Daily Archives

June 15, 2017

31 posts · Thursday

Senate Plans Health Care Vote Before End of June

June 15, 2017 at 11:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republican leaders are aiming to bring a major revision to the nation’s health-care laws to the Senate floor by the end of June even as lingering disagreements, particularly over Medicaid, threaten to derail their efforts,” the Washington Post reports.

“Impassioned policy disputes have flared among some GOP senators in large group meetings at which McConnell has floated ideas from the drafting process. But those disputes have not deterred him from the goal of a floor vote before the July 4 recess, said the Republicans familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about private conversations.”

Another Message to Donald Trump from Vicente Fox

June 15, 2017 at 11:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Justice Department Releases Cryptic Statement on Leaks

June 15, 2017 at 11:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein released a very unorthodox statement tonight:

Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous “officials,” particularly when they do not identify the country — let alone the branch or agency of government — with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated. Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-established policy to neither confirm nor deny such allegations.

Axios: “This feels like a White House-driven message, especially with President Trump fuming over reports (based on anonymous leaks) that he is under investigation for possible obstruction of justice.”

World Leaders Laughing at Trump

June 15, 2017 at 8:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, President Trump declared that under his leadership, foreign leaders won’t be ‘laughing at us anymore,'” the Washington Post reports.

“Since then, he’s been the butt of jokes in capitals around the world.”

“Far from being cowed by Trump’s vow to achieve ‘peace through strength,’ fellow world leaders appear emboldened to poke fun at him as a way to bolster their political standing. To a degree, the strategy is similar to one employed by Democrats, celebrities and some Republicans who have calculated that mocking Trump can boost their popularity.”

Lobbyist for Russia Says He Attended Sessions Dinners

June 15, 2017 at 8:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“An American lobbyist for Russian interests who helped craft an important foreign policy speech for Donald Trump has confirmed that he attended two dinners hosted by Jeff Sessions during the 2016 campaign, apparently contradicting the attorney general’s sworn testimony given this week,” The Guardian reports.

“Sessions testified under oath on Tuesday that he did not believe he had any contacts with lobbyists working for Russian interests over the course of Trump’s campaign. But Richard Burt, a former ambassador to Germany during the Reagan administration, who has represented Russian interests in Washington, told the Guardian that he could confirm previous media reports that stated he had contacts with Sessions at the time.”

Mueller Is Investigating Kushner’s Business Dealings

June 15, 2017 at 7:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Special counsel Robert Mueller “is investigating the finances and business dealings of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, as part of the probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election,” the Washington Post reports.

“FBI agents and federal prosecutors have also been examining the financial dealings of other Trump associates, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Carter Page, who was listed as a foreign-policy adviser for the campaign.”

For members: Following the Money Could Lead to an Even Bigger Scandal

Aides Fret Over Trump’s Russia Obsession

June 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The greatest threat to Trump and his presidency, say administration officials and outside advisers, comes from his own conduct and obsessive behavior after he took office. While congressional and FBI investigations may prove Trump or his team broke laws before he took office, his advisers say they’re more worried that the things he’s done since the inauguration may have left him exposed to obstruction of justice or other charges.”

“Trump, for months, has bristled almost daily at the ongoing probes. He has sometimes, without prompting, injected ‘I’m not under investigation’ into conversations with associates and allies. He has watched hours of TV coverage every day — sometimes even storing morning news shows on his TiVo to watch in the evening — and complained nonstop.”

The Fix: Trump keeps creating his own personal hell.

Pence Lawyers Up for Russia Investigation

June 15, 2017 at 5:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vice President Mike Pence “has hired outside legal counsel to help with both congressional committee inquiries and the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia,” the Washington Post reports.

“Pence’s decision comes less than a month after Trump hired his own private attorney, Marc E. Kasowitz, to help navigate the investigations related to the Russia probe, and a day after the Washington Post reported that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is now widening his investigation to examine whether the president attempted to obstruct justice.”

The All Drama, No Substance Presidency

June 15, 2017 at 4:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Amy Walter: “So much is happening in Washington and yet nothing is happening at all. The investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 campaign continues to get lots of attention (and produce a lot of leaks), but it’s not likely to come to a conclusion anytime soon. Republicans fret privately about the president and publicly lament his lack of Twitter discipline, yet they show no signs of abandoning him. The imminent White House shake-up (Reince is out! Bannon is out!) has yet to materialize. And, the GOP-led government has yet to produce any significant legislative accomplishments. Meanwhile, President Trump’s lack of message discipline continues to undercut his agenda and his own political standing.”

