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Trump Lashed Out at Whitaker After Cohen Revelations

December 21, 2018 at 10:23 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “has at least twice in the past few weeks vented to his acting attorney general, angered by federal prosecutors who referenced the President’s actions in crimes his former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to,” CNN reports.

“Trump was frustrated, the sources said, that prosecutors Matt Whitaker oversees filed charges that made Trump look bad. None of the sources suggested that the President directed Whitaker to stop the investigation, but rather lashed out at what he felt was an unfair situation.”

Shutdown to Take Effect at Midnight

December 21, 2018 at 10:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The federal government headed toward a partial shutdown late Friday as the House and the Senate both adjourned for the evening, ending any hopes of a last-minute compromise to pass a spending bill that would keep nine cabinet agencies operating past a deadline of midnight,” the New York Times reports.

“Talks between White House officials and congressional leaders are hung up over President Trump’s repeated demands for money to build a wall on the southern border, and a burst of late-afternoon activity could not break the deadlock.”

McGrath Won’t Run for Kentucky Governor

December 21, 2018 at 5:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Amy McGrath (D), who ran a nationally watched campaign for Congress, said she will not seek her party’s nomination for Kentucky governor in 2019, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

The former Marine fighter pilot’s decision comes two weeks after the Courier Journal reported that some Democrats had concerns about whether she fulfilled the residency requirement to run.

Mulvaney Attacked Border Wall as ‘Childish’ and ‘Absurd’

December 21, 2018 at 3:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Incoming White House acting-chief of staff Mick Mulvaney called President Trump’s views on a border wall and immigration “simplistic” and “absurd and almost childish” in a 2015 interview uncovered by CNN.

Mulvaney added he believed Trump’s emotional appeals and cavalier attitude might prompt him to try going around the Constitution.

Said Mulvaney: “I wonder who is more interested in going around the Constitution in order to get things done. Barack Obama or Donald Trump?”

Court Denies Trump Attempt to Enforce New Asylum Rules

December 21, 2018 at 3:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Friday denied the Trump administration’s request that it be allowed to immediately enforce a new policy of denying asylum to those who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border, a change that lower courts declared possibly illegal,” the Washington Post reports.

“Four justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr., Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — would have granted the administration’s request to let the order go into effect.”

Trump Jabs at Beto O’Rourke

December 21, 2018 at 2:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump jabbed at Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), wondering aloud during an exchange with reporters why the Texas Democrat has been suggested as a potential 2020 presidential candidate even though he fell short in his Senate bid earlier this year,” Politico reports.

Said Trump: “I thought you were supposed to win before you run for president.”

Trump Has No Plan to Avert Shutdown

December 21, 2018 at 2:19 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A source briefed on the White House meeting between President Trump and Senate Republicans told CNN that the meeting did not go well because there was no end game.

Said the source: “He dug in. But doesn’t have a plan, offered no numbers. I heard it did not go well.”

North Carolina Officials Warned of Election Fraud

December 21, 2018 at 2:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“North Carolina state election officials told federal prosecutors in January 2017 that they found evidence of efforts to manipulate the absentee ballot vote in rural Bladen County in the 2016 election and warned that such activities ‘will likely continue for future elections’ if not addressed,” the Washington Post reports.

“Similar charges have roiled this year’s race in the 9th Congressional District between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready. Harris defeated McCready by just 905 votes, but the state board declined to certify the results amid allegations that fraud may have tainted the outcome.”

Gallup Retreats from Political Polling

December 21, 2018 at 1:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Gallup, the country’s best-known polling firm, is once again scaling back on the political surveys that have made it so famous,” Politico reports.

“Only a year after Gallup switched its presidential tracking poll — the ever-present reading of the president’s approval rating — from daily to weekly, the company will announce Friday that it plans to measure President Donald Trump’s job-approval rating only on a monthly basis.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Surgery

December 21, 2018 at 12:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two malignant nodules removed from her left lung Friday at a New York hospital, CNN reports.

