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Pelosi Says Barr Lied to Congress

May 2, 2019 at 11:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Attorney General William Barr lied to Congress, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Pelosi: “What is deadly serious about it is the attorney general of the United States of America was not telling the truth to the Congress of the United States. That’s a crime. … He lied to Congress. And if anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime. Nobody is above the law. Not the president of the United States, and not the attorney general.”

She added that President Trump’s statement that he will not honor any subpoenas from Congress is obstruction of justice.

Politico: “Pelosi also told her colleagues at the caucus meeting that she couldn’t sleep Wednesday night after watching Barr’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

Trump Says Biden Is ‘Not as Smart’ as Sanders

May 2, 2019 at 11:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump told Boston Herald Radio that Joe Biden is not as smart as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Said Trump: “He’s not as smart as Bernie. And he’s not as quick.”

He also slammed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): “She has gone through colleges and gotten jobs and gotten in all because she supposedly had Indian blood, and then it turned out that wasn’t true. So she’s defrauded the public. She’s defrauded the colleges and I guess other places of work, and she should be the last one to be talking.”

Trump Vows to Make 2020 a Referendum on the Border

May 2, 2019 at 11:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Trump has repeatedly told White House aides that he won in 2016 because he was the strongest candidate on immigration — and that no chant at his rallies is louder than ‘Build the wall!’ When he is underscoring his immigration stance and contrasting it with Democrats, current and former aides and associates said, Trump thinks he has the advantage.”

Top Republican Says Mueller Probe Was a Coup Attempt

May 2, 2019 at 10:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told the Washington Post that he agrees with President Trump’s assessment that he was the subject of an attempted “coup” during the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Said McCarthy: “Their actions are a coup I do not believe they were abiding by the rule of law based on what they said.”

O’Rourke Rejects Fossil Fuel Donations

May 2, 2019 at 10:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Beto O’Rourke is pledging not to take large donations from the fossil fuel industry — an about-face from his star-making run for Senate in oil-rich Texas last year when he was one of the top candidates backed by the sector,” the AP reports.

Buttigieg’s Big Gamble

May 2, 2019 at 10:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Charlotte Alter: “There are two main types of presidential candidates: those who run on policy and those who run on personality. Buttigieg says he’s a ‘policy guy,’ but he’s definitely a personality guy. His campaign is more about who he is (young, gay, Midwestern, technocratic) and what he represents (social progress, generational change, an olive branch to ‘flyover country’) than what he’ll do if he’s President…. In a primary divided between candidates who want to fight Trump and candidates who talk about uniting the country, Buttigieg is in the latter camp. That puts him out of step with the party’s activist base, who clearly want a fighter.”

“In the end, Buttigieg’s biggest gamble is his bet that voters are sick of a divided America and hungry for reconciliation. He believes independents and moderate conservatives could get behind a happily married Christian veteran. And he may be right.”

High Midterm Turnout Extended Across Racial Groups

May 2, 2019 at 10:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“More than half of U.S. eligible voters cast a ballot in 2018, the highest turnout rate for a midterm election in recent history, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The increased turnout was particularly pronounced among Hispanics and Asians, making last year’s midterm voters the most racially and ethnically diverse ever.”

“This was a stark reversal from the previous midterm year, when turnout had decreased – from 45.5% in 2010 to 41.9% in 2014.”

Foreign Leases at Trump Tower Stir Emoluments Concerns

May 2, 2019 at 9:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. State Department allowed at least seven foreign governments to rent luxury condominiums in New York’s Trump World Tower in 2017 without approval from Congress, a potential violation of the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause,” Reuters reports.

How Should Democrats React to Barr’s Snub?

May 2, 2019 at 9:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Attorney General William Barr refused to show up for a House Judiciary Committee hearing this morning.

New York Times: “The challenge for Mr. Nadler and other House committee leaders is now figuring out how to navigate to secure the material they need for their work. The Judiciary Committee could authorize another subpoena for Mr. Barr’s testimony.”

