Political Wire

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!

Democratic Race for President Will Be a Free-for-All

December 5, 2018 at 7:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are about to hit the wildest turn we have seen in a presidential campaign,” Axios reports.

“Dozens of people are thinking of running — and running early — in the rage-and-rapid-reaction era of Donald Trump. Oh, and they may be doing this while trying to impeach the guy they’re running against.”

“Democratic officials tell Axios that the race will be the biggest strategic free-for-all in modern political history, with a quiet war for donors, staff and endorsements already being fought across the country.”

One Democratic official close to the process sees “a dozen different routes to the nomination.”

Bennet Mulling a Presidential Bid

December 5, 2018 at 7:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) is considering a presidential bid, Colorado Public Radio reports.

“The individuals declined to use their names because they were not authorized to speak about the matter. One of them discussed it with Bennet in the last 30 days.”

Guardian of New Hampshire Primary May Lose Job

December 5, 2018 at 7:10 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Bill Gardner, the New Hampshire official who has zealously guarded his state’s position kicking off U.S. presidential races for four decades, could end his long run in office on Wednesday if lawmakers pick a new secretary of state,” Reuters reports.

“Gardner, 70, has held that role since 1976… Now he faces his first challenger in decades in Colin Van Ostern, a failed gubernatorial candidate.”

“Both candidates are Democrats, but Van Ostern is looking to capitalize on anger among Democrats in the state over Gardner’s role in a now-defunct commission Republican President Trump named to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 elections.”

Personal Information Removal Made Easy

Every day, marketers, data brokers, and even cybercriminals trade and exploit personal data—everything from your home address to your cell phone number. That’s why I use Incogni, which works quietly in the background to make my personal information hard to find online.

It removes my data from hundreds of databases used by advertisers, scammers, and identity thieves, reducing the chances of targeted phishing attacks or fraud. It also makes my details far less accessible to insurance companies, banks, and even potential employers.

The process is completely automated, and it gives me real peace of mind to know my personal information is being scrubbed from the internet. Save 55% on your annual subscription with code POLITICALWIRE. I highly recommend it.

Fate of ‘The Weekly Standard’ Uncertain

December 5, 2018 at 7:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The fate of The Weekly Standard, the conservative magazine that has staked out a position as a publication on the right still critical of President Trump, is uncertain, Editor-in-Chief Stephen Hayes told staff in a series of phone calls Tuesday,” CNN reports.

Trump Meets with George W. Bush

December 5, 2018 at 6:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump traversed a wide political chasm Tuesday evening when he personally welcomed George W. Bush, his occasional foil, to Blair House, the presidential guest quarters across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House,” the Washington Post reports.

“But the actual distance was just 250 yards — a route Trump and his wife Melania traveled in the presidential parade limousine, with a motorcade of at least seven other vehicles.”

“The Trumps spent 23 minutes visiting with Bush and his wife Laura, by all accounts a cordial meeting in which the former president exchanged kisses on the cheek with the current first lady at the curb.”

Deval Patrick Won’t Run for President

December 4, 2018 at 11:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is calling close allies and informing them he is not running for president in 2020, Politico reports.

Republicans Prevail In Georgia Runoffs

December 4, 2018 at 11:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republican candidates appeared to hold onto two powerful Georgia offices in runoffs Tuesday, but ballots were still being counted for secretary of state and Public Service Commission,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Mueller Recommends No Prison Time for Flynn

December 4, 2018 at 8:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Tuesday called for a sentence as low as no time in jail for Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to President Trump, CNBC reports.

The sentencing document says Flynn “has assisted with several ongoing investigations, including its probe of coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.” He took part in 19 separate interviews.

Among the matters on which Flynn has provided assistance to the government is an unknown criminal investigation, apparently separate from the collusion probe.

However, most of the details of Flynn’s cooperation with the special counsel’s office were blacked out in the memo.

Marcy Wheeler: “The section on cooperation describes Flynn’s assistance in three investigations. The Mueller investigation is actually the second thing listed, which I take to suggest that the the Mueller investigation is just the second most important.”

The 2018 Midterms Get Worse for Republicans

December 4, 2018 at 7:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Cook Political Report: “Just when it looked like the 2018 House outcome couldn’t get any worse for Republicans than a 40-seat loss, a deepening absentee ballot fraud scam has cast into doubt an open North Carolina seat previously called for the GOP. The scandal is now a full-blown national news story and it’s possible the state board of elections, which has refused to certify the race, could order a new election altogether.”