GOP May Change Rules to Allow Longer-Lasting Tax Cuts

June 15, 2017 at 3:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The push to change congressional budget rules and enact tax cuts for longer than 10 years even if they add to the deficit received more support Thursday as the top Senate tax writer endorsed it,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “It would be better… The 10 years is problematic. I would like to do that.”

“The change would make it easier for the GOP, which controls only 52 of the Senate’s 100 seats, to enact longer-lasting tax cuts without any support from Democrats. Under current Senate rules, any legislation that passes with fewer than 60 votes can’t add to the deficit outside a 10-year budget window, otherwise the tax changes would have to expire.”

GOP Secrecy Around Health Care Is Unprecedented

June 15, 2017 at 3:04 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sarah Kliff: “Republicans do not want the country to know what is in their health care bill.”

“This has become more evident each day, as the Senate plots out a secretive path toward Obamacare repeal — and top White House officials (including the president) consistently lie about what the House bill actually does.”

“My biggest concern isn’t the hypocrisy; there is plenty of that in Washington. It’s that the process will lead to devastating results for millions of Americans who won’t know to speak up until the damage is done. So far, the few details that have leaked out paint a picture of a bill sure to cover millions fewer people and raise costs on those with preexisting conditions.”

New York Times: Secrecy surrounding Senate health bill raises alarms in both parties.

Quote of the Day

June 15, 2017 at 2:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Look, we’ve been dealing with this issue for seven years. It’s not a new thing.”

— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), quoted by the New York Times, defending the secrecy surrounding the GOP health care bill while adding there have been “gazillions of hearings on this subject” over the years.

GOP Lawmaker Says Trump Lacks ‘Language Discipline’

June 15, 2017 at 1:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) said that President Trump might lack the “language discipline” to avoid giving the appearance of interfering in an investigation, CNN reports.

Said Schweikert: “I’m at the point where we also have to be real careful from the standpoint that we have a President that’s not from the political class. The learning of the disciplined use of language and what certain words mean in our context — if you’re not from this world you may not have developed that discipline.”

Blame Gingrich

June 15, 2017 at 12:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

It’s not really fair to use yesterday’s horrific shooting at a congressional baseball game to draw broader inferences about the state of American politics. After all, it was just one deranged gunman. He was clearly acting on his political views, but he wasn’t part of any serious political movement.

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Imagining President Pence

June 15, 2017 at 11:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Clare Malone: “The events that precede Pence’s swearing-in would no doubt shape his tenure in ways that can’t be predicted. But the make and measure of a man is not wholly defined by his circumstances. Pence is a political figure of specific principle and ideology, and his past may give us hints about the president he would be. A reading of his political history reveals a devoted adherent to an unbending conservative worldview but also a man chastened by the realities of governing a society undergoing profound change. Above all, it shows a political survivor, attuned to the delicate dynamics of a capricious White House — and perhaps patient enough to be playing the long game of the Trump presidency.”

Robert Mueller’s Investigatory Dream Team

June 15, 2017 at 11:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wired: “From the list of hires, it’s clear, in fact, that Mueller is recruiting perhaps the most high-powered and experienced team of investigators ever assembled by the Justice Department. “

Putin Offers Comey Asylum

June 15, 2017 at 11:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is ready to offer James Comey asylum if the former FBI director faces political persecution, Politico reports.

Said Putin: “If Comey will be under the threat of political persecution, we are ready to accept him here. It sounds very strange when the head of the security services writes down a conversation with the commander-in-chief and then leaks it to the media through his friend.”

Republicans Make a Risky Bet for 2018

June 15, 2017 at 10:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ron Brownstein: “Scandals have typically operated as a cloud over a president’s agenda. But the Russia-related legal challenges swirling around President Trump are functioning more like a cloak for his joint agenda with congressional Republicans. That difference captures the GOP’s decision to govern in a manner aimed almost entirely at stoking their hard-core base—a critical calculation that could determine their fate in the 2018 election, and possibly the 2020 contest, as well.”

“As Trump’s presidency careens through increasingly turbulent waters, congressional Republicans are lashing themselves ever more tightly to its mast.”