Political Wire

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!

Morrison Confirms Quid Pro Quo

October 31, 2019 at 4:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A National Security Council aide testified on Thursday that a top diplomat who was close to President Trump told him that a package of military assistance for Ukraine would not be released until the country committed to investigating Mr. Trump’s political rivals, corroborating a key episode at the center of the impeachment inquiry,” the New York Times reports.

“The closed-door deposition by Timothy Morrison, who announced his resignation on Wednesday on the eve of his appearance before impeachment investigators, suggests that a Trump-appointed ambassador proposed a quid pro quo in which security assistance money allocated by Congress would be provided only in exchange for the political investigations the president was seeking. His account confirmed the one given last week by Ambassador William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, during his private testimony.”

Aaron Blake: If Republicans think Tim Morrison’s testimony is good news for Trump, they’re grasping at straws.

White House Official Willing to Testify Publicly

October 31, 2019 at 2:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

ABC News: “Vindman, the first current White House official to cooperate with House impeachment investigators and appear on Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition, is willing to testify publicly in the next phase of the inquiry.”

“Vindman, the first witness to appear on Capitol Hill with firsthand knowledge of the call, has not yet been formally contacted by House impeachment investigators about testifying in public.”

Bullock Tricks Scaramucci Into Giving Endorsement

October 31, 2019 at 2:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci accused Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) of trying to “set me up” over a recorded message of support solicited through a booking service, The Hill reports.

Bullock jokingly thanked Scaramucci for his “contribution” to his campaign after paying $100 to Cameo, a booking service in which users pay public figures to deliver personalized messages.

Trump Pushing New Round of Tax Cuts

October 31, 2019 at 2:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“White House officials and congressional Republicans have begun early talks on a new package of tax reductions and economic growth measures, under pressure from President Trump, who is agitating to announce a new tax cut proposal heading into the 2020 election,” the Washington Post reports.

“The early-stage discussions reflect Trump’s desire to refocus the economic narrative amid some signs of a slowing economy, and after the major Republican tax cut package of 2017 failed to produce enduring economic benefits or political gains for the GOP.”

Trump’s Base Isn’t That Excited About Him

October 31, 2019 at 2:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Aaron Blake looks at the latest Associated Press/NORC poll and suggests the most troubling finding for President Trump “is this one: 41% of Republicans say that Trump doesn’t make them feel ‘excited.’ A strong majority (58%) says Trump does make them feel excited, but this is still 4 in 10 Republicans who aren’t excited about their Republican president.”

“That’s hardly the kind of base discipline you would want to brag about. And it’s a far cry from the raucous support you see at Trump’s rallies.”

The Testimony of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman

October 31, 2019 at 2:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Chris Riback has the latest in his “Docupod” series: The testimony of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, before the House impeachment inquiry.

Tillerson Says Says Climate Change ‘With Us Forever More’

October 31, 2019 at 2:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It’s rare for a current or former leader of one of the world’s largest energy producers to testify under oath about climate change. That’s why a New York courtroom was packed on Wednesday to see ex-Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson take the witness stand and explain that the company knew for years how it was a significant threat to the world,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Tillerson: “We knew, we knew it was a real issue. We knew it was a serious issue and we knew it was one that’s going to be with us now, forevermore, and it’s not something that was just suddenly going to disappear off of our concern list because it is going to be with us for certainly well beyond my lifetime.”

Why Democrats Are Nearly Unanimous on Impeachment

October 31, 2019 at 1:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

When Speaker Nancy Pelosi polled the Democratic caucus about a formal vote earlier this month, it was quickly shot down by nervous moderates who represent districts won by President Trump in 2016.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Giuliani, Cybersecurity Adviser, Locked Out of His iPhone

October 31, 2019 at 1:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Less than a month after he was named President Trump’s cybersecurity adviser in 2017, Rudy Giuliani walked into an Apple store in downtown San Francisco. He wasn’t looking for a new gadget. Giuliani was looking for help.”

“He was locked out of his iPhone because he had forgotten the passcode and entered the wrong one at least 10 times.”

The Backstory on Katie Hill’s Nude Photos

October 31, 2019 at 12:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Times got the back story on how the nude photos of Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) wound up online — and it includes GOP operatives who had previously worked for Steve Knight (R), her opponent for Congress.

