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Rumors swirled in the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election that former President Donald Trump wanted to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray, with whom he openly feuded about the origins of the investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with the Russian government.
But after losing the 2020 election, Trump decided against firing Wray -- and according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, his restraint in this case was driven by self-interest.
<p>"Trump made clear to aides a week after the election he wouldn't fire Wray, in part because he was afraid a new FBI director would be more incentivized against him," <a href="https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1352272204692656128" target="_blank">Haberman writes on Twitter</a>.</p><p>Haberman also says that President Joe Biden decided to keep Wray in part because firing him would have created blowback, especially because Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is currently under investigation for potential tax fraud.</p><p>Trump's 2017 firing of former FBI Director James Comey was what led then-deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to hire Robert Mueller as a special counsel to investigate both the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian agents and whether the firing of Comey was an effort to obstruct that investigation.</p>
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On Thursday, Popular Info reported that Tate Bennett, a controversial adviser to former President Donald Trump, was hired by Forbes Tate, a top D.C. lobbying firm — but the hire was kept as quiet as possible.
"Bennett came to Forbes Tate from the White House, where she had served as a Special Assistant to former President Trump since April," wrote Judd Legum. "While at the White House, she was in charge of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which was plagued by inefficiency and mismanagement. Before that, Bennett had a controversial tenure at the EPA which resulted in three United States Senators accusing her of unethical conduct and demanding an Inspector General Investigation."
<p>As Legum noted, the hire was not advertised, an unusualy move.</p><p>"Normally, when the firm makes an important new hire, it lets the world know. When Forbes Tate hired Trevor Hanger as a Senior Vice President earlier this month, it was promoted on the Forbes Tate Twitter account, in a press release, and in Politico. When Jerri Ann Henry and Rich Lopez were hired as Senior Vice Presidents in October, they received the same treatment," said the report. "But there was no mention of [Bennett's] hire on Twitter, no press release, and no coverage in Politico. Instead, she was quietly added to a list of employees on the firm website."</p><p>As Legum noted, Forbes Tate may have hired Bennett — who also worked as an aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — with the expectation that Republicans would retain control of the Senate, and that they would need someone close to Republican leadership.</p>
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New evidence details the shocking violence inflicted on Capitol police during the pro-Trump riot
January 21, 2021
As prosecutors move forward with their cases against the Capitol rioters, new evidence is emerging regarding the police officers who were attacked by the mob that day, CNN reports.
"Officers were beaten with whatever the rioters had with them, according to court documents, including an American flag and a fire extinguisher," writes CNN's Marshall Cohen.
<p>While dozens of participants in the storming of the Capitol have been slapped with a wide array of charges, the most serious charges are being leveled at those who were involved in attacks against police. According to Cohen, hundreds of pages of newly unsealed court documents tell a horrifying story -- one example being a Texas man who told fellow rioters, "If you have a weapon, you need to get your weapon," as he entered the Capitol. </p><p>Another is <a href="https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-2649942449/" target="_blank">55-year-old Robert Sanford</a>, who threw a fire extinguisher at a group of police officers, striking three the head, including one who was later sent to the hospital for medical evaluation. According to Sanford's lawyer, he got "caught up in the mob mentality."</p><p>Some rioters came to the Capitol armed with bear spray and other weapons.</p><p>Court records show that Mark Leffingwell of Seattle got into a literal fistfight with police. </p><p>"Leffingwell attempted to push past me and other officers," US Capitol Police Officer Daniel Amendola wrote in a sworn affidavit. "When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist."</p><p>Read the full report over at <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/politics/capitol-rioters-attacking-police/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p>
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