
- Merrick Garland: What to know about Biden's attorney general nominee
- AG nominee Merrick Garland to face questions over Hunter Biden probe in hearings
- HANS VON SPAKOVSKY: Can Biden AG nominee Merrick Garland run Justice Department without political bias?
Biden outmaneuvered by Germany's Merkel, Trump's ex-intel chief says
President Biden’s government has been outmaneuvered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on critical security fronts, Richard Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence for the Trump administration, told Fox News.
"You have to give it to Chancellor Merkel: She outmaneuvered Joe Biden in just three weeks. Merkel made it clear she would not take sides between communist China and capitalist America, reversed the 10,000-U.S. troop withdrawal that Trump previously announced and got the Biden administration to stop enforcing Nord Stream 2 sanctions," Grenell said.
Last week, Biden froze the plan to withdraw American troops from Germany. In December, Congress passed legislation — the National Defense Authorization Act — that contains sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream 2 project.
The Nord Stream 2 deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime will transfer Russian gas to Germany via a pipeline running under the Baltic Sea. Critics say the project will ensure that Germany becomes dependent for its energy needs on Russia — a major adversary of the U.S. and Europe. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Germany cautious to end latest COVID-19 lockdown due to risk of more contagious variant
- German panel doesn't recommend AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for over-65s
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Mark Cuban confirms NBA's Dallas Mavericks are no longer playing national anthem at home games
- FLASHBACK: Obama defense chief says Biden as VP was wrong on nearly every big foreign policy issue
- Ingraham: 'Sanctimonious snitches' turning Americans against each other in age of COVID, Biden
- At least 36 people may have developed a rare blood disorder after covid vaccination: report
- California shooting victim ID’d as Navy sailor from Louisiana: reports
- Psaki says schools with in-person classes 'one day a week' count as reopened
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#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Donald Trump Jr. said Tuesday night that "if it wasn’t for double standards, the Democrats would have no standards at all." The son of former President Donald Trump shared his views on Fox News' "Hannity" following the first day of the Senate impeachment trial on Capitol Hill.
"During your monologue," Trump Jr. told host Sean Hannity, "you highlighted all the hypocrisy we saw during 10 months of rioting, looting, arson. Candidly, the type of in-your-face politics, whatever my father said on Jan. 6, was mild in comparison. But if you were to take his speech and compare it to any stump speech ever given in the history of politics, you would see absolutely no deviation."
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