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Why Did Trump Order Cohen to Lie?

January 18, 2019 at 9:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Chait: “By telling this lie, Trump opened himself up to blackmail by Putin. Trump was publicly denying the contours of a business deal to which Russian intelligence was privy. Trump consistently takes enormous risks to protect his dealings with Russia from public exposure.”

“Building a tower in Moscow is not illegal. He could have admitted the project’s existence during the campaign. Or, having lied about it, he could have let Cohen admit it later. Trump has told so many lies, the news media has had to create new categories to describe their vastness.”

“So how harmful could it have been for Cohen to add one more admitted lie to a pile of lies so infinite it beggars the imagination? The lie would have been forgotten immediately. Maybe Trump decided to direct Cohen to lie for no good reason. But it may well be the case that he had to lie because confessing to the Trump Tower project would open up other questions about his dealings with Russia during the campaign. Needless to say, there is a lot there.”

Chris Cillizza: “Why, if there was nothing worrisome or untoward about Trump’s dealings with Russia, would he instruct Cohen to lie to about the depth and breadth of the conversations between the Trumps and the Russians regarding a potential construction project in Moscow? You don’t have to lie or cover up things that are no big deal, right?”

Trump Gives ISIS New Life

January 18, 2019 at 9:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Brett McGurk, who recently resigned as special envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, writes in the Washington Post that President Trump’s decision to pull troops from Syria “was made without deliberation, consultation with allies or Congress, assessment of risk, or appreciation of facts.”

“The irony is that defeating the Islamic State is what the president said from the beginning was his goal. In 2016, he vowed to ‘knock the hell out of ISIS.’ His recent choices, unfortunately, are already giving the Islamic State — and other American adversaries — new life.”

Exchange of the Week

January 18, 2019 at 9:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) questioned Attorney General-designate William Barr at his confirmation hearing:

KLOBUCHAR: “In your memo… you wrote on Page 1 that a president persuading a person to commit perjury would be obstruction. Is that right?

BARR: Yes… Any person who persuades another…

When Trump’s Collapse Comes, It Will Be Quick

January 18, 2019 at 8:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Last night’s bombshell report that President Trump personally directed Michael Cohen to lie before Congress has some Democrats thinking about impeachment.

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DOJ Hiring Lawyers for Property Seizures on Border

January 18, 2019 at 8:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Justice Department placed an online job posting for a pair of attorneys to tackle border wall litigation in South Texas — a sign of coming property seizures and other legal controversies that President Trump anticipates if he plows ahead with his signature project,” Politico reports.

Marino’s Seat Likely to Stay In GOP Hands

January 18, 2019 at 8:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Cook Political Report says Rep. Tom Marino’s (R-PA) decision to resign likely won’t effect the Republican party’s control of the seat.

“Democrats have pulled off upsets in recent specials, but this district is likely a bridge too far. In March 2018, under the best of circumstances for his party, Democrat Conor Lamb captured a southwestern Pennsylvania district that had voted for Trump by 20 points by just 755 votes. But PA-12 voted for Trump by 36 points. It has a Cook PVI score of R+17 and no current House Democrat represents a seat nearly as Republican.”

John Dowd Still Advising Trump

January 18, 2019 at 8:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Dowd, who previously led President Trump’s personal legal team, told Fox News that he is still actively advising the president’s lawyers as they grapple with the Mueller probe, adding that he speaks with Trump “every week or so.”

Dowd declined to tell the Daily Beast more about his interactions with Trump and his lawyers. But Rudy Giuliani, now a member of the team, said Dowd privately consults with Trump himself and his lawyers.

Trump Compiled an Enemies List

January 18, 2019 at 8:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Axios has an excerpt from Team of Vipers by Cliff Sims:

“Give me their names,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “I want these people out of here. I’m going to take care of this. We’re going to get rid of all the snakes, even the bottom-feeders.”

Only in retrospect did I see how remarkable this was. I was sitting there with the President of the United States basically compiling an enemies list — but these enemies were within his own administration. If it had been a horror movie, this would have been the moment when everyone suddenly realizes the call is coming from inside the house.

The President proceeded to name White House staffer after White House staffer. Almost no one was deemed beyond reproach—not his chief of staff, not senior aides, almost no one other than those with whom he shared a last name. He wanted me to help him judge their loyalty. How, I wondered, had it come to this?

King Raising Money Off White Supremacy Comments

January 18, 2019 at 8:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“While Republicans and Democrats are condemning or calling for Rep. Steve King’s resignation after his comments on white nationalism and white supremacy, the congressman is using the backlash to raise money for his campaign,” the Des Moines Register reports.

Writes King in a fundraising email: “The unhinged left has teamed up with Republican ‘NeverTrumpers’ and is pulling out all the stops to destroy me.”

