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Schiff Says There’s ‘Direct Evidence’ Trump Colluded

March 3, 2019 at 11:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) told CBS News that a Russian lawyer’s 2016 offer of damaging information on Hillary Clinton to members of the Trump campaign amounts to “direct evidence” of collusion.

Said Schiff: “I think there is direct evidence in the emails from the Russians through their intermediary offering dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of what is described in writing as the Russian government effort to help elect Donald Trump. They offer that dirt. There is an acceptance of that offer in writing form the president’s son, Don Jr., and there is overt acts and furtherance of that.”

He added: “That to me is direct evidence. But there’s also abundant circumstantial evidence.”

Cohen Trying to Find Edit Trail for False Statement

March 3, 2019 at 11:31 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Cohen’s legal team is trying to find drafts of a false statement he made to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow project in 2017 “that would reflect who edited what, and turn them over to lawmakers,” the Washington Post reports.

Bonus Quote of the Day

March 3, 2019 at 11:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There’s no one that could factually say there’s not plenty of evidence of collaboration or communications between Trump Organization and Russians.”

— Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), in an interview with NBC News.

Pennsylvania Democrats Worry About Party’s Drift

March 3, 2019 at 10:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“This should be an upbeat moment for Pennsylvania Democrats, desperate to deprive President Trump of a second term,” the New York Times reports.

“In elections last year, two Trump-like Republicans running for governor and senator lost to Democrats by blowout margins. Four Democrats wrestled away Republican-held congressional seats, including Conor Lamb, whose victory here outside Pittsburgh seemed to be a template for how to win back voters in Trump country.”

“But, listening to strategists and voters in a critical state for Democrats, the midterms feel like a long time ago. Instead, there are widespread worries that the momentum in Pennsylvania, and in other key Rust Belt states, could screech to a halt if the issues in the 2020 presidential primaries and the party’s eventual nominee stray too far left for the region’s many centrist voters.”

House Judiciary Plans Flurry of Document Requests

March 3, 2019 at 10:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told ABC News that his committee will be issuing document requests on Monday to “begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.”

Said Nadler: “Tomorrow, we will be issuing document requests to over 60 different people and individuals from the White House to the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, Jr., Allen Weisselberg, to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.”

Quote of the Day

March 3, 2019 at 10:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Show me where the president did anything to be impeached. I think Congressman Nadler decided to impeach the president the day the president won the election.”

— House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), in an interview on ABC News.

Key Lawmaker Says Trump Obstructed Justice

March 3, 2019 at 10:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) told ABC News that “it’s very clear” that President Trump obstructed justice.

Said Nadler: “1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a ‘witch hunt.’ He tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to ‘stop the Russia thing,’ as he told NBC News. He’s dangled pardons, he’s intimidated witnesses in public.”

Saudi Arabia Said to Have Tortured U.S. Citizen

March 3, 2019 at 9:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “A dual citizen of Saudi Arabia and the United States had been imprisoned in the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh for about a week when he heard a knock on his door.”

“Guards dragged Walid Fitaihi, a Harvard-trained physician, to another room, according to a friend who took down the prisoner’s detailed account of his treatment. Dr. Fitaihi told the friend he was slapped, blindfolded, stripped to his underwear and bound to a chair. He was shocked with electricity in what appears to have been a single session of torture that lasted about an hour.”

“His tormentors whipped his back so severely that he could not sleep on it for days, his friend said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals. The doctor had described the physical abuse, in general terms, to his relatives as well, a person close to them said.”

2020 Will Be Uphill Race for Trump

March 3, 2019 at 9:09 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds just 41% of voters say they would re-elect President Trump next year, while 48% say they will vote for the Democratic candidate.

Key findings: 58% don’t think he’s been honest and truthful regarding the Russia probe and 60% disapprove of his recent national emergency declaration to build a border wall.

“But Democrats who want to defeat Trump have hurdles of their own. The president’s job rating remains stable with nearly 90 percent of Republicans approving of his job. And a majority of Americans remain confident in the economy, believing that there won’t be a recession in the next year.”

How Trump Speaks Like a Mob Boss

March 3, 2019 at 8:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office uncharacteristically issued a statement in January disputing a BuzzFeed report that President Trump told Michael Cohen to lie before Congress. BuzzFeed stood by its story and asked for (but never received) clarification over what the special counsel’s office thought was wrong.

