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Special counsel John Durham concluded that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, according to a report compiled over three years by the Trump-administration appointee and released on Monday.

Clinton expressed sympathy for investigators, calling the questions, "really sad," adding, "I get it, you have to go down every rabbit hole."

A former aide to former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani says he told her the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents. The bombshell allegation was levied in a complaint filed against Mr Giuliani by Noelle Dunphy, a New York-based public relations professional who is suing him for “unlawful abuses of power, wide-ranging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct” committed while she worked for him in 2019 and 2020. The lawsuit also claims that she was subjected to sexual assault, harassment, wage theft and other misconduct by Mr Giuliani, and alleges that she was forced to perform sex acts on him and work in the nude. Ms Duphy’s lawsuit details an interaction she allegedly had with Mr Giuliani on or about 16 February 2019, when he was serving as Mr Trump’s personal attorney and attempting to dig up overseas dirt on then-former vice president Joe Biden, who at the time was two months away from entering the 2020 presidential race against Mr Trump. She writes that as they reviewed emails between him and Ukrainian government officials, she asked if he had to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and offered to do the required paperwork for him. The former mayor replied that he was allowed to violate Fara and other US laws because “[he had] immunity”. She then states that Mr Giuliani asked her “if she knew anyone in need of a pardon” because he was “selling pardons for $2 million, which he and President Trump would split”. “He told Ms Dunphy that she could refer individuals seeking pardons to him, so long as they did not go through “the normal channels” of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, because correspondence going to that office would be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act,” she added. During Mr Trump’s presidency, he frequently granted pardons to wealthy or well-connected individuals without the involvement of the Pardon Attorney, the Department of Justice official who is charged with reviewing petitions for executive clemency and making recommendations as to whether a given petition should be granted. No evidence has ever emerged that Mr Trump or Mr Giuliani were ever compensated for any presidential pardon granted during Mr Trump’s time in office, but Ms Dunphy’s allegation matches that made by another person who once sought a pardon from the then-president. In August, The New York Times reported that former CIA officer John Kiriakou broached the topic with Mr Giuliani during a meeting at the Washington, DC hotel Mr Trump’s company ran between 2016 and 2022. Mr Kiriakou, who in 2012 was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for disclosing classified information, told the Times that one of Mr Giuliani’s associates at the meeting said the ex-New York City mayor could assist him — for a price. “It’s going to cost $2 million — he’s going to want two million bucks,” he recalled the Giuliani associate as saying. He also told the Times that he did not pursue a pardon through Mr Giuliani because he could not afford to pay him $2 million. “I laughed. Two million bucks — are you out of your mind?” Kiriakou told the outlet. “Even if I had two million bucks, I wouldn’t spend it to recover a $700,000 pension,” he said. Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for and adviser to Mr Giuliani, told The Independent in an email that the former New York mayor “unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms Dunphy”. “Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims,” he added. The Independent has reached out to Mr Trump’s team for comment. Read More Trump news – live: Aides showed Trump tweets by AOC and Andrew Yang to psyche him up during break in town hall Rudy Giuliani sued for $10m for alleged sexual assault by former employee Trump claimed the Durham probe would uncover the 'crime of the century.' Here's what it really found Trump tells former adviser Michael Flynn: 'We’re going to bring you back' Trump says AOC ‘went crazy’ over CNN town hall as he slams Democrat’s relationship Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Rudy Giuliani has been sued for $10m for sexual