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Kushner’s Baltimore Apartments Infested with Mice

July 28, 2019 at 4:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In a now-viral tweetstorm on Saturday, President Trump characterized Rep. Elijah Cummings’s Baltimore-based congressional district as a ‘rodent infested mess’ where ‘no human’ would want to live,” the Washington Post reports.

“His criticism rang with a particular irony in Baltimore County, where presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner owns more than a dozen apartment complexes that have been cited for hundreds of code violations and, critics say, provide substandard housing to lower-income tenants… Tenants of Kushner properties reported mouse infestations, mold problems and maggots.”

Inquiry of Trump Friend Focused on Foreign Lobbying

July 28, 2019 at 4:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Tom Barrack, the longtime friend of President Trump and the chairman of his inaugural, is the subject of a federal probe into influence peddling by foreign governments, the New York Times reports.

“Investigators have looked in particular at whether Mr. Barrack or others violated the law requiring people who try to influence American policy or opinion at the direction of foreign governments or entities to disclose their activities to the Justice Department.”

“The inquiry had proceeded far enough last month that Mr. Barrack, who played an influential role in the campaign and acts as an outside adviser to the White House, was interviewed, at his request, by prosecutors in the public integrity unit of the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn.”

The Most Consequential President of Our Time

July 28, 2019 at 3:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Scharfenberg: “When Donald Trump is gone — and someday, he will be gone — he’ll surely be remembered for all the ways he defiled American politics.”

“But if Trump’s ugliness will linger, it’s looking increasingly likely that another, more exalted legacy could surpass it. Look closely these past few weeks and you can see it taking shape.” ”

Donald Trump — the crass, cockeyed pirate of the Potomac — just might usher in the most meaningful epoch of American politics in a half-century.”

Dan Coats Expected to Step Down

July 28, 2019 at 2:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, is expected to step down in the coming days after spending his tenure at odds with President Trump over issues including Russia and Mr. Trump’s own attacks on the intelligence community,” the New York Times reports.

“To replace him the president was likely to tap Representative John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican and staunch defender of Mr. Trump. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he sharply questioned Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, at last week’s hearing.”

Nadler Straddles Line on Impeachment Inquiry

July 28, 2019 at 11:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) declined to tell ABC News whether Democrats are pursuing an official impeachment inquiry, but repeated what he wrote in a court filing last week: “We have impeachment resolutions before the committee.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

July 28, 2019 at 11:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The issue for Democrats is, are we going to spend all our time talking about impeachment, which we know they can’t get him in the Senate I mean he could rob a bank and the Senate would not convict him.”

— Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), quoted by The Hill.

Trump Stays In Touch with GOP Lawmakers

July 28, 2019 at 11:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Twitter is not the only means that Mr. Trump uses to communicate directly with his target audiences. He is also an eager caller to Capitol Hill, much more so than either of his two most recent predecessors. The constant contact is one reason that the president continues to defy predictions and retain strong Republican support, despite his often divisive public comments and unpredictable policy positions.”

Quote of the Day

July 28, 2019 at 11:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Right now the most important thing is to obtain the grand jury material, to see the evidence. And the standard the court has set, that we have really set for the court, is are we preliminary to a potential impeachment? And I believe that we are.”

— House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), in a NBC News interview.

GOP Insiders Fear Kamala Harris Is the Next Obama

July 28, 2019 at 10:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Drucker: “About the time Kamala Harris finished slicing and dicing Joe Biden, like Ed Valenti demonstrating a Ginsu knife, my cell phone started pinging with Republican operatives saying, in effect, ‘I told you so.'”

“For months I’ve been in contact with a group of senior Republican strategists keeping tabs on Donald Trump and the party’s view of the unfolding Democratic presidential primary. Since the beginning of the campaign, these people have been worried that Biden constituted the biggest political threat to Trump’s reelection. Early public opinion polls certainly lend credibility to their concerns. But a smaller, though equally distinguished group of Republican operatives in my Rolodex, a sort of GOP cult of Kamala, had been insisting for weeks that Harris was being radically underestimated. With her surgical vivisection of Biden in the first debate, it seemed their fears had been realized. Now, as Democrats prepare for a second round of debates next week, these strategists are raising the alarm.”

Trump Keeps Getting In the Way of the Economy

July 28, 2019 at 10:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dan Balz: “Any president running for reelection with an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent, sustained economic growth and a record-breaking stock market would be a strong favorite to win a second term. President Trump is the exception.”

“Trump may yet win a second term, but his prospects continue to be dragged down by, well, the president himself. Is there any other way to explain the mismatch between the current economic conditions and the current mood of a divided electorate?”

Baltimore Newspaper Lashes Out at Trump

July 28, 2019 at 7:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A Baltimore Sun editorial rips President Trump for calling Baltimore “rat infested” in a series of tweets attacking Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD):

While we would not sink to name-calling in the Trumpian manner — or ruefully point out that he failed to spell the congressman’s name correctly (it’s Cummings, not Cumming) — we would tell the most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office, the mocker of war heroes, the gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, the serial bankrupter of businesses, the useful idiot of Vladimir Putin and the guy who insisted there are “good people” among murderous neo-Nazis that he’s still not fooling most Americans into believing he’s even slightly competent in his current post. Or that he possesses a scintilla of integrity. Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one.