“But it then has different paths to escalating its case. Some lawmakers are arguing for opening an impeachment inquiry, which grants the House clearer powers to command information from the executive branch. Others want to hold Mr. Barr in contempt of Congress, a threat that could cajole him into voluntarily giving up more. They could also go to court to try to enforce their subpoenas. Each option has limitations and could slow Congress’s work substantially.”

NBC News: “Under the doctrine of ‘inherent contempt,’ the House or Senate could send members of its security force to arrest and detain the witness. There is precedent for this in U.S. history, but not recent precedent — it hasn’t been used since 1935.”

“In the modern world, the House sergeant-at-arms isn’t going to be able to arrest the attorney general, who is protected by an armed FBI security detail.”

Trump’s Fed Pick Underpaid Alimony for Years

May 2, 2019 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Stephen Moore, Donald Trump’s embattled pick for the Federal Reserve board of governors, has underpaid his ex-wife’s alimony bills for years, leaving her out of pocket by tens of thousands of dollars,” the Guardian reports.

“Moore has continued paying Allison Moore significantly less than required under their 2011 divorce settlement…. The underpayment persisted even after Moore was found in contempt of court in Virginia in 2012, and came close to having his home seized, after he failed to pay Allison Moore more than $300,000 he owed her at the time.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

May 2, 2019 at 8:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I don’t care how experienced you are. I don’t care how many good people you have around you. That is not a job for 80-year-olds.”

— James Carville, in a podcast interview with David Axelrod, on Joe Biden’s candidacy for president.

Bennet Launches Presidential Bid

May 2, 2019 at 8:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), “a champion of political moderation, announced Thursday that he would join the crowded Democratic presidential race,” the Washington Post reports.

House Judiciary Sets Date for Mueller Testimony

May 2, 2019 at 8:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said that the committee is eyeing May 15 as the date for special counsel Robert Mueller himself to testify, Politico reports.

Attorney General William Barr “has said he does not oppose allowing Mueller to testify, but Nadler told reporters that the committee is still negotiating with the Justice Department.”

Quote of the Day

May 2, 2019 at 8:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“China, if you’re listening, why don’t you get Trump’s tax returns?”

— Hillary Clinton, quoted by the Washington Post, offering a hypothetical as part of her argument that Republicans are letting Russia get away with having aided Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Bevin Blocks Thousands from His Social Media Accounts

May 2, 2019 at 8:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“An ongoing federal lawsuit over Gov. Matt Bevin’s habit of blocking people on Twitter and Facebook shows the Republican leader has persisted in barring users from accessing his official accounts,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

“Newly released court records say the number of accounts prohibited from readily viewing Bevin’s social media has ballooned from about 600 to nearly 3,000 different users since the Courier Journal reported on his penchant for blocking two years ago.”

Who Said Regime Change Was Easy?

May 2, 2019 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “President Trump’s top advisers woke up Tuesday believing that a rebellion in the Venezuelan military that day would galvanize a popular uprising and topple a leader they have described as a reviled despot who must be replaced. But at day’s end, President Nicolás Maduro was still in power and Mr. Trump’s advisers were left to blame Cuba, Russia and three influential Venezuelan officials, who failed to switch sides, for frustrating their plans.”

“The decision of the Venezuelans to stand with Mr. Maduro — either because they were intimidated, got cold feet or never planned to defect — raised questions about whether the United States had faulty intelligence about the ability of the opposition to peel away members of his government.”

Trump Approval on Economy Hits New High

May 2, 2019 at 7:17 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new CNN poll finds 56% of Americans say President Trump is doing a good job on the economy, a new high for his economic approval ratings.

Biden Mostly Avoids Reporters

May 2, 2019 at 7:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “So far, Biden isn’t taking questions from journalists during media gaggles on his campaign stops… Nor is he fielding questions from members of the audience at his events, though he is working the rope lines and talking to voters fairly often. And Biden did take a few questions from select pool reporters at a carefully staged event.”

“Why the caution? Biden has had a great week since his announcement. He’s tops in the polls. He’s leading in endorsements. And Trump is rage-tweeting him, making Biden look like the Democrat who most worries the president. No reason to mess that up for the once-gaffe-prone former VP if he winds up in a media scrum.”