assault, harassment, wage theft and other misconduct by a former associate who claims he forced her to perform sex acts on him and work in the nude. Noelle Dunphy alleges that the former New York City mayor made “sexual demands” throughout her employment and went on “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks,” many of which she recorded. She also alleges that the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents. “He made clear that satisfying his sexual demands-which came virtually anytime, anywhere-was an absolute requirement of her employment and of his legal representation,” the lawsuit states. She claims that she agreed to start working for Mr Giuliani for a salary of $1m per year, but he told her he would have to defer payment as he was going through a divorce with his “crazy” ex-wife. Ms Dunphy states that she was also asked to record conversations with Mr Giuliani “as well as Giuliani’s interactions with others.” “But unbeknownst to Ms Dunphy, Giuliani apparently decided during the interview that he would use the job offer and his representation as a pretext to develop a quid pro quo sexual relationship with Ms Dunphy. He was later recorded telling Ms Dunphy, ‘I’ve wanted you from the day I interviewed you,’” the lawsuit states. She also claims that the first week she worked for Mr Giuliani, 78, he flew her to New York and invited her to stay at his apartment in the city, where they drank together. “Giuliani then pulled her head onto his penis, without asking for or obtaining any form of consent. He held her by her hair. It became clear to Ms Dunphy that there was no way out of giving him oral sex. She did so, against her will,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also states that Mr Giuliani insisted that she carried out her work naked, wearing a bikini, or tiny shorts with an American flag on them that he provided for her. And she accuses him of inappropriate conduct while on video calls with her. “When they were apart, they would often work remotely via videoconference, and during those conferences Giuliani almost always asked her to remove her clothes on camera. He often called from his bed, where he was visibly touching himself under a white sheet,” the lawsuit states. Ms Duphy’s lawsuit details an interaction she allegedly had with Mr Giuliani on or about 16 February 2019, when he was serving as Mr Trump’s personal attorney and attempting to dig up overseas dirt on then-former vice president Joe Biden, who at the time was two months away from entering the 2020 presidential race against Mr Trump. She writes that as they reviewed emails between him and Ukrainian government officials, she asked if he had to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and offered to do the required paperwork for him. The former mayor replied that he was allowed to violate Fara and other US laws because “[he had] immunity”. She then states that Mr Giuliani asked her “if she knew anyone in need of a pardon” because he was “selling pardons for $2 million, which he and President Trump would split”. “He told Ms Dunphy that she could refer individuals seeking pardons to him, so long as they did not go through “the normal channels” of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, because correspondence going to that office would be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act,” she added. The lawsuit states that she began working for Mr Giuliani in January 2019 and that he fired her in January 2021, without paying her the deferred salary. She is seeking $10m from Mr Giuliani and three of his namesake companies. Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for and adviser to Mr Giuliani, told The Independent in an email that the former New York mayor “unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms Dunphy”. “Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims,” he added. Read More Trump news – live: Aides showed Trump tweets by AOC and Andrew Yang to psyche him up during break in town hall Rudy Giuliani said he and Trump were selling pardons for $2m apiece, ex-aide claims Trump goes after Fox for Dominion settlement ‘insult’ to election deniers Rudy Giuliani says he ‘expected’ Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson in conspiracy-filled interview Woman sues Rudy Giuliani, saying he coerced her into sex, owes her $2 million in unpaid wages Rudy Giuliani said he and Trump were selling pardons for $2m apiece, ex-aide claims Trump claimed the Durham probe would uncover the 'crime of the century.' Here's what it really found

