Daily Archives
28 posts · Friday
“I will say this with great conviction, that had the opposing party won, in my opinion, because they would have added tremendous regulation, I believe the markets would’ve been down anywhere from 25 to 50 percent.”
— President Trump, quoted by Axios, during a meeting at the World Economic Forum at Davos.
A new Salt Lake Tribune-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows Rep. Mia Love (R) with a small 5-point edge over Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams (D), 47% to 42%, “a slightly narrower lead than she had three months ago and just outside of the margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.”
Key factor: “While 48% of voters statewide approve of Trump’s job performance, just 42% do in the 4th congressional district — and 56% disapprove. So neither Love nor McAdams will be successful by cuddling up to the president.”
On June 12, 2017, Newsmax CEO told PBS that he thought President Trump was “considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. I think he’s weighing that option.” On the same day, political analyst April Ryan told CNN there was “mass hysteria” in the White House over the president possibly firing Mueller.
Why is the story back?
Bill Kristol speculates that White House counsel Don McGahn believes Trump may soon try to fire Mueller again: “Unless the story came out now by accident, the sources (McGahn and allies) are probably worried Trump is about to try again to fire Mueller, and wanted to stir up a preemptive push back.”
He adds: “Why would Trump have returned to the idea of firing Mueller now? He may recently have learned how much Mueller now knows. He also soon has to agree to be interviewed or not, may have decided not, and thinks firing might be better than refusing to talk and/or taking the fifth.”
Renato Mariotti: “As we learned Thursday in the New York Times, there was indeed a need to protect Mueller back in June, when Trump ordered the firing of special counsel due to ‘conflicts of interest’ that were not actually conflicts and appear to be thinly veiled excuses to get rid of Mueller. Trump also considered firing Rosenstein and replacing him with Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand, the No. 3 Justice Department official, so she could oversee Mueller. According to the Times, Trump has wavered for months about whether he wants to fire Mueller, which is an ‘omnipresent concern among his legal team and close aides.'”
“This is an important piece of evidence because it comes after Trump fired Comey and learned that he was under investigation for obstruction of justice. It should be easy for Mueller to prove that Trump read or viewed legal analysis discussing the possibility that Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey. Trump’s desire to fire Mueller despite knowing that firing a law enforcement official overseeing the Russia investigation could raise obstruction concerns is strong evidence that Trump’s intent was to obstruct the investigation. The excuses offered by Trump also bolster Mueller’s case, because they indicate that the president realized that firing Mueller to impede the investigation would be perceived as wrongful.”
Mike Allen: “These actions were taken in office knowing the whole world is watching for a cover-up. It’s the ultimate unforced error — and reason many around Trump fear him testifying.”
Jonathan Swan: “The White House framework on immigration reform that leaked yesterday — then was released early — is a non-starter those on the left, having spoken to progressive immigration leaders in close touch with top Democrats.”
“I have literally been on Air Force One once and there were several people in the room when I was there. He says that I’ve been talking a lot with the president in the Oval about my political future. I’ve never talked once to the president about my future and I am never alone with him.”
— U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, in an interview with Politico, denying rumors she’s having an affair with President Trump.
Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), a rising star in the Democratic Party, will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday, Politico reports.
“Kennedy is a closely watched member of the House Democratic Caucus, not only because of his famous last name, but for his future ambitions. Many Democrats expect Kennedy to follow in the footsteps of his elders and run for Senate when a seat opens in Massachusetts.”
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) “will not seek reelection, about a week after news reports that he used taxpayer dollars to settle a former aide’s sexual harassment claim — and following the harsh response to his description of the woman as his ‘soul mate,'” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the progressive congressman and deputy chair of the DNC, is exploring a run for Minnesota attorney general, Politico reports.
“Lori Swanson, the current attorney general, is expected to run for governor, leaving the race open. With his active organizing and fundraising base — amplified through his close alliance with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — Ellison would likely scramble a field of lesser known candidates that’s begun to take shape.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.