“There is no evidence of any remaining disease, says a court spokesperson, nor is there evidence of disease elsewhere in the body.”

NPR: “Short of complications in recovery, doctors say prospects look good for a full recovery for Ginsburg, 85. She hopes to be back on the court for the start of the new term in early January.”

McConnell Rejects Using Nuclear Option for Wall

December 21, 2018 at 11:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) spokesman says the Senate does not have enough votes to change its rules and pass border-wall funding with a simple majority, The Hill reports.

Kara Eastman Seeks a Rematch

December 21, 2018 at 11:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Kara Eastman (D) — who tried to blaze a new path for Nebraska Democrats but ultimately fell 2 percentage points short on Nov. 6 — announced that she will seek a rematch against Republican Rep. Don Bacon in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District,” the Omaha World Herald reports.

“Bacon noted that he has not yet been sworn in to his second term and questioned Eastman’s early announcement.”

Trump Worries Stock Market Slide Will Hurt Him In 2020

December 21, 2018 at 11:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The president has complained to aides about how unfair it is that he is blamed for the market’s slide and for growing unease about an economic slowdown in the months to come.”

“And he has needled Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about the pace at which the central bank has raised short-term interest rates. The lower the market drops, the more the president worries that he is losing his most potent argument for reelection.”

Cory Booker Gets a Super PAC

December 21, 2018 at 11:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Steve Phillips, an influential San Francisco-based Democratic donor and activist, said he would formally file paperwork on Thursday to create the pro-Booker super PAC, Dream United.”

“A first well-funded super PAC of 2020 could aid Mr. Booker in amplifying his message in what is expected to be a historically crowded field, and it speaks to the depth of his support from potential financiers. But such support could also backfire as the grass-roots base of the party is increasingly calling to curtail the political influence of the wealthy. Mr. Phillips said he had already collected $4 million in commitments. And he suggested he would continue collecting money regardless of whether Mr. Booker wanted his support.”

‘There’s Going to Be an Intervention’

December 21, 2018 at 10:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump was in what one Republican close to the White House described as ‘a tailspin,’ acting ‘totally irrationally’ and ‘flipping out’ over criticisms in the media. The president’s decisions and conduct have led to a fracturing of Trump’s coalition. Hawks condemned his sudden decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Conservatives called him a ‘gutless president’ and questioned whether he would ever build a wall. Political friends began privately questioning whether Trump needed to be reined in.”

Said one former Trump administration official: “There’s going to be an intervention. Jim Mattis just sent a shot across the bow. He’s the most credible member of the administration by five grades of magnitude. He’s the steady, safe set of hands. And this letter is brutal. He quit because of the madness.”

Trump Call with Turkish Leader Led to Pull Out

December 21, 2018 at 10:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State,” the AP reports.

“Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week.”

The Mattis Resignation Puts Trump In Real Danger

December 21, 2018 at 9:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Jim Mattis’s surprise protest resignation was the first in history for a Secretary of Defense. Jimmy Carter lost a Secretary of State in 1980 when Cyrus Vance resigned over the bungled attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran. But this is completely different. Mattis resigned not over a single policy decision but because he rejected President Trump’s entire foreign policy.

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One Step Away from Total Chaos

December 21, 2018 at 9:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “As we’ve said before, much of the public and the political world have become numb to all of the chaos in Washington. Earlier this month, the president’s former lawyer/fixer was sentenced to three years in jail; Trump got rid of his second chief of staff and replaced him with an acting third; and a judge delayed sentencing of the president’s first national security adviser. But after yesterday’s events, we’ve now reached DEFCON 2 on our readiness chart of political chaos – one step away from total chaos.”

“What’s been particularly striking is how Senate Republicans have split from Trump this week — on his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, by passing a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and on Mattis’ resignation.”

“And we’ll leave you with this thought: On Thursday, Vladimir Putin cheered Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, and the secretary of defense resigned.”