“Paul Erickson, the American political operative and boyfriend of admitted Russian agent Maria Butina, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in South Dakota on charges of wire fraud and money laundering,” the Daily Beast reports.
Archives for 2019
Klobuchar’s Mistreatment Scared Off Operatives
“At least three people have withdrawn from consideration to lead Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) nascent 2020 presidential campaign — and done so in part because of Klobuchar’s history of mistreating her staff,” the HuffPost reports.
“Klobuchar, who plans to make an announcement about a potential presidential bid on Sunday in Minneapolis, has spent the past several months positioning herself to run for president. She’s beloved in her state as a smart, funny and personable lawmaker and has gained national attention for her lines of questioning at high-profile hearings.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President. Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue.”
— House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), on Twitter.
Trump Says it Would Be Mistake for Abrams to Run
President Trump said it would be a “mistake” for Stacey Abrams (D) to run for U.S. Senate, because Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) “will be very hard to beat,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Said Trump: “I think it’s a mistake for her to run against him because I don’t think she can win.”
Trump Will Hold Campaign Rally In El Paso
President Trump “is holding his first campaign rally of the year next week in El Paso, Texas, a city he’s cited numerous times — including in his State of the Union address — in arguing for the wall he wants built along the U.S.-Mexico border,” the AP reports.
“The rally on Monday will be four days before a Feb. 15 deadline for congressional bargainers to come up with a compromise to fund large portions of the federal government to avoid another partial government shutdown.”
Fairfax Accuser Details What She Says Happened
Vanessa Tyson, the professor who accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) of sexually assaulting her in 2004, issued a detailed statement:
“With tremendous anguish, I am now sharing this information about my experience and setting the record straight. It has been extremely difficult to relive that traumatic experience from 2004. Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience, in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation. Given his false assertions, I’m compelled to make clear what happened.”
House Announces Sweeping Probe Into Trump’s Finances
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced a broad investigation his committee would undertake “beyond Russia” into whether President Trump’s financial interests are driving his actions, CNN reports.
Schiff said the investigation would “allow us to investigate any credible allegation that financial interests or other interests are driving decision-making of the President or anyone in the administration. That pertains to any credible allegations of leverage by the Russians or the Saudis or anyone else.”
Schiff added that the investigation, which could involve additional congressional committees, would also look at whether Trump or his associates have “sought to influence US government policy in service of foreign interests” and any potential obstruction into the various investigations.
Trump denounced the investigation, according to The Hill: “He has no basis to do that. He’s just a political hack trying who’s trying to build a name for himself.”
The State of Virginia Politics
Mark Berman of the Washington Post recaps:
- Virginia’s governor admitted he wore blackface.
- The Lt. Governor is facing a sexual assault allegation.
- The Attorney General says he too wore blackface.
- The House Speaker is next in line. He has that job because an election was tied and a name picked out of a bowl.
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Saying that anything in the annals of American political history is ‘unique’ or ‘unprecedented’ is dangerous, for the simple fact that the past is filled with so many oddities from which we can draw parallels. That said, we’re struggling to come up with something equivalent to what we’ve seen in Virginia over the past week.”
Words Not Used In a State of the Union Before
The Washington Post notes that the following words were used for the first time in a State of the Union address last night: bloodthirsty, chilling, fentanyl, kissing, sadistic, and womb.
House Intel Votes to Send Transcripts to Mueller
“The House Intelligence Committee voted on Wednesday to send dozens of witness interview transcripts from its Russia investigation to special counsel Robert Mueller, who could use them to prosecute potential instances of perjury,” Politico reports.
“It’s the first act of the intelligence panel under the leadership of Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who has vowed to revive the committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mueller has already prosecuted some Trump associates for lying to Congress.”
Collins Built War Chest From Brett Kavanaugh Vote
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “had the best fundraising quarter of her life in 2018, boosted in part by her decision to support Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court,” the HuffPost reports.
“Collins raised $1.8 million in the last quarter of the year, but just $19,000 of that money came in itemized donations ― contributions of $200 or more ― from residents of Maine.”
Virginia Attorney General Also Wore Blackface
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) “said he dressed in blackface during college, elevating the Capitol’s scandals to a new level that engulfed the entire executive branch of government,” the Washington Post reports.
“The acknowledgment comes as Gov. Ralph Northam (D) faces calls for his resignation after a photo emerged on his 1984 medical school yearbook page featuring someone in blackface standing next to someone in Ku Klux Klan robes.”
“And early Monday, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) denied the allegations of a woman who said he sexually assaulted her at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.”
“The scandals suggest a possible constitutional crisis. If Northam should step down, Fairfax would succeed him because of his position as lieutenant governor. Herring, as attorney general, would be next in line.”
Associated Press: “Herring, who plans to run for governor in 2021, is among those who have urged Northam to resign as governor.”
Trump Rarely Gets Intelligence Briefings
“President Trump, who doesn’t regularly read the daily intelligence summary prepared for him, is also participating in relatively few in-person briefings from his spy agencies, according to intelligence officials and a review of his schedules,” NBC News reports.
“It’s the latest indication that Trump does not consistently rely on the information and analysis provided to him by the $80 billion a year U.S. intelligence-gathering apparatus.”
Landrieu Not Likely to Run for President
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu isn’t planning on running for president, Politico reports.
Said Landrieu: “I don’t think so. A lot of people have asked me that. I never say never, but at this point in time I don’t think I’m going to do it.”
Howard Schultz Doesn’t Want to Be Called a Billionaire
The Guardian notes that when Howard Schultz asked by the New York Times whether he thought billionaires had become too powerful in American life, the coffee magnate complained that “the moniker billionaire now has become the catchphrase.”
Rather than using a word like billionaire to describe a person with billions of dollars, Schultz suggested it may be better to use expressions like “people of means” or “people of wealth.”
Juicy Gossip or Political Hit Job?
Washington Post: “Depending on whom you believe, the Enquirer‘s exposé on Jeff Bezos’s affair was a political hit inspired by President Trump’s allies, an inside job by people seeking to protect Bezos’s marriage, or no conspiracy at all, simply a juicy gossip story.”
Trump Went Off Script on Legal Immigration
President Trump went off-script in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night and said he wanted to see the “largest numbers ever” of legal immigrants entering the country, the Daily Beast reports.
Said Trump: “I want people to come into our country, in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally.”
However, the speech as written said: “I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.”
Playbook: “Trump said he wants legal immigration in the ‘largest numbers ever.’ Nevermind that Hill Republicans and his White House have dumped all over that, and have in fact called for cuts to legal immigration.”
What Was Trump’s State of the Union Message?
First Read: “Overall, we’re not sure Trump’s collection of statements last night added up to a cohesive message at all. It felt mostly like a cleaned-up version of his Twitter feed.”
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