More evidence collected by US prosecutors in the federal election subversion case against former US president Donald Trump was made public on Friday.
The hundreds of pages, many of which were blanked out and marked “sealed”, include material referenced in a sweeping court filing by special counsel Jack Smith made public earlier this month that argued that Mr Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in this year's election, is not immune from the remaining allegations in the case.
The unsealed filings also included excerpts from interviews conducted by the official congressional probe into the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.
Witness names were blacked out, but some could be identified by matching them up with other known events. For instance, former attorney general William Barr describes being summoned to the White House after an interview in which he said the election had not been marred by large-scale fraud, and that he was expecting to be fired.
A few days after that interview, Mr Trump announced on social media that Mr Barr had stepped down.
Mr Smith’s court filing contained few details that had not already been made public, but provided a detailed account of Mr Trump’s alleged efforts to hold on to power following his election loss, including descriptions of his conversations with family members and aides.
A compilation of the evidence was submitted as an attachment to Mr Smith’s filing, but its public release was delayed to give the former president time to raise objections.
Much of the evidence, including reports of witness interviews, transcripts of grand jury testimony and records obtained through search warrants, has been redacted in the public release.
Mr Trump’s lawyers argued that none of the material should be released ahead of the November 5 election, suggesting the move would be seen as “election interference”, and successfully delayed its publication by a week.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan said that while there is “undoubtedly a public interest in courts not inserting themselves into elections”, withholding the documents could also be construed as election interference.
“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute – or appear to be – election interference,” she said.
“The court will therefore continue to keep political considerations out of its decision-making, rather than incorporating them as Defendant requests.”
Mr Trump's defence team ultimately chose not to appeal Ms Chutkan’s decision to release redacted versions of the documents.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges accusing him of a multipart conspiracy to obstruct the process to collect and certify the results of his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
The case has been slowed by a US Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity for official actions taken while in office. It will not go to trial before the election, when Mr Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr Trump has argued the entire case should be thrown out based on the Supreme Court's decision. Should Mr Trump win in November, experts believe he will order the US Department of Justice to drop the case.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
