Trump posts scathing late-night Truth Social video attacking four criminal probes as indictment looms

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View online March 21, 2023 1/ Trump posts scathing late-night Truth Social video attacking four criminal probes as indictment looms Donald Trump posted a video on Truth Social on Monday night attacking the four criminal investigations into his actions – as a possible indictment over the hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels looms.   In the scathing late-night video – where the former president looking exceptionally tanned stood against a backdrop of the US flag – he took aim at what he claimed to be the "most disgusting witchhunt in the history of our country".   "These four horrible radical left Democrat investigations of your all time, favourite president – me – is just a continuation of the most disgusting witchhunts in the history of our country," he fumed.   "It's an absolute disgrace. Whether it's the Mar-a-Lago raid, the unselect-Committee hoax, the perfect Georgia phone call that was absolutely perfect, or the Stormy 'horseface' Daniels extortion plot... They're all sick and it's fake news."   Mr Trump vowed to "defeat" the investigations and claimed that he was "standing in the way" of political "enemies" for his supporters. 2/ Manhattan civil courthouse shut down by bomb threat as Trump indictment looms The threat did not mention former president by name but comes the same day Trump predicted his arrest 3/ Gwyneth Paltrow faces court showdown over 'hysterical King Kong' ski crash A retired optometrist claims he was skiing with friends when he heard 'hysterical screaming like … King Kong in the jungle or something'. Gustaf Kilander reports 4/ Huge earthquake hits Afghanistan as tremors felt in India and Pakistan A huge earthquake of 6.8 hit Afghanistan on Tuesday, with tremors felt as far as Pakistan and India 5/ Lawyers and rights groups calls for greater scrutiny of DeSantis's Guantanamo record The calls come as a former detainee at the camp, Mansoor Adayfi, claimed in an interview with The Independent that Mr DeSantis witnessed his force-feeding, a practice he described as torture The Big Question Did Covid-19 originate from a 'lab leak'? In late February, The Wall Street Journal published a shocking report. Investigators at the US Energy Department had concluded with "low confidence" that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China.   The finding seemed to fly in the face of measured assurances from scientists and government officials who insisted the disease, like all other pandemics before it, originated when an animal virus crossed over into humans sometime in the fall of 2019 in China. The conclusion, in a space of days, seemed to validate claims from Republican politicos and China hawks alike, which had previously been dismissed as conspiracy theories and over-heated partisan attacks.   The FBI has also concluded, with "moderate confidence," that a Covid lab leak was the most likely origin, while the National Intelligence Council and four other top government agencies retain a "low confidence" assessment that the disease began zoonotically. So, has the world of Covid knowledge really been flipped upside down? Not quite, according to coronavirus experts. Read the full story > £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more SUBSCRIBE NOW Watch/ Gwyneth Paltrow appears in court over 2016 Utah ski collision NUMBER OF THE DAY 150m – The number of American users the Chinese social video app TikTok is now believed to have, as the US considers a ban in response to allegations that it poses a national security threat. QUOTE OF THE DAY "Going through what I've gone through, I try to stay positive. You know, try to have a positive outlook on what's happened and where my future's heading." – Abigail Zwerner, a Virginia school teacher who was shot and seriously wounded by a six-year-old student who had brought a gun to class, speaks out about her often painful recovery process. We noticed that you might not be registered By registering, you will enjoy limited access to Independent Premium articles, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists REGISTER FOR FREE Other stories you might like 'Oh good lord': Fox News hosts stunned as Trump launches lewd attack on DeSantis over indictment What do the Los Angeles school strikers want? Rudy Giuliani mocked over bizarre Cameo clip recounting nursery rhyme Articles available exclusively to subscribers Jeff Stein - What is the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine? Other newsletters you might like The Race Report Fortnightly, 6pm (UK time) Written by Nadine White Sign up Morning Headlines Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by the UK team Sign up If you can spare a minute we'd love your feedback on our newsletters. 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