Trump Doubles Down on Attacks on Cummings

July 28, 2019 at 7:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump doubled down late Saturday on his attacks against Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and his Baltimore congressional district, saying that it’s “sad” that the longtime congressman has done “so little” for the city he represents, The Hill reports.

Said Trump: “So sad that Elijah Cummings has been able to do so little for the people of Baltimore… Cummings has done nothing but milk Baltimore dry, but the public is getting wise to the bad job that he is doing!”

Washington Post: “The outburst also undercut efforts by many Republicans over the past two weeks to defend Trump and insist that his earlier attacks were based in ideology rather than race.”

“But Trump’s advisers had concluded after the previous tweets that the overall message sent by such attacks is good for the president among his political base — resonating strongly with the white working-class voters he needs to win reelection in 2020.”

Big Partisan Differences on Impeachment

July 28, 2019 at 7:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds Democrats and Republicans remain largely splintered on impeaching President Trump, even as nearly half of Americans show little movement on their support or opposition to the move. Among those who read, saw or heard about Mueller’s testimony, 47% said it made no difference in their views about impeaching the president.

The public hearings had opposing impacts based on partisanship: among Democrats, 48% said they are more likely to support the process of impeachment that could ultimately lead to Trump’s removal from office, 8% said they are less likely to support impeachment and 44% said they feel the same as they did prior to Mueller’s testimony.

Whereas for Republicans, only 3% said they were more likely to support impeachment, 42% said they were less likely, and 54% were unchanged.

GOP Retirements Keep Coming

July 27, 2019 at 10:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “While we were all watching Robert Mueller and Democrats this week, here’s what happened to House Republicans: Three popular and well-respected members of Congress decided they weren’t going to run for reelection. Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell, Texas Rep. Pete Olson and Alabama Rep. Martha Roby all said they were calling it quits.”

“Republicans say they lost the House because of too many retirements last cycle, yet they are seeing a steady stream of lawmakers forgo reelection once again.”

Newsom Struggles with Trump Tax Return Bill

July 27, 2019 at 10:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “has spent the first six months of his governorship positioning himself as the West Coast anti-Trump while taking pains to distinguish himself from his legendary predecessor, Jerry Brown,” Politico reports.

“Those two strands intersect in a piece of legislation sitting on Newsom’s desk that would compel President Donald Trump and other presidential candidates to release their tax returns if they want to appear on California ballots.”

“Although going after Trump is typically political gold for Newsom, the bill — which Brown vetoed in 2017 — poses a tricky balancing act for the rookie governor: Signing it would shore up Newsom’s base and boost his national profile within the Democratic Party, with other Democratic-led states following his lead. But doing so may rile up dormant California Republicans, and fray Sacramento’s relationship with the Trump administration, which Newsom has tried to keep functional despite bitter disputes over everything from immigration to auto emissions policy.”

The Hidden Hand of the Trump Campaign

July 27, 2019 at 7:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Kushner is the hidden hand of Trump’s 2020 campaign — rarely glimpsed in its Northern Virginia headquarters but signing off behind the scenes on everything from spending to digital initiatives to top-level hires.”

“He has asked Bill Stepien, a senior political adviser to the campaign, to provide him with a 10-year plan outlining how Republicans can win inner-city voters. He speaks daily — and often multiple times a day — with Parscale, and has recommended digital and media vendors for the campaign. Campaign aides who want to brief Trump often go through him. And when Kushner suggested that the campaign bring on Kayleigh McEnany as its national press secretary, Parscale made the hire.”

“Some allies liken Kushner to a de facto campaign manager, saying his role in Trump’s reelection bid is akin to Karl Rove for President George W. Bush or James Baker for President George H.W. Bush. Some of his critics agree — but also say that Kushner lacks the political savvy of those two experienced hands, and that his position smacks of nepotism.”

Trump Rages at Elijah Cummings

July 27, 2019 at 7:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump slammed House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on Twitter as a “brutal bully,” claiming the longtime congressman’s Baltimore district is “far worse” and “more dangerous” than the southern border.

Said Trump: ““Cumming’s District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.”

McConnell Buries Election Bills In ‘Legislative Graveyard’

July 27, 2019 at 7:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is under fire from Democrats for repeatedly blocking election security legislation in recent days, The Hill reports.

“The simmering anger among Senate Democrats reached a boiling point this week when McConnell blocked two attempts to pass election bills shortly after former special counsel Robert Mueller warned that foreign governments will interfere in the 2020 elections.”

Said minority leader Chuck Schumer: “We are not going to let Leader McConnell put the bills passed by the House into his legislative graveyard without a fight. You’re going to hear from us on this issue over and over again.”