“President Trump’s team of lawyers did not change their tactics Monday despite bombshell new revelations related to former national security adviser John Bolton’s alleged knowledge about the Ukraine affair at the center of the president’s impeachment trial,” The Hill reports.
“In hours of arguments on the Senate floor, Trump’s attorneys did not address or seek to knock down Bolton’s account, as Trump himself has done.”
Windsor Mann: “No one scares President Trump as much as people who used to work for him. They know the truth about him, and some of them tell it. When they do, Trump denies it and smears them.”
“It’s amazing how many people have turned on Trump in just his first term. He is a man who prizes loyalty above all else, and yet one toady after another has betrayed him.”
Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA), an influential conservative in the Senate, has spoken with several colleagues in recent days about possibly summoning just two witnesses to President Trump’s impeachment trial, with one called by Republicans and one by Democrats, the Washington Post reports.
“Toomey has confided to GOP senators that proposing a ‘one-for-one’ deal with Senate Democrats may be necessary at some point, particularly with pressure mounting for witnesses to be called… He has argued that such an arrangement could force Democrats to accept a Republican witness against their wishes or else risk having Republicans move ahead to acquit Trump.”
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“The defense team’s strategy rests on pretending that news doesn’t exist.”
— Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), observing that President Trump’s lawyers are ignoring reports about John Bolton’s book in their impeachment defense.
“Senate Republicans were thrown off-balance Monday by the latest John Bolton revelations, offering a range of convoluted — and at times contradictory — responses to an episode that threatens to upend President Trump’s impeachment trial,” Politico reports.
“GOP senators, who hadn’t yet had time to coordinate their responses before arriving at the Capitol, offered an all-over-the-map assessment of the significance of the former national security adviser’s claim that Trump told him he would continue withholding military aid until Ukraine provided information about investigations he had been seeking into his Democratic rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden.”
President Trump’s spiritual adviser Paula White defended herself against criticism over a prayer she made earlier this month in which she asked for “all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now,” saying her words were taken “out of context for political gain,” CNN reports.
Wall Street Journal: “For the Feb. 3 caucuses, the Trump campaign is planning an ambitious show of force around the state, with over 80 surrogates expected to campaign at caucus locations.”
“The campaign sees the night as an opportunity to test its organizational muscle across the state’s 99 counties.”
Washington Post: “That ‘year of organizing’ will have its ultimate test in one week. And it has been almost microscopic. The campaign made a detailed study of almost all of the state’s more than 1,600 precincts to determine how to maximize support. It divided Iowa into nine zones and made an early investment deploying numerous operatives in each one, including remote towns and areas unlikely to support Warren.”
Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) announced he will support Michael Bloomberg for president, Politico reports.
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) told NPR that as many as 10 Republican senators would eventually vote in favor of allowing new witnesses during President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Playbook: “After a morning in the Capitol, here’s what we can say for sure: The NYT story about John Bolton’s manuscript has undoubtedly scrambled the impeachment proceedings, leaving the once cocksure Republican Party scratching their collective heads at what comes next. The body language and the rhetoric have changed — but to what end, we’re not certain at this moment.”
“Over the weekend, Republicans were quite sure that the impeachment trial of President Trump would be over by this weekend. Now there’s a distinct sense of confusion about when and how this will all end.”
“At the moment, Senate GOP leadership sources tell us they are still pushing against witnesses — but they acknowledge the situation is fluid, and say it could change.”
“The Supreme Court allowed a Trump administration rule denying green cards to legal immigrants who use or are likely to use public aid, as litigation continues,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Washington Post: “The rules establish new criteria for who can be considered to be dependent on the U.S. government for benefits — ‘public charges,’ in the words of the law — and thus ineligible for green cards and a path to U.S. citizenship.”
Michael Bloomberg writes in the Orlando Sentinel:
“I’ll state it clearly: I support statehood for Puerto Rico. And as president, I will work to pass a bill making it a reality, subject to approval by the people of Puerto Rico — who will make the ultimate decision…”
“We believe taking Puerto Rican voters seriously starts in the Democratic primary, and that’s why I’m opening up an office in San Juan and building a ground operation — because the best way to stop Puerto Rico from being ignored in the future is to stop ignoring it right now.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she is “curious” to know what John Bolton might have to say about President Trump’s relations with Ukraine but stopped short of saying if she would support calling him to testify in the impeachment trial, The Hill reports.
Said Murkowski: “Well I read it. I’ve said before I was curious what Ambassador Bolton might have to say and I’m still curious.”
A new Salt Lake Tribune/Suffolk University survey in Utah shows Bernie Sanders leading the Democratic presidential field with 27%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 14%, Joe Biden at 12% and Michael Bloomberg at 10%.
No other Democratic presidential candidate had double-digit support.
Michael Bloomberg’s campaign told ABC News that “it will begin sending out its first mailers — yes, physical paper letters — to 2.5 million registered Democratic voters across every single Super Tuesday state.”
“The campaign’s move pays unprecedented attention on parts of the country that normally get neglected during the Democratic primary process, especially this early on.”
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who was sworn in just last month to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), criticized Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) over his apparent willingness to hear from new witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Said Loeffler: “After 2 weeks, it’s clear that Democrats have no case for impeachment. Sadly, my colleague Senator Romney wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander Donald Trump during their 15 minutes of fame. The circus is over. It’s time to move on!”
David Richter (R) will drop his GOP primary challenge to Democrat-turned-Republican Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and instead seek to run against Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), the New Jersey Globe reports.
Said Richter: “When I decided to run for Congress, it was to flip a congressional seat. That’s already happened. I’m endorsing Jeff Van Drew.”
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.
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