RIYADH (Reuters) -Sudan's warring army and Rapid Support Forces paramilitary will resume talks on Sunday, a senior Saudi diplomat said,

ByteDance Inc.’s former head of engineering in the US said in a lawsuit he was fired for voicing

A group of 25 Republican governors called on the Biden administration Friday to withdraw or delay recently proposed rule changes to Title IX that could prevent states from enforcing anti-transgender sports bans.

South Carolina's Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has called the state legislature back for a special session Tuesday to continue to work on a bill that would ban most abortions as early as six weeks and other legislation.

President Joe Biden is coming under sustained pressure from both sides of the aisle over the administration's handling of the expiration of Title 42, the controversial Trump-era pandemic public health restriction that became a key tool to turn back migrants at the US-Mexico border.

A once-faded Japanese honeymoon hot spot is getting a new lease on life thanks in part to Chinese

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group has denounced as "baseless lies" reports that one of Syria’s most well-known drug dealers, who was killed earlier this week in an airstrike near the Jordanian border, was linked to the Iran-backed group. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's televised speech on Friday came four days after the rare strike that some Syrian opposition activists claimed was carried out by Jordan’s air force. The activists and a war monitor said the amphetamine Captagon kingpin killed Monday was among the most wanted by Jordanian authorities for drug smuggling across the border with the backing of a small militia. Syrian activists say Merhi al-Ramthan, who was killed with his wife and six children, worked closely with militias linked to Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Western governments estimate that Captagon has generated billions of dollars in revenue for Assad, his Syrian associates and allies. Damascus has denied the accusations. “Had we been making billions of dollars it would have been noticed,” Nasrallah joked about the charges. Speaking about linking al-Ramthan to Hezbollah, Nasrallah said “these are lies and unjust charges.” Nasrallah added that had it not been for Hezbollah’s help, the Lebanese state would not have been able to carry out raids against drug dealers in Lebanon. Hezbollah enjoys wide influence in northeast Lebanon, a region that for decades has been a center of drug production. Monday’s strike in southern Syria that killed al-Ramthan and another that destroyed a factory came a day after Arab governments reinstated Syria to the Arab League following the country’s suspension for its crackdown on protests that ultimately led to a lengthy civil war. As Arab governments gradually restore ties with Damascus, one of the key topics of discussion has been Syria’s illicit drug industry, which has flourished during the ongoing conflict — especially the illegal amphetamine Captagon. “These are baseless lies. For us Captagon and other types of drugs are religiously prohibited,” said Nasrallah, a Shiite Muslim cleric and major political figure in Lebanon. Speaking about reconciliation between Syria and oil-rich Arab countries, Nasrallah said anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon are “disconnected from reality” and are working to keep Beirut’s relations with Damascus cold. “It is in Lebanon’s interest to fix relations with Syria,” Nasrallah said, adding that the Lebanese government should send a high-ranking delegation to Damascus to discuss ways to address the refugee crisis that has pushed hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee into in Lebanon. Sentiments against Syrian refugees have been rising in Lebanon since the country’s massive economic meltdown that started in 2019 that has left three quarters of the Lebanese population living in poverty. Hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to battle alongside Syrian government forces during the 12-year war, helping tip the balance of power in Assad’s favor. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Inflation in Argentina leaves familes struggling to feed themselves Nissan reports surging profit amid strong sales, easing chip crunch Arab governments vote for Syria's return to the Arab League

Newly released audio reveals that Republican Congressman George Santos allegedly attempted to solicit a payment from journalists for appearing in a documentary. Filmmaker Blake Zeff and a production team were developing a project involving Mr Santos, but decided to scrap the project after they realised the congressman would be expecting "lots" of money, he said. Mr Zeff recorded conversations between his team and Mr Santos while planning the project. During negotiations, which Mr Zeff shared on MSNBC, Mr Santos allegedly asked what the project will mean for him "monetarily." "Look, I don't have a number in my head," Mr Santos appears to say in the recordings. “Like, the fact that I’m having these conversations, these are conversations I never in a million years thought I would be having. But when in Rome, you know, let’s have the conversations.” Mr Zeff said later that Mr Santos' request to be paid for participating in the documentary was not illegal, but it was "not common" — and unethical — for a journalist to pay a subject for their involvement. The Independent has reached out to Mr Santos for comment. The audio resurfaced shortly after Mr Santos was indicted on 13 federal charges that include fraud, lying about his personal finances, and misuse of campaign finance funds. Mr Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday after surrendering himself into custody earlier that morning. He has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, according to the DOJ. After entering his plea, Mr Santos was released on a $500,000 bond. The conditions of his release include random monitoring at his home, submission to pre-trial services, and a requirement that he relinquish his passport. He has also been prohibited from traveling outside of New York state and Washington DC without prior court approval. His next court date is scheduled for 30 June. Mr Santos claimed that the charges were "inaccurate" and expressed confidence that he would be found innocent. Some of his Republican allies seem to lack the same confidence; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters after the charges dropped that "I'm not gonna support Santos" in his upcoming re-election bid. "I think he's got some other things to focus on in this life than running for stuff," Mr McCarthy said, according to NBC News. The House Speaker stopped short of calling for Mr Santos' resignation. Read More NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week McCarthy says he will not back George Santos re-election bid after arrest George Santos inks deal to avoid prosecution in Brazil over bad checks George Santos: McCarthy changes tune to say he will not back Santos re-election bid after arrest George Santos inks deal to avoid prosecution in Brazil over bad checks George Santos voting on employment fraud bill – 24 hours after being arrested for employment fraud