Politico: “Nearly three years into office, Trump’s attempts to match the lofty campaign promises he made on immigration are in disarray — the wall remains largely unbuilt, so-called sanctuary cities are still receiving federal money and birthright citizenship remains intact. And over at the sprawling Department of Homeland Security, a bitter dispute recently erupted over who should head the agency tasked with enacting Trump’s immigration policies, leading some frustrated aides to plot ways to circumvent federal law and push for the leader of their choice.”
Republicans Set Up 3 Fall Guys for Trump
“House Republicans’ latest plan to shield President Trump from impeachment is to focus on at least three deputies — Ambassador Gordon Sondland, Rudy Giuliani, and possibly acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — who they say could have acted on their own to influence Ukraine policy,” the Washington Post reports.
“All three occupy a special place in the Ukraine narrative as the people in most direct contact with Trump. As Republicans argue that most of the testimony against Trump is based on faulty secondhand information, they are sowing doubts about whether Sondland, Giuliani and Mulvaney were actually representing the president or freelancing to pursue their own agendas. The GOP is effectively offering up the three to be fall guys.”
Mulvaney Subpoenaed to Testify In Impeachment Probe
“The House committees investigating President Trump and Ukraine issued a subpoena Thursday night for acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to testify at 9 am on Friday as part of their impeachment inquiry,” two sources familiar tell Axios.
“Mulvaney is the highest-ranking White House official to be subpoenaed yet, and the midnight-hour move suggests the committees are reaching into the final phase of their private investigation as they prepare to take their inquiry public next week.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think we what ought to do is, we ought to be building a grass roots movement to make real change in this country. I don’t think that democracy should be about people coming in and buying elections.”
— Sen. Elizabeth Warren, quoted by NBC News, on Michael Bloomberg possibly entering the Democratic presidential race.
Trump Officials Considered Mass Resignation
“Senior Trump administration officials considered resigning en masse last year in a ‘midnight self-massacre’ to sound a public alarm about President Trump’s conduct, but rejected the idea because they believed it would further destabilize an already teetering government, according to a new book by an unnamed author,” the Washington Post reports.
“In A Warning by Anonymous, obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its release, a writer described only as ‘a senior official in the Trump administration’ paints a chilling portrait of the president as cruel, inept and a danger to the nation he was elected to lead.”
“The book is an unsparing character study of Trump, from his morality to his intellectual depth, which the author writes is based on his or her observations and experiences.”
- Hardcover Book
- Anonymous (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 11/19/2019 (Publication Date) - Twelve (Publisher)
Bloomberg Will File to Run in Alabama Primary
“Michael Bloomberg is actively preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary and is expected to file paperwork this week designating himself as a candidate in at least one state with an early filing deadline,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman, has been privately weighing a bid for the White House for weeks and has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, an adviser said. But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there. Though Alabama does not hold an early primary, it has a Friday deadline for candidates to formally enter the race.”
Adelsons Hold Off on Donations to Trump
“Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, the largest Republican donors in 2016, plan to hold off on significantly contributing to President Donald Trump’s reelection effort until well into the 2020 election cycle,” McClatchy reports.
“Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate who is chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., wants to avoid setting public expectations early in the cycle that the president’s reelection bid is fully funded by megadonors.”
Diplomat Said Trump’s Policy Was Itself Corrupt
House Democrats released the transcript of George Kent’s testimony, a senior diplomat who told the impeachment probe that President Trump’s anti-corruption campaign in Ukraine was itself corrupt, The Hill reports.
Kent “voiced concern about Rudy Giuliani’s contacts with Ukraine as early as March of this year, which prompted a supervisor to warn him to lay low.”
Kent will testify publicly next week.
A Christmas Impeachment
CNN reports on a possible timeline for the House impeachment inquiry:
- Public hearings next week and the week after.
- Thanksgiving week off as report is written.
- Articles of impeachment drawn up and debated during first two weeks of December.
- A full House vote on impeachment during the last week before Christmas.
Exchange of the Day
Matt Gaetz Mocks Media as ‘Kale and Quinoa’ Eaters
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) mocked the media in a Fox News interview as a group of “kale and quinoa” eaters who look down upon those that eat “fried foods” in “real America.”
Said Gaetz: “It’s a worldview where you eat nothing but kale and quinoa, where those of us who cling to our Bibles and our guns and our fried foods and real America are looked down upon.”
He then compared journalists to “pigeons, waiting for Adam Schiff to throw them a little bit of bird food.”
Democrats Take Control of Pence’s Hometown
“For the first time in nearly 40 years, Democrats have taken control of Columbus, Indiana—the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence,” Newsweek reports.
“On Tuesday, Columbus voters saw four Democrats elected to City Council seats, with only three Republican incumbents claiming re-election victory.”
Warren Leads Democrats In Three of Four Battlegrounds
A new Kaiser Family Foundation/Cook Political Report poll of the Democratic presidential race in four battleground states:
PENNSYLVANIA: Biden 27%, Warren 18%, Sanders 14%, Harris 4%
MICHIGAN: Warren 25%, Biden 19%, Sanders 15%, Buttigieg 7%
WISCONSIN: Warren 22%, Biden 17%, Sanders 10%, Buttigieg 6%
MINNESOTA: Warren 25%, Klobuchar 15%, Biden 14%, Sanders 13%
It’s 2016 All Over Again
Amy Walter: “These latest polls and election results are telling the same story we’ve been seeing and hearing for the last two-plus years. Trump is unpopular and polarizing, which makes it all but impossible for him to win the popular vote. But, he does have a chance to win thanks to the demographic make-up of key Midwestern battleground states…”
“If there’s any lesson to take from the torrent of data that’s been released this week, it’s that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite losing big in the suburbs in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Trump campaign has zero interest in doing what it takes to win them back. Though they have more money and a better, more sophisticated campaign infrastructure, the Trump campaign is using the same playbook from 2016. Maximize turnout from the base at all costs and hope that Democrats nominate a candidate who will be even more unappealing to the suburban voters who have abandoned the party.”
Ukraine President Nearly Made Statement Trump Wanted
New York Times: “Finally bending to the White House request, Mr. Zelensky’s staff planned for him to make an announcement in an interview on Sept. 13 with Fareed Zakaria, the host of a weekly news show on CNN.”
“Though plans were in motion to give the White House the public statement it had sought, events in Washington saved the Ukrainian government from any final decision and eliminated the need to make the statement.”
Trump Ordered to Pay $2 Million to Settle Lawsuit
“A judge ordered President Trump to pay $2 million to a collection of nonprofit organizations as part of a settlement with the New York state attorney general’s office to resolve a civil lawsuit that alleged ‘persistent’ violations of charities law that included unlawful coordination with the 2016 Trump presidential campaign,” CNN reports.
Trump’s Top Aides Clash Over Impeachment
“Two of Donald Trump’s most senior aides, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, are clashing over who should direct the president’s response to the House impeachment inquiry,” Bloomberg reports.
“Cipollone sees impeachment as his domain because he views it as a legal matter and has privately complained to colleagues that Mulvaney is trying to wrest control, the people said. Mulvaney believes he’s in charge because impeachment is political and expects Cipollone to report to his office.”
Sanders Remains Top Choice of Young Voters
A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll finds Bernie Sanders the top choice of voters aged 18 to 29 years old with 28%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 22% and Joe Biden at 16%.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval rating stands at just 27% among young Americans polled, and 59% say they’ll never vote to re-elect him.