Democrats Hope Midterms Will Be About the Issues
CNN: “Trump’s legal and ethical troubles — which took yet another dizzying turn last week with the scattershot revelations from his new legal adviser, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani — are dominating the national news and blotting out other issues as thoroughly as an eclipse.”
“But in the district-by-district battle to retake the House, many Democrats are focusing less on condemning Trump’s character than on discrediting the Republican agenda. Central to that mission is arguing that the GOP has benefited the wealthy, and burdened the middle class, with its twin legislative priorities of the past 17 months: passing a large tax cut and attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”
“The solidifying Democratic decision to focus their local messaging more on health care and taxes than the ethical and legal storms constantly battering Trump represents an attempt to learn distinct lessons from the experience of both Bill and Hillary Clinton.”
Manhattan DA Investigating Schneiderman
The Manhattan District Attorney has launched an investigation into outgoing New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) after several women accused him of abuse, the New York Post reports.
The news came hours after Schneiderman announced his resignation following an explosive New Yorker report in which four women accused him of aggressive, threatening behavior and “nonconsensual physical violence.”
Trump Considers Benching Giuliani from Interviews
President Trump “is growing increasingly irritated with lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s frequently off-message media blitz, which has included muddying the waters on hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels and making claims that could complicate the president’s standing in the special counsel’s Russia probe,” the AP reports.
“Trump has begun questioning whether Giuliani, an old friend and former New York City mayor, should be sidelined from television interviews.”
“Trump also expressed annoyance that Giuliani’s theatrics have breathed new life into the Daniels story.”
Blankenship Predicts Victory In West Virginia Primary
A defiant Don Blankenship (R) “shrugged off President Trump’s last-minute plea for Republican primary voters to reject his insurgent Senate candidacy — and flatly predicted it would fail to halt his momentum,” Politico reports.
“On the final day of the dramatic West Virginia campaign, the coal baron and ex-prisoner seemed unbothered by the president’s foray into the contest, arguing that voters would see through it as the latest ploy in an establishment-led effort aimed at keeping him from winning the nomination.”
Playbook: “The obvious question here is what does Mitch McConnell, the NRSC and the constellation of big-money outside groups that support Senate Republicans do if Blankenship wins. It’s very difficult to see McConnell supporting Blankenship after he called the majority leader’s wife’s family ‘China people,’ and suggested the Kentucky Republican has mixed allegiances because of Elaine Chao’s family’s heritage. But knocking Sen. Joe Manchin out of the Senate has always been part of the GOP plan to keeping — or expanding — their majority in the Senate. “
Trump Expected to Exit Iran Deal
“President Trump is expected to announce on Tuesday that he is withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, European diplomats said after concluding that they had failed to convince him that reneging on America’s commitment to the pact could cast the West into new confrontation with Tehran,” the New York Times reports.
“If the diplomats are correct, the announcement will be the most consequential national security decision of Mr. Trump’s 15 months in office — though it could be eclipsed in coming weeks by his direct negotiation with North Korea’s leader over surrendering its nuclear arsenal.”
Officials Make Backup Plans If Haspel Nomination Fails
CNN: “One of the contingency plans being discussed involves preparing Susan Gordon, the deputy director of national intelligence, to potentially take Haspel’s place in case Republican senators or Trump balk… Two additional sources who spoke with Republican strategists and lawmakers were also aware of general contingency planning. It’s unclear how formal these conversations are, but two of the sources said Gordon was in varying stages of being prepared.”
Schneiderman Resigns as New York Attorney General
“Eric Schneiderman (D), the New York attorney general who rose to prominence as an antagonist of the Trump administration, abruptly resigned on Monday night, hours after four women accused him of physically assaulting them in an article published by The New Yorker,” the New York Times reports.
“His resignation represented a stunning fall for a politician who had not only turned his office into a bulwark of resistance against President Trump, but also assumed a prominent role in the #MeToo movement.”
West Virginia Shows Trump Was No Aberration
Dana Milbank: “Whether or not the president stops Blankenship, the West Virginia GOP primary confirms that this sort of vulgar demagoguery is becoming routine. Trump’s election was no aberration. Rather, he exploited deep problems in American politics that had been building for years — and others, following his example, will exploit those same problems after he’s gone.”
