Republican political operative Roger Stone told the Daily Caller hours before the news broke that a news anchor would accuse Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of sexual assault.
Said Stone: “Let’s just say Sen. Franken’s time in the barrel is about to come.”
Daily Archives
November 16, 2017
26 posts · Thursday
Mueller Issued Subpoena for Trump Campaign
“Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in mid-October issued a subpoena to President Trump’s campaign requesting Russia-related documents from more than a dozen top officials,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The subpoena, which requested documents and emails from the listed campaign officials that reference a set of Russia-related keywords, marked Mr. Mueller’s first official order for information from the campaign…The subpoena didn’t compel any officials to testify before Mr. Mueller’s grand jury.”
“The subpoena caught the campaign by surprise, the person said. The campaign had previously been voluntarily complying with the special counsel’s requests for information, and had been sharing with Mr. Mueller’s team the documents it provided to congressional committees as part of their probes of Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election.”
Alabama Senate Race Aggravates GOP Divide
“There was a time when the question of whether to disown a candidate accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl was fairly straightforward,” the New York Times reports.
“But the divisions in the Republican Party run so deep that the latest rallying cry for many on the right has become the case of Roy Moore, the Senate candidate in Alabama who faces allegations of preying on many young women, including a 14-year-old, when he was in his 30s.”
“The debate among Republicans over what to do about Mr. Moore has taken on a significance that extends far beyond Alabama’s borders. It pits ascendant forces in the party — the most conservative evangelical Christians and insurgent, anti-establishment populists — against the Republican leadership in Washington. And it is being fanned by many of the same emotions that helped stoke President Trump’s rise and election: a mistrust of government, a desire for a leader who disdains and disrupts the political status quo, and a suspicion that elected officials will stop at nothing to hold on to power.”
Obama More Popular Than Trump In Alabama
A new Fox News poll in Alabama shows former President Obama is more popular in Alabama than Donald Trump.
The poll shows Obama with a 52% favorability rating in the state, compared to Trump’s 49%.
Kislyak Won’t Name Trump Officials He’s Spoken To
Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak said that it would take him more than 20 minutes to name all of the Trump officials he’s met with or spoken to on the phone, CNBC reports.
Said Kislyak: “First, I’m never going to do that. And second, the list is so long that I’m not going to be able to go through it in 20 minutes.”
Jones Pulls Ahead of Moore In Alabama
A new Fox News poll in Alabama shows Doug Jones (D) leading Roy Moore (R) by 8 points among likely voters in the U.S. Senate special election, 50% to 42%.
Keystone Pipeline Leaks 210K Gallons of Oil
“A total of 210,000 gallons of oil leaked Thursday from the Keystone Pipeline in Marshall County, South Dakota,” CNN reports.
“Crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning and officials are investigating the cause of the leak. This is the largest Keystone oil spill to date in South Dakota.”
Washington Post: “The spill comes on the eve of a crucial decision by the Public Service Commission in Nebraska over whether to grant a permit for a new, long-delayed sister pipeline called Keystone XL, which has been mired in controversy for several years.”
Alabama Republicans Will Stick with Roy Moore
“The Alabama Republican Party said Thursday that it would stand behind the embattled Senate candidacy of Roy S. Moore, most likely leaving Republicans with a nominee facing numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and unwanted overtures to women,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision, which a committee of 21 party leaders reached Wednesday evening but did not formally announce until Thursday, placed the state’s Republicans at bitter and public odds with national party leaders, who had demanded that Mr. Moore leave the race here ahead of a special election in December.”
Kushner Did Not Divulge Russian Overtures
“President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner received and forwarded emails about WikiLeaks and a ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ that he kept from Senate Judiciary Committee investigators, according to panel leaders demanding that he produce the missing records,” the Washington Post reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“People know that I’m probably packing, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of people who would necessarily mess with me.”
— Sarah Palin, when asked by NBC News if she had ever experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.
Pentagon Retweeted Call for Trump to Resign
The Pentagon “quickly disavowed what it called a mistaken retweet from its official social media account of an activist’s call for President Trump to step down,” Politico reports.
A Wave Is Coming
Amy Walter: “In 2016 we made the mistake of rationalizing away the prospect of a Trump victory. He was too unorthodox. He couldn’t possibly sustain momentum through the grueling primary campaign. We should not make same mistake in 2018. Sure, a lot can change between now and next November. And, Democrats have a narrow path to 24 seats – even with a big wave or tailwind. But, do not ignore what’s right in front of us. A wave is building. If I were a Republican running for Congress, I’d be taking that more seriously than ever.”
For members: An Unmistakable Midterm Wave Is Forming
Republicans Pass Tax Bill In the House
“The House passed its version of the Republican tax overhaul Thursday, notching a key win for President Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI). But obstacles remain in the Senate, which is refining its own version of the legislation amid objections from key GOP senators,” the Washington Post reports.
“The bill passed with 227 votes in favor and 205 against. 13 Republicans voted against the bill. No Democrats voted for it.”
Trump Considers Mulvaney for Consumer Watchdog Post
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, who once called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “a sad, sick joke,” is being considered for a temporary role as interim director of the consumer watchdog after Richard Cordray steps down later this month, Bloomberg reports.
“Mulvaney would be expected to name someone else or a team of people to run the CFPB on a day-to-day-basis so he could keep his focus on OMB, said one of the people.”
Judge Declares Mistrial in Menendez Case
“A hopelessly deadlocked jury brought an abrupt end to the corruption trial of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) with the declaration of a mistrial, after a contentious 11-week courtroom drama that concluded without a final act,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.
“The government now must decide whether to retry the Democratic lawmaker… Even without a verdict, the mistrial puts the political career of Menendez in the balance. Up for re-election next year, the senator faces the prospect of running for office as he is defending himself in any retrial.”
McConnell Calls for Ethics Investigation Into Franken
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called for investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Roll Call reports.
Said McConnell: “As with all credible allegations of sexual harassment or assault, I believe the Ethics Committee should review the matter. I hope the Democratic Leader will join me on this. Regardless of party, harassment and assault are completely unacceptable — in the workplace or anywhere else.”
Tax Bill Would Slam Families Earning Less Than $75K
“The tax bill Senate Republicans are championing would give large tax cuts to millionaires while raising taxes on American families earning $10,000 to $75,000 over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress’ official nonpartisan analysts,” the Washington Post reports.
“President Trump and Republican lawmakers have been heralding their bill as a win for hard-working Americans, but the JCT report casts serious doubt on that claim. Tax hikes for households earning $10,000 to $30,000 would start in 2021 and grow sharply from there. By the year 2027, Americans earning $30,000 to $75,000 a year would also be forced to pay more in taxes even though people earning over $100,000 continue to get substantial tax cuts.”
Franken Accused of Groping and Unwanted Kissing
Leeann Tweeden writes that she was kissed and groped by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) on a USO Tour in 2006.
He repeated that actors really need to rehearse everything and that we must practice the kiss. I said ‘OK’ so he would stop badgering me. We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.
I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time.
I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth.
Franken responds: “I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann. As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”
