Former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin is considering running for a Utah Congressional seat currently occupied by House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a source close to him told the Daily Beast.
CIA and FBI Launch Manhunt for Leaker
CBS News has learned that a manhunt is underway for a traitor inside the Central Intelligence Agency.
“The CIA and FBI are conducting a joint investigation into one of the worst security breaches in CIA history, which exposed thousands of top-secret documents that described CIA tools used to penetrate smartphones, smart televisions and computer systems.”
“Sources familiar with the investigation say it is looking for an insider — either a CIA employee or contractor — who had physical access to the material.”
Trump Adviser’s Moscow Visit Got FBI’s Attention
“Ever since FBI investigators discovered in 2013 that a Russian spy was trying to recruit an American businessman named Carter Page, the bureau maintained an occasional interest in Mr. Page. So when he became a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign last year and gave a Russia-friendly speech at a prestigious Moscow institute, it soon caught the bureau’s attention,” the New York Times reports.
“That trip last July was a catalyst for the FBI investigation into connections between Russia and President Trump’s campaign, according to current and former law enforcement officials.”
Ricketts Backs Out of Commerce Post
“Unable to untangle his complex financial holdings to the satisfaction of the Office of Government Ethics, Cubs board member Todd Ricketts, tapped by President Trump to be the Deputy Commerce Secretary, withdrew his nomination,” the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Fox Executives Fear There’s More to Come
Vanity Fair: “The move to dethrone O’Reilly, once unimaginable, crystallized over the past week, as advertisers continued to flee his show, more women came forward, and, perhaps most important, Fox News management came to realize that there was no way to stem the possibility that more accusers might surface, anonymously or not, and that O’Reilly would be a liability for the company as long as he stayed on at the network.”
“The most unsettling feeling among some at Fox News, however, is that Wednesday’s events are only the beginning. ‘There’s more to come,’ one Fox News insider told me, suggesting that there are more women with stories of harassment who have not come forward publicly. This estimation was affirmed by two people who heard such stories directly.”
CNN: What will Bill O’Reilly do now?
Russian Think Tank Had Plan to Help Elect Trump
“A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system,” three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters.
“They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework and rationale for what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the Nov. 8 election.”
“It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage U.S. voters to elect a president who would take a softer line toward Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said.”
Graham Heaps Praise on Trump
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) enthusiastically praised President Trump for his foreign policy, “a continued departure from his sharp criticism of Trump during the 2016 race and even after the election,” Politico reports.
Said Graham: “I am like the happiest dude in America right now. We have got a president and a national security team that I’ve been dreaming of for eight years.”
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Fox News Has Decided Bill O’Reilly Has to Go
Gabriel Sherman: “The Murdochs have decided Bill O’Reilly’s 21-year run at Fox News will come to an end. According to sources briefed on the discussions, network executives are preparing to announce O’Reilly’s departure before he returns from an Italian vacation on April 24. Now the big questions are how the exit will look and who will replace him.”
“Wednesday morning, according to sources, executives are holding emergency meetings to discuss how they can sever the relationship with the country’s highest-rated cable-news host without causing collateral damage to the network.”
McMullin Still In Debt from Independent Bid
Former presidential candidate Evan McMullin “still owes some $670,000 to vendors who helped his campaign, including more than half a million dollars to a law firm,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Republicans Still Divided In Georgia’s 6th
When Bob Gray (R) realized he did not make the run off in Georgia’s 6th congressional district special election, he implored his supporters to “rally behind” Karen Handel (R), who spent much of the campaign distancing herself from President Trump, the Washington Post reports.
“No one cheered; there was no applause for party unity. And why should there be? For at least some of Gray’s most hardcore supporters, they had supported him specifically because of his love for Trump.”
White House Staffers Deal with Newfound Celebrity
Politico: “Conway might be the most overexposed of President Donald Trump’s West Wing aides; in November, the Daily Mail published a 59-photo slideshow of the Republican strategist lounging poolside in her bathing suit while on a family vacation in Key Biscayne, Florida.”
“But she’s not the only White House official who has transformed into a bona fide national celebrity, completing a melding of politics and entertainment that Washington observers say has been years in the making. Photographers stake out Trump staffers’ homes or venues where they are known to be speaking. Hollywood actors have volunteered to play Trump’s aides on Saturday Night Live. And their national name recognition is abnormally high for typically inside-the-Beltway famous jobs.”
Trump Still Closely Following Obama Foreign Policy
First Read: “The Trump administration certified that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal… though Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration is weighing whether to break the deal. The Trump administration admitting that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal — despite so much GOP rhetoric to the contrary — is another reminder that, besides its rhetoric and firing off some cruise missiles in Syria, the Team Trump is still pretty much following the Obama playbook, at least when it comes to actions.”
Chaffetz Will Not Seek Re-Election
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will not seek re-election in 2018, two sources who have been informed of his decision tell BuzzFeed News.
His statement on Facebook: “For those that would speculate otherwise, let me be clear that I have no ulterior motives. I am healthy. I am confident I would continue to be re-elected by large margins. I have the full support of Speaker Ryan to continue as Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. That said, I have made a personal decision to return to the private sector.”
Fiorina Considering Senate Bid
Carly Fiorina (R) is “strongly considering” a run to unseat Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in 2018, an adviser to the former presidential candidate told CNN.
Adelson Gave $5 Million for Trump Inauguration
Sheldon Adelson, “the casino magnate and stalwart Republican donor, gave $5 million to support the festivities surrounding President Trump’s inauguration,” the New York Times reports.
“The gift was the largest single contribution ever given to an inauguration, but far from the only seven-figure check deposited by the committee responsible for carrying out much of the pomp leading up to Mr. Trump’s swearing in.”
Associated Press: “Powered by billionaires and corporations, President Donald Trump raised $107 million for his inaugural festivities, documents filed with the Federal Election Commission show, and nearly doubled the record set by President Barack Obama eight years ago.”
Poll Suggests Cruz Could Be Vulnerable
A new Texas Lyceum poll finds Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) edging Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a potential 2018 Senate matchup, 35% to 31%.
In a matchup between Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), the two are tied at 30%.
North Korea Images Show Volleyball, Not Nuclear Tests
“U.S. experts who have been forecasting an imminent North Korean nuclear test said on Tuesday they were surprised when they viewed their latest satellite images of the country’s nuclear test site and saw volleyball games under way,” Reuters reports.
“With tension mounting between Pyongyang and Washington, analysts had thought they would see activity suggesting preparations for an underground explosion at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and were not expecting what the photos, taken on Sunday by a commercial satellite, revealed.”