“When we’re not stepping up, other voices fill the void. The good news is in two months, we have a chance to restore sanity in our politics.”
— Former President Barack Obama, quoted by Axios.
Stone Seeks Firing of ‘Insubordinate Hillbilly’ Sessions
President Trump’s friend and informal adviser Roger Stone called on him Saturday to fire “insubordinate hillbilly” Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the HuffPost reports.
Stone also said Trump should axe Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Prosecutors Back Off ‘Red Sparrow’ Spy Allegations
“The alleged Russian spy Maria Butina said she planned to use members of Donald Trump’s entourage to shape his views on Russia shortly before meeting one of Trump’s sons during the 2016 election campaign,” the Guardian reports.
“But the prosecutors also conceded in a filing to court late on Friday that they may have wrongly accused Butina of offering sex in return for a job, after her attorneys protested against the government’s portrayal of her as a Red Sparrow seductress.”
Giuliani’s Ex-Wife to Write Tell-All About Him
“Rudy Giuliani’s feisty soon-to-be ex-wife Judith Nathan Giuliani is writing an explosive book about her estranged husband and his inner circle of powerful allies,” the New York Post reports.
“A source close to Judith said she has been in talks with at least three publishing houses about her book, which promises to lift the lid on the private side of President Trump’s prevaricating personal lawyer and the wealthy circles he operates in.”
Pence ‘Disappointed’ Obama Broke Tradition
Vice President Pence told Fox News that it was “very disappointing” to see former President Obama return to the campaign trail and “become so political.”
Said Pence: “It was very disappointing to see President Obama break with the tradition of former presidents, and become so political and roll out the same tired argument that he and liberals have made over the last eight years.”
Trump Won’t Enforce Agreement with Stormy Daniels
President Trump said he “will not attempt to enforce a nondisclosure agreement blocking porn star Stormy Daniels from revealing details of her alleged affair with him,” ABC News reports.
Said Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti: “I have been practicing law for nearly 20 years. Never before have I seen a defendant so frightened to be deposed as Donald Trump, especially for a guy that talks so tough. He is desperate and doing all he can to avoid having to answer my questions. He is all hat and no cattle.”
Booker to Keynote Democratic Gala In Iowa
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) “will headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s fall gala next month in what will be the first Iowa appearance from a major 2020 potential presidential candidate this election cycle,” the Des Moines Register reports.
“Others candidates — both declared and considering—have appeared in the first-in-the-nation caucus state in recent months, but none have had the kind of national political profile that Booker carries.”
Pence Denies Discussing 25th Amendment
Vice President Mike Pence denied to CBS News being a part of discussions to invoke the 25th Amendment, removing President Trump from office.
GOP Thinks Obama Message Will Rally Their Base
Former President Barack Obama blasted President Trump and called on voters to show up in November, USA Today reports.
“But many Republicans saw the former president’s re-entry on the campaign trail as a net positive for them. They were happy to have their old nemesis back to grab headlines and rally the base, particularly after a brutal week for the Trump Administration.”
Trump Adviser Says Cruz Could Lose Seat
President Trump’s budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, expressed confidence to Republican donors that the party would overcome a Democratic “movement of hate” in November, but he acknowledged Republicans could lose races where they have nominated candidates who are not seen as “likable” enough, like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the New York Times reports.
Said Mulvaney: “They want you to think there’s a blue wave when there’s not.”
But Mr. Mulvaney “conceded that Republicans had nominated poor candidates in places and might struggle to defend a huge number of open House seats where Republican incumbents decided not to run for re-election.”
Battle for the Senate Could Provide the Most Drama
Dan Balz: “For months now, the focus of Campaign 2018, rightly, has been on control of the House. All the metrics continue to point to a midterm election in which Democrats could seize control of that chamber. But for sheer drama and unpredictability, the contest for control of the Senate could be the place to look.”
“No clear pattern is emerging in many of these races, which means a fall campaign in which strategists in both parties alternately dream of emerging with control of the chamber or sweating that the outcome will leave them in the minority.”
For members: Why a Wave May Help Democrats Take the Senate
Collins Has Received 3,000 Coat Hangers
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has received 3,000 coat hangers, symbolizing back-alley abortions, from activists trying to persuade her to vote against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the AP reports.
Meanwhile, CrowdPAC has already raised more than $750,000 which will go to Collins’s Democratic opponent in 2020 should Collins vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
Why a Wave May Help Democrats Take the Senate
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Bonus Quote of the Day
“I can’t be held responsible for his actions. I can only be held responsible for my own actions. The one thing about this president, he certainly communicates with the people of this country and lets them know what he thinks.”
— Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA), in interview with CNBC, on whether she thinks President Trump is dangerous.
Presidents of War
Out next month: Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss.
This looks like a must-read book.
Why Are So Many People Crying Around Trump?
Daniel Dale notes that, according to President Trump, a lot of people end up crying around him.
“We can say that he is making some of them up. About the others, we can say that a curious number of people sure seem to be bursting into grateful tears in Trump’s presence.”
“The crying characters in Trump’s stories tend to share three characteristics: they are male, they are ‘tough’ or ‘strong,’ and they do not have names.”
Sasse Said He’s Considered Leaving the GOP
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) acknowledged on Twitter that he “regularly” considers leaving the Republican party.
Sasse was responding to someone who said they left the Democratic party to become a “no party” voter and asked the GOP senator if he ever considered following suit.
Obama vs. Trump
Politico: “Barack Obama went hard. Donald Trump hardly responded. Friday was the day Republicans and Democrats and pretty much every reporter and political obsessive has been dreaming of — the two presidents who couldn’t be more different, who are both the throbbing hearts of their own bases and the nightmare of the others’ — going head to head.”
“Six weeks before the midterms that are existential for both of their visions of the future, Obama unleashed for the first time with an indictment of Trump and Republicans that stopped just short of calling them traitors to the American ideal. Trump, who’s been swiping at Obama on Twitter and other appearances almost every chance he gets and months ago said Democrats who didn’t clap for his state of the union address had committed treason, made a joke about sleeping through it. A few hours later, he congratulated himself for the joke.”