“Conservative websites soon revealed that they had obtained some of Hill’s private texts and nude photos of her, including one with a campaign aide. The main authors of the articles, it turns out, were former campaign advisors to Steve Knight, the Republican congressman ousted by Hill a year ago.”

Ivanka Trump Weighs In On Impeachment

October 31, 2019 at 12:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ivanka Trump tweeted a quote from Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to his daughter: “…surrounded by enemies and spies catching and perverting every word that falls from my lips or flows from my pen, and inventing where facts fail them.”

She added: “Some things never change, dad!”

Ex-GOP Senator Would Vote to Impeach Trump

October 31, 2019 at 11:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In March of 1974, then-Washington Attorney General Slade Gorton (R) broke with fellow Republicans with a public call for President Richard Nixon’s resignation amid revelations of abuse of power related to the Watergate scandal,” the Seattle Times reports.

“More than four decades later, with Congress poised to take a key vote Thursday to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Gorton is once again at odds with most in his party, who have dismissed the Ukraine investigation as a partisan witch hunt.”

Said Gorton, who later became a U.S. Senator: “I reached the conclusion that there are a dozen actions on this president’s part that warrant a vote of impeachment in the House.”

Trump Reflects on Scalise Shooting

October 31, 2019 at 11:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

At a GOP fundraising event, President Trump reflected on the shooting of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) a few years ago “and remarked how tough the Louisiana Republican is – and Trump quipped he wouldn’t recommend getting shot as a weight loss plan,” Politico reports.

Trump also said Scalise’s wife “cried her eyes out when I met her at the hospital that fateful day… I mean not many wives would react that way to tragedy, I know mine wouldn’t.”

Impeachment Resolution Passes House

October 31, 2019 at 11:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The impeachment resolution introduced by the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives reached a majority, 232 to 196, clearing the way for public hearings.

Reps. Colin Peterson (D-MN) and Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) voted against the resolution, while every House Republican opposed the measure.

Rep. Justin Amash (I-VT), who recently left the Republican party, joined the vast majority of Democrats in supporting the resolution.

Grassley Says He’ll Bump Graham as Judiciary Chairman

October 31, 2019 at 11:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is planning to take back the gavel of the influential Judiciary Committee if Republicans keep control of the Senate after the 2020 election, The Hill reports.

“Grassley chaired the Judiciary Committee for four years, from 2015 to 2019, but handed over the top spot to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in January so that he could take over the Finance Committee.”

“But under Senate GOP rules, Grassley hits his term limit for the finance panel at the end of 2020. He’s informed Graham that he intends to use his seniority to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee starting in 2021.”

The Economy, Then and Now

October 31, 2019 at 10:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The U.S. economy grew at a 1.9% annual rate for the 3rd quarter, leading CNBC to look back at how President Trump described 1.9% GDP in 2012.

Said Trump: “The economy is in deep trouble.”

And here’s how Trump described the economy yesterday: “The Greatest Economy in American History!”

Pelosi Says Democracy Is at Stake

October 31, 2019 at 10:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In a speech on the House floor, Speaker Nancy Pelosi framed the impeachment resolution, and the broader inquiry, as a measure to defend democracy.

Said Pelosi: “This Constitution is the blueprint for our republic—and not a monarchy. But when we have a president who says Article Two says I can do whatever I want, that is in defiance of the separation of powers. That’s not what our Constitution says.”

She added: “What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy.”

White House Official Will Confirm Quid Pro Quo

October 31, 2019 at 10:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Morrison is expected to tell impeachment investigators on Thursday that the account offered by Ambassador William Taylor, is accurate, particularly that Morrison alerted him to the president’s and his deputies’ push to withhold security aid and a meeting with the Ukrainian president until Ukraine announced an investigation of the Bidens and 2016 election interference, the person said on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.”

“Morrison will also say that he did not necessarily view the president’s demands as improper or illegal, but rather problematic for U.S. policy in supporting an ally in the region.”

Josh Rogin: “Democrats might not want to pin their impeachment hopes on his testimony Thursday, because there are three things Morrison is not: a whistleblower, a Never Trumper or a potential member of the Resistance… Morrison will likely try to stick to the facts, be honest and not burn his bosses or the president in the process. That won’t be easy.”