Democrats React to Bombshell Report

January 18, 2019 at 7:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democratic leaders reacted with fury and demanded an investigation late Thursday following a new report that President Trump personally directed his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress about the president’s push for a lucrative condo project in Moscow in the lead-up to the 2016 election,” the Washington Post reports.

“Democrats said that if the report is accurate, Trump must quickly be held to account for his role in the perjury, with some raising the specter of impeachment.”

Playbook: “Since the president canceled the Democratic trip to Afghanistan, all top key Democrats — people like Rep. Adam Schiff and Speaker Nancy Pelosi — are probably around to comment about this story.”

Cohen is slated to testify before the House Oversight Committee on February 7.

Melania Trump Flies on Military Plane to Florida

January 18, 2019 at 7:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“First Lady Melania Trump flew to Florida on a government jet Thursday for a weekend vacation, hours after President Trump dramatically postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip with other members of Congress to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan,” NBC News reports.

“Trump cited the ongoing government shutdown as his reason for postponing Pelosi’s travel plans, shortly before she and her team were scheduled to depart on a military plane.”

Trump Team Sees Hogan as Potential Primary Threat

January 18, 2019 at 6:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) “is acting a lot like a guy who wants to run against Donald Trump in 2020 — and the president’s reelection team is taking notice,” Politico reports.

“The second-term Maryland governor has been implicitly going after Trump in speeches, meeting with Never Trump Republicans, and planning a March trip to Iowa as vice chair of the National Governors Association.”

“It’s all fueling speculation that Hogan, a 62-year-old cancer survivor who coasted to reelection in liberal Maryland and remains one of the most popular governors in the country, is open to the prospect of a long-shot primary challenge to the incumbent president. His flirtation comes at a time when Trump is facing increasing blowback over his handling of the protracted government shutdown and bracing for a potentially devastating report by special counsel Robert Mueller.”

Shutdown Will Inflict Lasting Damage

January 18, 2019 at 6:39 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The longest government shutdown in U.S. history will scar the federal bureaucracy and U.S. economy long after the doors are unlocked and workers return. The feds will struggle to dig out of a backlog of hiring and training that’s essential to pushing out tax refunds, protecting U.S. borders and guiding air traffic. Government contractors are expected to jack up prices on everything from helicopters to IT support, growing wise to an administration that doesn’t pay its bills for weeks on end.”

Some Step Up to Help Federal Workers

January 18, 2019 at 6:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The efforts range from the grass-roots to the institutional. Banks and credit unions have suspended late-payment fees on credit cards, and some are offering low- or no-interest bridge loans. Utilities and cellphone companies have also offered to help in varying degrees, and mass transit systems in Florida and other states are providing free or reduced-price rides for those who are furloughed or working unpaid.”

Kevin McCarthy’s First Test

January 18, 2019 at 6:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “For McCarthy, 53, the hour-long confrontation with King was a critical moment early in his tenure as the new leader of Republicans in the House, testing whether the easygoing Californian was willing to take on a popular conservative and assert himself in the wake of sweeping GOP defeats in the 2018 elections and the high-profile speakership of Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-WI).”

“It was also a reminder of how Republican leaders have done little to police their ranks on the charged issue of race in recent years, from their embrace of Trump despite him casting doubt on President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship to their support of the divisive King — making his punishment an outlier rather than the standard.”

McConnell Urging Pompeo to Run for Senate

January 17, 2019 at 11:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “has personally courted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider leaving his post to run for the Senate, according to people familiar with the effort, a move that could anger President Trump and further roil his tumultuous Cabinet,” the Washington Post reports.

“Senate GOP leaders have been so dedicated to wooing Pompeo to run for an open seat in Kansas that McConnell directly urged him to consider it in a recent telephone call.”

Trump Directed Cohen to Lie to Congress

January 17, 2019 at 10:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials,” BuzzFeed News reports.

“Trump also supported a plan, set up by Cohen, to visit Russia during the presidential campaign, in order to personally meet President Vladimir Putin and jump-start the tower negotiations.”

“And even as Trump told the public he had no business deals with Russia, the sources said Trump and his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., received regular, detailed updates about the real estate development from Cohen, whom they put in charge of the project.”

Key takeaway: “The special counsel’s office learned about Trump’s directive for Cohen to lie to Congress through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents. Cohen then acknowledged those instructions during his interviews with that office.”

Senate GOP Mulls Speeding Up Confirmations

January 17, 2019 at 9:51 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republicans are again considering using a controversial procedural maneuver to change how the chamber handles presidential nominations — a move that would significantly speed up processing of President Trump’s nominees and that of his successors in the White House,” the Washington Post reports.

“Typically, a nomination can be debated for a maximum of 30 hours on the Senate floor after senators invoke cloture, which is a vote that officially cuts off unlimited debate on a nomination and now only needs a simple majority to occur. But Republicans are mulling cutting short those 30 hours to as brief as two hours for relatively noncontroversial nominees, such as candidates for the district court.”