“Before Trump, there was Sarah Palin, the tea party movement, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Republican Study Committee, the Freedom Caucus. The Republican Party tried to harness the rage of the nativist right but ultimately couldn’t contain it. House speakers John Boehner (R-OH) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) failed, as will whoever leads the party next. Now we have Blankenship, Roy Moore, Joe Arpaio and a proliferation of name-calling misfits and even felons on Republican ballots. They are monsters created by the GOP, or rather the power vacuum the GOP has become.”
Cuomo Calls on Schneiderman to Resign
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) called on Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) to resign over abuse charges detailed in a New Yorker story.
New York Times: “The allegations against Mr. Schneiderman, the chief law enforcement officer of the state, who has cast himself as a defender and champion of women, could derail his re-election prospects later this year. He has been the heavy favorite to win a third term.”
Trump Lawyers Will Decide Soon on Mueller Interview
Lawyers advising President Trump in the Russia investigation hope to decide whether he should testify by May 17, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Preparing Mr. Trump to testify would be a serious distraction to his work as president, eating into time he needs to deal with pressing global issues, Mr. Trump’s lawyers contend.”
“In an informal, four-hour practice session, Mr. Trump’s lawyers were only able to walk him through two questions, given the frequent interruptions on national-security matters along with Mr. Trump’s loquaciousness.”
Four Women Accuse Schneiderman of Abuse
New Yorker: “Eric Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, has long been a liberal Democratic champion of women’s rights, and recently he has become an outspoken figure in the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment… Now Schneiderman is facing a reckoning of his own. As his prominence as a voice against sexual misconduct has risen, so, too, has the distress of four women with whom he has had romantic relationships or encounters. They accuse Schneiderman of having subjected them to nonconsensual physical violence. All have been reluctant to speak out, fearing reprisal.”
“But two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, have talked to The New Yorker on the record, because they feel that doing so could protect other women. They allege that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent. Manning Barish and Selvaratnam categorize the abuse he inflicted on them as ‘assault.’ They did not report their allegations to the police at the time, but both say that they eventually sought medical attention after having been slapped hard across the ear and face, and also choked. Selvaratnam says that Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and her phones tapped, and both say that he threatened to kill them if they broke up with him.”
Trump Grows Frustrated with Giuliani
Politico: “The president has been griping to associates that Rudy Giuliani, his new personal attorney, has failed to shut down the Stormy Daniels hush money saga. And he has expressed frustration that Giuliani’s media appearances are raising more questions than they are answering, turning the story into a days-long drama capped by the admission Sunday that the president may have made similar payments to other women.”
“For now, White House aides said, Giuliani still has a direct line in to Trump – the two speak almost daily – and nobody in the West Wing is eager to insert themselves between the two irascible New Yorkers by yanking Giuliani off TV. But some aides said they expect the president to fire Giuliani if his behavior doesn’t change.”
Trump Approval on Issues Edges Up
A new CNN poll finds President Trump’s approval rate holding steady at 41% to 53%.
“On the issues, however, Trump’s numbers are climbing. Approval is up 4 points on the economy to 52%, the first time it’s topped 50% since March 2017; up 5 points on foreign trade to 43% approval; and his numbers on immigration have improved 4 points since February, with 40% now approving. On handling foreign affairs, Trump’s approval rating tops 40% for the first time since April of 2017.”
Parents, Children Entering U.S. Illegally Will Be Separated
“The Trump administration plans to take a tougher approach to families that enter the U.S. illegally by separating parents from their children, instead of keeping them in detention together,” NBC News reports.
Said Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law. If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border.”
Hatch Thinks McCain Should Let Trump Attend Funeral
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) should reconsider his wish that President Trump not attend McCain’s funeral, Politico reports.
Said Hatch: “I think it’s ridiculous… Well, he’s the president of the United States and he’s a very good man.”
Trump Wants Congress to Pull Back $15B In Spending
President Trump “is sending a plan to Congress that calls for stripping back more than $15 billion in previously approved spending, with the hope that it will temper conservative angst over ballooning budget deficits,” the Washington Post reports.
“Almost half of the proposed cuts would come from two accounts within the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that White House officials said expired last year or are not expected to be drawn upon. An additional $800 million in cuts would come from money created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010 to test innovative payment and service delivery models.”
Nunes Threatens to Hold Sessions In Contempt
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) warned that he plans to urge lawmakers “this week” to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over classified materials related to the Russia investigation, CNN reports.
But the Justice Department informed Nunes three days ago — on the deadline for responding to a subpoena from Nunes’ committee — that providing the information on a “specific individual” could pose grave implications for national security.
It was not immediately clear why Nunes has targeted Sessions.
