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Reality TV Becomes Reality Politics

August 24, 2018 at 10:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Matthew Continetti: “I had assumed that Trump’s unusual background would limit his influence over candidate behavior. As Cohen, Omarosa, and Avenatti show, one has to be removed from statehouses and governor’s mansions to practice reality politics. Recent events give me second thoughts.”

“The emergence of these anti-Trumps suggests that there is a future for outsiders versed in tabloids, wrestling, and ‘structured reality.’… Maybe Americans can’t get enough of the drama. Or maybe they will be so exhausted at the end of the road on which we have embarked that they will revert to the tried, the placid, the conventional, the deliberate, and the upright.”

Trump’s Distorted View of Justice

August 24, 2018 at 10:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “Think about it: He praises and pardons friends/allies who have committed crimes (Manafort, Joe Arpaio, Dinesh D’Souza), but calls for the prosecution of enemies who haven’t been charged at all (Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Peter Strzok, Christopher Steele).”

“And as others have pointed out, Trump continues to use mob-boss language: Manafort ‘refused to break’ … White House counsel Don McGahn must be a John Dean type ‘RAT’ … ‘Flipping’ ought to be outlawed.”

“This is the president of the United States of America.”

Trump Administration Slowing Vetting of Refugees

August 24, 2018 at 8:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The FBI has dramatically slowed the pace of security reviews for refugees in recent months, which former Trump administration officials and human rights advocates say is part of an intentional bid by White House hardliners to restrict the number of refugees allowed in the U.S.,” NBC News reports.

“Former officials and aid organizations say the administration has overloaded the FBI and other government agencies with an array of procedures that have weighed down the bureaucracy and effectively delayed refugee admissions.”


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GOP Talks About Impeachment More Than Democrats

August 24, 2018 at 8:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Perry Bacon: “If the Democrats are planning to impeach Trump if they win control of the House, they are doing a really great job of hiding it. Congressional Democrats aren’t talking about impeachment.”

“And it’s not just Democratic leaders who aren’t talking about impeachment. As part of FiveThirtyEight’s project looking at what types of Democrats are doing well in primaries for Senate, House and governor this year, we looked at the campaign website for each of the 811 people who, as of Aug. 7, had appeared on the ballot in Democratic primaries for races with no Democratic incumbent. Only one candidate (Nate Kleinman, running for a House seat in New Jersey) featured a call for impeaching Trump on his website.”

Closing In

August 24, 2018 at 8:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Here’s next week’s cover of The New Yorker:

Hunter Defends Misuse of Funds with Same Funds

August 24, 2018 at 8:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-CA) legal defense is coming from the same campaign coffers he and his wife are accused of misusing, so far amounting to more than $600,000 for the lawyers,” Roll Call reports.

“Federal Election Commission filings show Hunter’s campaign made payments for ‘legal services’ or ‘legal fees’ to eight different law firms in excess of $600,000 during the 2018 election cycle. This includes disbursements of $182,000 to the San Diego-based law firm Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, which is representing Hunter in the grand jury investigation. The five-term GOP incumbent and his wife were indicted for allegedly using $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use.”

New York May Open Tax Investigation Into Cohen

August 24, 2018 at 7:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A person familiar with the matter tells the Associated Press that New York’s attorney general is looking to open a criminal investigation into whether Michael Cohen also violated state tax law.

Trump as Mob Boss

August 24, 2018 at 7:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Somewhere, former mob boss John Gotti, rotting in his grave, must be smiling.”

Axios: “When President Trump told Fox & Friends that this ‘whole thing about flipping … almost ought to be outlawed,’ he was continuing a long habit of declaring what he thinks laws and the legal system should be, and ignoring what they are.”

Pakistan Says U.S. Lied About Phone Call

August 24, 2018 at 7:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pakistan has called for the United States to amend what its foreign ministry described as a “factually incorrect” account of a phone call between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and new Prime Minister Imran Khan, Reuters reports.

The State Department readout of the call said Pompeo wished Khan success and also asked Khan to take “decisive action against all terrorists operating in Pakistan.”

Said a Pakistani spokesman: “Pakistan takes exception to the factually incorrect statement issued by U.S. State Dept on today’s phone call. There was no mention at all in the conversation about terrorists operating in Pakistan. This should be immediately corrected.”

Trump Tells Sessions to Look at Corruption on ‘Other Side’

August 24, 2018 at 7:41 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to “look into all of the corruption on the ‘other side’” after the attorney general disputed Trump’s assertion a day earlier that Sessions had failed to take control of the Department of Justice, ABC News reports.

New York Times: “Mr. Trump listed people and political enemies who he believes deserve the attention of the Justice Department, including the targets of conservative conspiracy theories that claim the Russia investigation was motivated by politics.”

More Than 500 Migrant Kids Still Separated from Parents

August 24, 2018 at 7:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration has still not reunited over 500 migrant children with their parents after separating families at the border in recent months,” the HuffPost reports.

“In a status report, the government’s lawyers said that 528 children remained in government-contracted shelters without their parents as of Aug. 20 ― nearly a month after the court-ordered July 26 deadline to reunify separated families.”

Democrats’ Ad Strategy Is to Focus on Issues

August 24, 2018 at 7:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

McClatchy: “Since the president’s election, Democratic Party leaders have vowed to emphasize pocketbook issues, convinced that an economic focus was necessary to win over the most voters in November. But Trump has made it difficult, using his bully pulpit — and the all-consuming attention he commands in the media — to compel Democrats to discuss anything but the economy, from kneeling NFL players to special counsel Bob Mueller’s investigation.”

“Now, however, Democrats say the election gives their candidates and allied groups a chance to force the conversation back to economic issues by paying for messages delivered directly to voters.”

“Democrats think an economic message best unites their liberal base and many of the white working-class voters who backed the president in 2016. Impressions of Trump are already hardened, and trying to change how voters regard the president or how congressional Republicans treat him is a difficult effort even if backed by tens of millions of dollars in spending.”

Avenatti Stirs Up DNC Meeting

August 24, 2018 at 6:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The media circled him. Onlookers stopped him to take selfies. His entrance into a little-known committee meeting created an unmistakable buzz. On the first day of the DNC summer meeting on Thursday, attorney Michael Avenatti proved as recognizable and media-savvy as any of the prospects considering running for the party’s presidential nomination in 2020.”

“The attorney best known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against President Donald Trump — now flirting with a presidential run of his own — appeared eager to convince that he’s more than just a face on TV.”

Quote of the Day

August 24, 2018 at 6:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“We are in a sad place in our country’s history.”

— Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), quoted by Politico.

Hunter Blames His Wife for Illegal Spending

August 23, 2018 at 10:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) “seemed to shift any blame onto his wife, Margaret, on Thursday for alleged campaign fund abuses, saying she was the one handling his finances,” CNN reports.

Said Hunter: “She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t spend any money illegally.”

Trump Endorses Racist Narrative on South Africa

August 23, 2018 at 10:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Like so many of President Trump’s late-night tweets, this one was inspired by a segment on his favorite cable channel, Fox News,” the New York Times reports.

“But when Mr. Trump announced Wednesday night that he was directing his secretary of state to scrutinize what he said was the targeting of white farmers for land seizures and ‘large-scale killing’ in South Africa, the president waded into a complex and politically charged debate.”

“And in doing that, he embraced a common talking point among white supremacists who claim white genocide is being perpetuated in South Africa and around the world.”

Manhattan D.A. Eyes Criminal Charges

August 23, 2018 at 9:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Manhattan district attorney’s office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Michael Cohen’s hush money payment to an adult film actress, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter,” the New York Times reports.

“A state investigation would center on how the company accounted for its reimbursement to Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 he paid to the actress, Stephanie Clifford, who has said she had an affair with President Trump.”

Sasse Threatens to Vote Against New Attorney General

August 23, 2018 at 9:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said he “would be highly unlikely to vote for any new attorney general nominee if President Trump were to fire Jeff Sessions,” the Washington Examiner reports.

Said Sasse: “I find it really difficult to envision any circumstance where I would vote to confirm a successor to Jeff Sessions if he is fired because he’s executing his job, rather than choosing to act as a partisan hack. The attorney general of the United States should not be fired for acting honorably and for being faithful to the rule of law.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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