“It’s quite likely this race will persist in legal limbo well beyond when the new House is seated in the first week of January.”

Trump Plans Second North Korea Summit

December 4, 2018 at 7:20 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump plans to hold a second summit meeting early next year with Kim Jong-un, even though North Korea has failed to follow through with promises to start dismantling its nuclear weapons program, John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, said on Tuesday,” the New York Times reports.

Said Bolton: “They have not lived up to the commitments so far. That’s why I think the president thinks another summit is likely to be productive.”

Trump’s Erratic and False Claims Roil Markets

December 4, 2018 at 7:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The whiplash nature of Trump’s economic policies and pronouncements bore tangible consequences on Tuesday, when U.S. stock markets cratered amid investor skepticism of Trump’s China talks. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 799 points, or 3.1 percent, while the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index fell 3.2 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 3.8 percent.”

“Global markets demand consistency and reliability, but Trump delivers neither. Instead, he makes knee-jerk announcements that surprise investors, lawmakers and even some of his own aides and advisers, who sometimes find themselves reversing course depending on the president’s whims.”

U.S. Considers Fee to Apply for Asylum

December 4, 2018 at 7:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is considering charging immigrants a fee to apply for asylum protection in the United States,” BuzzFeed News reports.

“The proposal, included in a not-yet-finalized draft regulation, would charge applicants, if they are already residing in the US, $50 to apply for asylum. Currently, there is no fee to enter an ‘affirmative asylum’ application. The fee would not apply to those who claim a fear of persecution at ports of entry or those who apply for the protections while in deportation proceedings. There would be no waiver of the fee for those who cannot afford to pay the $50.”

O’Rourke Met with Obama

December 4, 2018 at 6:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Beto O’Rourke, weighing whether to mount a 2020 presidential bid, met recently with Barack Obama at his post-presidency offices in Washington,” the Washington Post reports.

“The meeting, which was held on Nov. 16 at the former president’s offices in Foggy Bottom, came as former Obama aides have encouraged the Democratic House member to run, seeing him as capable of the same kind of inspirational campaign that caught fire in the 2008 presidential election.”

Roger Stone Pleads the Fifth

December 4, 2018 at 6:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Roger Stone invoked his Fifth Amendment protection as he declined to share documents and testimony with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Politico reports.

“Stone told Politico on Monday that he doesn’t have a pact with Trump’s legal team to share defense strategies, unlike former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is in jail after being convicted of tax and bank fraud. But Stone has largely aligned his public messaging on Mueller with the president’s, frequently bashing the special counsel’s tactics.”

Haley Plans to Stay In New York

December 4, 2018 at 5:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former Gov. Nikki Haley is not coming straight back to the Palmetto State after she leaves the United Nations at year’s end,” the Charleston Post and Courier reports.

“She plans on staying in New York where her son attends high school.”

“Haley, 46, has not revealed what she will do when she leaves the United Nations after two years. The Post and Courier has learned a second book is the works.”

How Trump Gutted a Consumer Protection Agency

December 4, 2018 at 5:53 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In just one year, agency leader Mick Mulvaney and his political aides have constrained the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from within, achieving what conservatives on Capitol Hill had been unable to do for years,” the Washington Post reports.

“Publicly announced enforcement actions by the bureau have dropped about 75 percent from average in recent years, while consumer complaints have risen to new highs.”

GOP Lawmaker Says ‘Journalists Disappear’ All the Time

December 4, 2018 at 4:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) defended President Trump’s decision to stand by Saudi Arabia despite overwhelming evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CNN reports.

Said Stewart: “We have to have to have a relationship with some players that we don’t agree with. Journalists disappear all over the country. 20 journalists have been killed in Mexico. You don’t think it happens in Turkey and China? Of course it does. And yet we have to have a relationship with these individuals, or with these countries.”

New White House Counsel Arrives at Busy Time

December 4, 2018 at 4:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pat Cipollone will start his new job as White House counsel on Monday, following a nearly two-month delay since his appointment, with dwindling time to prepare for a coming onslaught of House Democratic oversight demands,” Politico reports.

“Cipollone also starts at a time when Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe is making major new waves, including with an expected Tuesday court filing outlining the fired former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s cooperation with the investigation, as well as a Friday document describing alleged criminal lies by Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.”