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Donald Trump Jr. defends sharing whistleblower's alleged identity

Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. defended publicly sharing the Ukraine whistleblower's alleged identity on ABC's "The View" Thursday, and he said Joe Biden "doesn't know what state he's in" when a host commented on how President Trump views Biden as a leading 2020 competitor.

Why it matters: The president has said the whistleblower's identity "must" be determined after details of the complaint have been examined in an impeachment inquiry. House impeachment committee members have accused Trump of withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government to investigate the Bidens.

On the whistleblower:
  • Trump Jr. defended himself against criticism for tweeting the whistleblower's alleged identity, which has been promoted among some media outlets, saying he has no control over whether an outlet decides to put the whistleblower's name in an article headline.
On who should run against President Trump in 2020:
  • Trump Jr: "It doesn't matter that much to me. ... I do spend a lot of time in middle America, I spend a lot of time there and honestly, people are happy."
  • Joy Behar prodded Trump Jr. on how the president views Biden as a 2020 competitor, saying Trump "seems to be petrified of Joe Biden." Trump Jr. retorted by saying "Joe Biden doesn't know what state he's in 50% of the time."

Go deeper:

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Health: Most vulnerable Americans aren't getting enough vaccine information — Fauci says Trump administration's lack of facts on COVID "very likely" cost lives.
  2. Education: Schools face an uphill battle to reopen during the pandemic.
  3. Vaccine: Florida requiring proof of residency to get vaccine — CDC extends interval between vaccine doses for exceptional cases.
  4. World: Hong Kong puts tens of thousands on lockdown as cases surge — Pfizer to supply 40 million vaccine doses to lower-income countries — Brazil begins distributing AstraZeneca vaccine.
  5. Sports: 2021 Tokyo Olympics hang in the balance.
  6. 🎧 Podcast: Carbon Health's CEO on unsticking the vaccine bottleneck.
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Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

DOJ: Capitol rioter threatened to "assassinate" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Supporters of former President Trump storm the U.S. Captiol on Jan. 6. Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A Texas man who has been charged with storming the U.S. Capitol in the deadly Jan. 6 siege posted death threats against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Department of Justice said.

The big picture: Garret Miller faces five charges in connection to the riot by supporters of former President Trump, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and making threats. According to court documents, Miller posted violent threats online the day of the siege, including tweeting “Assassinate AOC.”

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Schumer calls for IG probe into alleged plan by Trump, DOJ lawyer to oust acting AG

Jeffrey Clark speaks next to Deputy US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen at a news conference in October. Photo: Yuri Gripas/AFP via Getty Images.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Saturday called for the Justice Department inspector general to investigate an alleged plan by former President Trump and a DOJ lawyer to remove the acting attorney general and replace him with someone more willing to investigate unfounded claims of election fraud.

Driving the news: The New York Times first reported Friday that the lawyer, Jeffrey Clark, allegedly devised "ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Mr. Trump’s continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Mr. [Jeffrey] Rosen had refused the president’s entreaties to carry out those plans, Mr. Trump was about to decide whether to fire Mr. Rosen and replace him with Mr. Clark."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow