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Democrats Already Playing Blame Game In California

May 31, 2018 at 8:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Confused and frustrated, a growing number of Democrats are blaming their own party as they seek to avert a drubbing in Tuesday’s congressional primaries here that would leave their candidates shut out of the November ballot in some races — and with a narrower path to win control of the House of Representatives.”

“Candidates are scrambling to set themselves apart, Democratic groups are urging unity to gain control of the House — and many voters are wondering how to contend with the despair they would feel if Democrats were locked out in this liberal state.”

Trump Says He Didn’t Fire Comey Over Russia Probe

May 31, 2018 at 8:28 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump claimed he did not fire FBI director James Comey over the Russia investigation.

Tweeted Trump: “Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia! The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true!”

Exchange of the Day

May 31, 2018 at 8:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rudy Giuliani was interviewed by Sean Hannity on Fox News:

GIULIANI: And they — boy, they are switching fast and the Democrats are running for cover. You don’t hear them say the word impeachment anymore. I challenge Maxine Waters to say impeachment.

HANNITY: Say it.

GIULIANI: Say it. Say impeachment, sweetheart. Just say it.

HANNITY: Wow.

Most Young Adults Are Planning to Vote In 2018

May 31, 2018 at 8:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new AP-NORC/MTV poll finds a majority of young adults who will be old enough to vote in 2018 say they are planning to.

The study found the group highly motivated by the political environment. Forty percent said they felt extremely or very angry about the state of the country and 36% said they felt anxious. Only 13% said they felt positive, with 9% saying they were excited about the state of the country.

Inside the GOP Effort to Protect Jeff Sessions

May 31, 2018 at 7:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Ten months later, the Republican campaign to save Sessions has continued and — at least for now — succeeded. In private meetings, public appearances on television and late-night phone calls, Trump’s advisers and allies have done all they can to persuade the president not to fire a Cabinet official he dismisses as disloyal. The effort is one of the few effective Republican attempts to install guardrails around a president who delights in defying advice and breaking the rules.”

“It’s an ongoing effort, though not everyone is convinced the relationship is sustainable for the long term.”

McConnell Set to Pass Dole as Longest Serving GOP Leader

May 31, 2018 at 7:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “On June 12, McConnell will surpass the 11-plus-year run of former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas to become the longest-serving Republican Senate leader ever.”

“It’s a remarkable feat given the turmoil in the Republican Party since Trump’s takeover: The House GOP will soon be on its third party leader in little more than three years, while the lower rungs of Senate leadership are about to experience significant turnover. McConnell is on his third president as Republican leader.”

Trump’s Net Worth Slides

May 31, 2018 at 7:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s net worth “slipped to $2.8 billion, a decline of $100 million over the past year, as revenue at his namesake Fifth Avenue tower and golf courses fell,” Bloomberg reports.

Manafort Allies Launch Defense Fund

May 31, 2018 at 7:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Self-described friends of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are launching a defense fund to help pay the mounting legal bills he’s incurring as a result of two looming criminal cases brought by special counsel Robert Mueller,” Politico reports.

From the website: “The Defense Fund is urging anyone who values civil liberties and wishes to show the ‘Deep State’ that they cannot exert their will on ordinary citizens, to join them in supporting the Manafort family as they grapple against the Special Counsel to clear their name.”

Senate Panel Divided on Evidence of Collusion

May 31, 2018 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Senate Intelligence Committee remains deeply divided over whether there is evidence of collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia after a year-long investigation, the latest sign that Congress is unlikely to find consensus over a key question surrounding the 2016 elections,” CNN reports.

“Republicans on the panel maintain they’ve seen no evidence of collusion, while Democrats say it’s clear that the Russians had found willing partners in the Trump campaign to sway the 2016 race.”

Trump Flubs Endorsement of Congressman

May 31, 2018 at 7:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump issued a Twitter endorsement of Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) who is facing a primary challenge from former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY):

There is no one better to represent the people of N.Y. and Staten Island (a place I know very well) than @RepDanDonovan, who is strong on Borders & Crime, loves our Military & our Vets, voted for Tax Cuts and is helping me to Make America Great Again. Dan has my full endorsement!

Playbook: “There’s only one problem. Donovan voted against the tax-cut bill. He voted against it three times. He voted against it in every incarnation. The only material reason Trump gave to support Donovan was incorrect. Not only did Donovan vote against it, he was vocally opposed to it. He called it a ‘tax hike on the people I represent.'”

“An unforced error — and an embarrassing one at that for the leader of the Republican Party…. What is going on in the White House? It’s tough to think of a mistake easier to avoid than whether a lawmaker voted for the largest legislative achievement of the past two years.

Romney Voted for His Wife for President

May 30, 2018 at 9:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mitt Romney told the Deseret News that he wrote in his wife, Ann Romney, as his vote for president in 2016.

Said Romney: “I wrote in the name of a person who I admire deeply, who I think would be an excellent president. I realized it wasn’t going to go anywhere, but nonetheless felt that I was putting in a very solid name.”

Warner Says Americans May Soon Tire of Russia Probe

May 30, 2018 at 9:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) warned that Americans would soon grow “tired of” the Trump-Russia scandal, tamping down the impeachment fever spreading through his party’s base, Politico reports.

Said Warner: “The notion for those who may be partisans in the crowd … ‘Well, gosh, if Democrats take control, they’ll be able to really ramp these up’ — I think the American public will be tired of it if this is not wound down in this calendar year.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

May 30, 2018 at 7:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I will never roll on Donald Trump. John Dean I am not.”

— Roger Stone, quoted by New York magazine, appearing on the Alex Jones radio show to raise money for his legal defense.

Trump’s ‘Spygate’ Defense Crumbles

May 30, 2018 at 7:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s “claim that the FBI embedded a spy in his campaign for political purposes began to crumble Wednesday after a prominent Republican, as well as defenders of the president, said he might have the story wrong,” Politico reports.

“In less than 24 hours, Trump’s allegations were publicly refuted by House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), one of just nine lawmakers briefed on highly classified details of the FBI’s operation; Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, a Trump favorite; and prominent legal scholar Alan Dershowitz, a vocal Trump ally who has advised the president on legal strategy.”

FBI Official Secret Memo on Comey Firing

May 30, 2018 at 7:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe wrote a confidential memo last spring recounting a conversation that offered significant behind-the-scenes details on the firing of James Comey, the New York Times reports.

“In the document, whose contents have not been previously reported, Mr. McCabe described a conversation at the Justice Department with the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, in the chaotic days last May after Mr. Comey’s abrupt firing. Mr. Rosenstein played a key role in the dismissal, writing a memo that rebuked Mr. Comey over his handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton.”

“But in the meeting at the Justice Department, Mr. Rosenstein added a new detail: He said the president had originally asked him to reference Russia in his memo, the people familiar with the conversation said. Mr. Rosenstein did not elaborate on what Mr. Trump had wanted him to say. To Mr. McCabe, that seemed like possible evidence that Mr. Comey’s firing was actually related to the F.B.I.’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, and that Mr. Rosenstein helped provide a cover story by writing about the Clinton investigation.”

How Obama Viewed Trump’s Election

May 30, 2018 at 5:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “In the weeks after Mr. Trump’s election, Mr. Obama went through multiple emotional stages, according to a new book by his longtime adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes. At times, the departing president took the long view, at other points, he flashed anger. He called Mr. Trump a ‘cartoon’ figure who cared more about his crowd sizes than any particular policy. And he expressed rare self-doubt, wondering whether he had misjudged his own influence on American history.”

“Set to be published next week by Random House, Mr. Rhodes’s memoir, The World as It Is, offers a peek into Mr. Obama’s tightly sealed inner sanctum from the perspective of one of the few people who saw him up close through all eight years of his presidency. Few moments shook Mr. Obama more than the decision by voters to replace him with a candidate who had questioned his very birth.”

Giuliani Might Have Recused Himself Too

May 30, 2018 at 3:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rudy Giuliani said that he can fully understand why Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations related to Russia and the presidential election and that he might have done the same, had he accepted that job, as Trump wanted,” the HuffPost reports.

“Giuliani said he would have had the same conflict of interest as Sessions because they were both major players in Trump’s campaign, although, unlike Sessions, he never met with the Russian ambassador.”

Cruz Holds Double-Digit Lead In Texas

May 30, 2018 at 2:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Quinnipiac poll in Texas finds Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) leading challenger Beto O’Rourke (D) by double-digits, 50% to 39%.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “Cruz, apparently benefiting from a nationwide Republican mini-move, has taken a solid lead in his reelection race. President Trump’s Texas numbers also have climbed during those six weeks moving from a nine point deficit on job approval to an even split today. It is hard not to see a pro- Cruz effect there.”