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Trump to Nominate Ex-Lobbyist as Interior Secretary

February 4, 2019 at 3:36 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump announced that he will nominate David Bernhardt, a veteran lobbyist who has helped orchestrate the administration’s push to expand oil and gas drilling as the Interior Department’s number-two official, to serve as the next secretary,” the Washington Post reports.

“If confirmed, Bernhardt, a 49-year old Colorado native known for his unrelenting work habits, would be well positioned to roll back even more of the Obama-era conservation policies he has worked to unravel since joining Interior a year and-a-half ago. He has helmed the department as acting secretary since Jan. 2, when Ryan Zinke resigned amid multiple ethics probes.”

Graham Thinks Border Wall Could Cause ‘War’ In GOP

February 4, 2019 at 2:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned that there could be a “war” among Republicans if President Trump declared a national emergency to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall, The Hill reports.

Said Graham: “It seems to me that he’s gonna have to go it alone, but there could be a war within the Republican Party over the wall.”

That said, Graham added that he would “stand with” Trump if he declares a national emergency to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall and urged his Republican colleagues to “get behind the president” if he goes down that path.

Judge Clears Courtroom to Hear Manafort Evidence

February 4, 2019 at 2:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The federal judge who must decide whether Paul Manafort lied to investigators after pledging to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe began a hearing Monday in a sealed courtroom to discuss secret evidence gathered by the government,” Bloomberg reports.

Christie May Run for President Again

February 4, 2019 at 2:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he isn’t ruling out a presidential run in 2024, adding that he would only do it if he could “see a pathway to victory,” Politico reports.

Said Christie: “Yeah, listen, why not? I’m 56 years old, so you have to see… I’m not someone who wants to do it just to go through the exercise. But if I saw a pathway to victory and a way to make a difference, I certainly would consider it.”

Jeff Bezos Wins the Trump Era

February 4, 2019 at 1:54 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Two years into Donald Trump’s presidency, the man who has profited most from the era is his foremost nemesis in the business world, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos,” Bloomberg reports.

“Trump has repeatedly vilified Bezos, threatening his company with tax increases, antitrust prosecution and higher shipping fees, attacking the Bezos-owned Washington Post as a ‘scam’ and even mocking the billionaire for his pending divorce. No figure in corporate America is attacked more often in Trump’s Twitter posts.”

“Yet no one has made more money than Bezos since Trump’s election. The president’s social-media huffing and puffing hasn’t hurt a solidly constructed business riding the rise of electronic commerce, web advertising and cloud computing.”

Virginia Lt. Gov Denies Sexual Assault Allegation

February 4, 2019 at 12:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) has threatened legal action against a conservative website that aired what Fairfax’s office called a “defamatory and false” sexual assault allegation against him, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

Fairfax would become the governor if Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is forced to resign over his racist yearbook photo.

New York Times: “As Northam met Monday morning with advisers in the state capitol complex here to discuss his future, stunned legislators arrived to word of the middle-of-the-night statement by the Fairfax aides after the publication of the story by the right-wing website, Big League Politics.”

“The allegation threw Virginia’s government into a deeper state of chaos, just two days after Mr. Northam admitted that in 1984 he had used shoe polish to darken his face for a Michael Jackson-themed dance party but denied in the same year that he had appeared in blackface or a Ku Klux Klan robe.”

Big Majority Thinks It’s Time for a New President

February 4, 2019 at 12:24 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll finds just 38% of registered voters think that President Trump should be re-elected in 2020. A majority of 57% say it is time for someone new in the Oval Office.

The party breakdown: 79% of Republicans back a second term for the president while 94% of Democrats say it is time for someone new. Meanwhile, 55% of independent voters want a change while 39% support the incumbent.

Interestingly, 43% of Republican voters and independents who lean Republican would like to see Trump face a primary challenge.

Biden Leads the Democratic Field

February 4, 2019 at 12:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll finds that among a possible field of 19 announced and potential contenders, Joe Biden currently has the support of 29% of Democratic voters, followed by 16% for Sen. Bernie Sanders and 11% for Sen. Kamala Harris.

Other candidates who register support include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (8%), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (7%), former Mayor Mike Bloomberg (4%), Sen. Cory Booker (4%), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (2%). The other 11 candidates asked about in the survey receive support from no more than 1% of Democratic voters at this time.