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Nevada Democrats Push to Join Popular Vote Compact

March 3, 2019 at 7:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats in Nevada are again pushing to join an interstate compact to let the national popular vote determine the winner of the presidency,” the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.

“It’s the third time the proposal has gone before lawmakers in Nevada in the last decade, with the previous efforts falling short of making it to the governor’s desk.”

“But the proposal has gained traction recently in other states, including Colorado, where Gov. Jared Polis is set to sign the measure after it was approved by state lawmakers. And with Democrats in Nevada controlling both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s mansion for the first time in decades, Nevada could follow suit.”

Lloyd Omdahl: “In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a national movement to bypass the Electoral College in favor of direct election of the president.”

Biden Trying to Line Up Donors Before Entering Race

March 3, 2019 at 7:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former Vice President Joe Biden is trying to get donors to commit to his presidential campaign before launching a much-anticipated bid in the coming weeks,” The Hill reports.

“Sources close to Biden expect him to enter the race, but they say he is trying to get his fundraising in line in an effort to start strong out of the gates.”

Democratic Fight for Nevada Is Wide Open

March 3, 2019 at 7:40 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “While the lion’s share of media attention is focused on Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Democratic hopefuls from Elizabeth Warren to Kamala Harris to Michael Bloomberg are quietly making early, behind-the-scenes moves that underscore the state’s sway: Warren has moved quickest to establish state-level campaign infrastructure, while Harris dropped into Nevada this weekend and Bloomberg, as well as Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, have met with the influential Culinary Union in the past week.”

“The activity highlights the 2020 opportunity available in Nevada, which operatives described as wide-open and waiting for a candidate to stake a strong claim to the state.”

Texas GOP Moves to Shore Up the Suburbs

March 3, 2019 at 7:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Facing a rapidly changing voter base, anti-Trump fervor and a more motivated Democratic Party, the state GOP is moving earlier than ever to prepare after watching two House members lose in 2018 and another half-dozen win by fewer than 5 points.”

“The party has set new fundraising goals and placed field staffers in Dallas and Fort Worth nine months earlier than in the last election cycle to facilitate more engagement with voters, with plans to expand the early hiring to other major metro areas to stanch bleeding Republican support in the suburbs.”

How the North Korea Summit Fell Apart

March 3, 2019 at 7:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “But Mr. Trump’s offer was essentially the same deal that the United States has pushed — and the North has rejected — for a quarter century. Intelligence agencies had warned him, publicly, Mr. Kim would not be willing to give up the arsenal completely. North Korea itself had said repeatedly that it would only move gradually.”

“Several of Mr. Trump’s own aides, led by national security adviser John R. Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, thought the chances of a grand bargain for total nuclear disarmament were virtually zero. Some questioned whether the summit meeting should go forward.”

“Mr. Trump disagreed. He had taken to showing what he called Mr. Kim’s ‘beautiful letters’ to visitors to the Oval Office, as evidence he had built a rapport with one of the world’s most brutal dictators. While some in the White House worried Mr. Trump was being played, the president seemed entranced — even declaring ‘we fell in love.'”

SNL Takes On the Michael Cohen Hearings

March 3, 2019 at 7:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Saturday Night Live opened on C-SPAN and the congressional testimony of Michael Cohen — played as always by special guest Ben Stiller.

California Seeks Relevance In Presidential Politics

March 3, 2019 at 7:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Times: “The moving of California’s 2020 presidential primary to March 3 — nipping at the heels of the four traditional early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — is the latest bid to play with the calendar in hopes of gaining more electoral relevance. This will be the fifth time since 1992 the state has moved its presidential primary. It’s bounced from June, March, February and back again.”

“The perpetual tinkering underscores how California just can’t seem to shake its political inferiority complex.”

Lawmakers Probe Possible Pardon Talks with Cohen

March 2, 2019 at 10:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Lawmakers are investigating whether President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was involved in any discussions about possible pardons — which they view as a potentially ripe area of inquiry into whether anyone sought to obstruct justice,” the Washington Post reports.

“Cohen has said publicly he never asked for — and would not accept — a pardon from Trump. But people familiar with the matter said his knowledge on the topic seems to extend beyond that statement.”