Donald Trump has denied the indictment of former FBI director James Comey is part of a campaign of retribution against his political opponents.<\/p>\n
The US president told reporters on Friday: \u201cIt\u2019s about justice, it\u2019s not about revenge. He didn\u2019t think he\u2019d be caught, and he got caught,\u201d Trump said, referring to the former FBI director he fired in 2017. \u201cHe lied. He lied a lot,\u201d the president claimed.<\/p>\n
Trump also said he hoped \u201cthere will be others\u201d who were prosecuted.<\/p>\n
Comey, a former Republican appointed to lead the bureau by Barack Obama and kept on by Trump until he fired him in 2017, was indicted on Thursday<\/a> on charges related to allegedly lying to Congress five years ago during a hearing on the FBI\u2019s investigation into Russia\u2019s meddling in the 2016 US election.<\/p>\n \u2018Dangerous abuse of power\u2019: lawmakers sound alarm over Comey indictment<\/p>\n The indictment is the latest sign that the president is making good on his promise \u201cto turn our justice system into a weapon for punishing and silencing his critics\u201d, said Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee.<\/p>\n Democratic senator Adam Schiff, a former federal prosecutor who played a lead role in Trump\u2019s first impeachment, said on X<\/a> he had \u201cnever witnessed such a blatant abuse\u201d of the justice department, calling it \u201clittle more than an arm of the president\u2019s retribution campaign\u201d.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Musk among names in latest Epstein cache released<\/p>\n Democratic lawmakers on Friday released documents from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> that may show interactions between the disgraced financier and prominent conservatives including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon and Peter Thiel.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Ice officer \u2018relieved of duties\u2019 after manhandling woman <\/p>\n A federal officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has been \u201crelieved of his duties\u201d after a video showing him pushing a woman to the floor at an immigration court in New York City spread quickly on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, sent a statement to the Guardian saying the officer\u2019s actions were \u201cunacceptable and beneath the men and women of Ice\u201d. \u201cThis officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Immigrants without criminal records now largest group in Ice detention<\/p>\n Immigrants who have no criminal record are now the largest group<\/a> in US immigration detention, according to data released by the government. The number of people with no criminal history arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and detained by the Trump administration has now surpassed the number of those charged with crimes.<\/p>\n According to the official data, 16,523 people in immigration detention with no criminal record were arrested by Ice, compared to 15,725 who do have a criminal record and 13,767 with pending criminal charges.<\/p>\n Separately, the superintendent of Iowa\u2019s largest school district<\/a> was detained by Ice agents on Friday, prompting shock among fellow educators.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n US refuses to support UN health declaration on noncommunicable diseases<\/p>\n A new vision for tackling the global noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) crisis has failed to reach consensus at the UN after the US refused to give its support<\/a>, forcing member states to a vote.<\/p>\n After months of negotiations, the fourth political declaration on NCDs and mental health received overwhelming backing from governments at the UN general assembly on Thursday, but was rejected by the US during a speech by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Republican lawmaker makes post calling for execution of Democratic congresswoman<\/p>\n An Arizona<\/a> Republican state representative who has expressed support for January 6<\/a> insurrectionists called on Wednesday for a Democratic congresswoman to be executed, as a response to a video clip.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Abu Dhabi royal family to take stake in TikTok US under Trump deal<\/p>\n The Abu Dhabi royal family is to take a stake in TikTok\u2019s US business after Donald Trump signed an executive order<\/a> brokering a deal valuing the social media company at $14bn. MGX, a fund chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will take a 15% stake and gain a board seat when TikTok<\/a> US is spun out.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Trump jokingly asked Rolex executives if tariffs prompted US Open invite, CEO says<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/a> asked Rolex executives if he would have been invited to watch this month\u2019s US Open final from the luxury watchmaker\u2019s VIP box had he imposed steep tariffs on Swiss exports weeks earlier.<\/p>\n The US president\u2019s remarks were made \u201cin jest\u201d, stressed Jean-Frederic Dufour, the Rolex CEO, in a letter to Elizabeth Warren<\/a>, the US senator who had raised questions about the decision to invite Trump \u2013 including whether the conglomerate was seeking to \u201ccurry favor\u201d with the administration.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n What else happened today:<\/p>\n