Senators Grow Concerned Over Trump Vacancies

February 4, 2019 at 11:58 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“From the Justice Department to Veterans Affairs, vast swaths of the government have top positions filled by officials serving in an acting capacity — or no one at all. More than two years into Trump’s term, the president has an acting chief of staff, attorney general, defense secretary, interior secretary, Office of Management and Budget director and Environmental Protection Agency chief,” the Washington Post reports.

“To deal with the number of vacancies in the upper ranks of departments, agencies have been relying on novel and legally questionable personnel moves that could leave the administration’s policies open to court challenges.”

“The lack of permanent leaders has started to alarm top congressional Republicans who are pressing for key posts to be filled.”

Lieberman Defends Northam Amid Calls for Resignation

February 4, 2019 at 11:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) offered a rare voice of support Monday for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) staying in office amid the controversy over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook, the Washington Post reports.

Said Lieberman: “I think there’s a rush to judgment that is unfair to him. One, he says he wasn’t in that picture. Two, I think we ought to fairly ask him, ‘Did he know the picture was on his page of that yearbook?’ And then three, really, he ought to be judged on the context of his whole life.”

He added: “I think he deserves a chance to prove what really is his essence, not to rush him out of office, unfortunately for political reasons.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

February 4, 2019 at 10:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I get the audacity of somebody like me talking about running for this office, but frankly it’s a leap for anybody.”

— South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in an interview with ABC News, on running for president.

Reid Stops Short of Endorsing Warren for President

February 4, 2019 at 9:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Boston Globe that he won’t endorse Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for president, but added that he is willing to do anything else to help her.

Said Reid: “She’s a good person. I think the world of her. My Nevada politics keep me from publicly endorsing her, which I will not do. But anything I can do to help Elizabeth Warren short of the endorsement, I will do.”

Democrats Unite In Calling for Northam to Step Aside

February 4, 2019 at 9:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

James Hohmann: “The deafening chorus demanding Ralph Northam’s resignation suggests that Americans could be on the precipice of a #MeToo moment for racial politics.”

“Many of Northam’s longtime friends and erstwhile allies, including African American leaders and four of his Democratic predecessors as governor, dismissed his pleas for patience and called on him to step aside over a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. The speed and intensity with which they did so reflects some of the ways that the political culture, nationally and in the South specifically, is changing.”

First Read notes that “nearly the entire Democratic Party” now has called for Northam to resign and “the party is united in demonstrating that it has zero tolerance for any past racist behavior from its politicians.”

Woman Who Confronted Flake Will Attend SOTU

February 4, 2019 at 8:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ana Maria Archila, the woman who had a widely seen confrontation with former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) last year over his support for then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Tuesday will attend the State of the Union address as a guest of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), The Hill reports.

Solid Majority Oppose Border Wall

February 4, 2019 at 8:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Gallup poll finds 60% of Americans oppose major new construction of walls along the U.S.-Mexico border — the goal behind President Trump’s budget showdown with Democratic leaders that led to a record 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government.

Biden Is Close to Saying Yes

February 4, 2019 at 8:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Atlantic: “Joe Biden reliably blows through every public and private deadline for making a decision about running for president. But he’s giving everyone he’s seen in recent weeks the feeling that he’s very close to saying yes.”

“Top positions for a campaign have been sketched out. Donor outreach has accelerated, with Biden himself telling staff at some events to write down the names of people who say they’re eager to help. A list of potential “day-one endorsers” among elected officials has been prepared. Basic staff outreach is happening. Biden has even joked to people that he’s upped his daily workout to get in shape.”

Said one insider: “I have been told that if it happens, I need to be ready to go with a moment’s notice.”

Quote of the Day

February 4, 2019 at 8:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“You can’t impeach somebody for doing the best job of any president, in the history of our country.”

— President Trump, in an interview with CBS News.

Big Leak Rattles the White House

February 4, 2019 at 7:26 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The massive leak of President Trump’s private schedules “set off internal finger-pointing and speculation more fevered than any since the New York Times‘ anonymous op-ed,” Axios reports. “White House insiders said the leak sowed chaos.”

Said Cliff Sims, author of Team of Vipers: “There are leaks, and then there are leaks. If most are involuntary manslaughter, this was premeditated murder. People inside are genuinely scared.”

Maggie Haberman: “A White House aide is weaponizing his schedules, which says a lot about how people in the White House feel about the man they work for.”