Rep. Devin Nunes, “a once-obscure Republican congressman from California’s rural Central Valley, saw his fundraising spike during the first quarter of the year as his steady antagonism of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation turned him into a national folk hero on the Right,” the Washington Examiner reports.
Zuckerberg Holds Up Under Lawmaker Questioning
“A composed and contrite Mark Zuckerberg held up under hours of grilling by more than 40 senators Tuesday — but his performance did little to mask Facebook’s growing political problems in Washington,” Politico reports.
The Information: “Senators didn’t inspire confidence that they would be able to regulate the internet economy in a meaningful way. Lawmakers sometimes stumbled through technical descriptions, both of complicated advertising systems and some more basic distinctions like understanding how WhatsApp works.”
The Crisis Is Here
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It’s been obvious for months that President Trump could at any time try to fire special counsel Robert Mueller. He’s privately demanded it at least twice before and is now reportedly also mulling the dismissal of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in an attempt to gain some control over Mueller.
But as the investigation gets closer — and nothing is closer than a FBI raid of his private attorney’s home and office — Trump’s open contemplation of stopping the probe brings us to a crisis point.
If Trump moves to stop the investigation, it’s not clear that our mostly dysfunctional government will stop him. It’s not clear that our bitterly partisan nation can come together to demand that lawmakers insist no president be above the law.
This crisis comes with the White House in complete turmoil after a wave of key staff departures. It comes as the president has reportedly stopped listening to most of his advisers, including his chief of staff. It comes as events in Syria or North Korea could easily spiral out of control.
It may be the most dangerous time for our democracy since Watergate.
A person who worked very closely with Donald Trump for years in New York told me last summer, “This will not end well for Donald Trump. This will not end well for the country.”
The next few weeks may determine whether this person is right.
Trump Said to Be Near ‘Meltdown’
New York Times: “Inside the White House, Mr. Trump — furious after the FBI raided his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen — spent much of the day brooding and fearful and near what two people close to the West Wing described as a ‘meltdown.'”
“Mr. Trump’s public and private wrath about the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election are nothing new. But the raids on Monday on Mr. Cohen’s Rockefeller Center office and Park Avenue hotel room have sent the president to new heights of outrage, setting the White House on edge as it faces a national security crisis in Syria and more internal staff churn.”
A Confrontation Between Mueller and Trump Is Coming
Banjamin Wittes: “I will put this as bluntly as I know how: There is no way that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York would have sought or executed a search warrant against the president’s lawyer without overpowering evidence to support the action. The legal standard for such a search requires only probable cause that criminal activity is taking place. Under normal circumstances, which these are not, the prudential and policy factors counseling against such an action would be powerful.”
“This is the kind of step that would predictably elicit a reaction. The Justice Department simply would not take such an action lightly or without evidence that emphatically supports it. Add these prudential, legal and policy factors together and they cumulatively suggest that the evidence supporting the warrant application likely exceeds—probably by far—what is legally required.”
“Put another way, Cohen’s situation, and thus Trump’s situation, is grave.”
Facebook Fallout Deals Blow to Mercers
New York Times: “The revelation last month that Cambridge Analytica improperly acquired the private Facebook data of millions of users has set off government inquiries in Washington and London, plunging Facebook into crisis. But it has also battered the nascent political network overseen by Rebekah Mercer, 44, and financed by her father, Robert Mercer, 71, a hard-line conservative billionaire.”
“Ms. Mercer’s standing in Mr. Trump’s circle had already declined following the departure last year of Stephen K. Bannon, her family’s former adviser and President Trump’s former chief strategist, according to Republicans with close ties to the president’s political operation. A pro-Trump advocacy group controlled by Ms. Mercer has gone silent following strategic disputes between her and other top donors. Plans to wage a civil war against the Republican establishment in the 2018 midterms have been derailed.”
Why Mueller Won’t Indict Trump
Paul Rosenzweig: “Mueller will not indict Trump for obstruction of justice or for any other crime. Period. Full stop. End of story. Speculations to the contrary are just fantasy.”
“He won’t do it for the good and sufficient reason that the Department of Justice has a long-standing legal opinion that sitting presidents may not be indicted. First issued in 1973 during the Nixon era, the policy was reaffirmed in 2000, during the Clinton era. These rules bind all Department of Justice employees, and Mueller, in the end, is a Department of Justice employee. More to the point, if we know anything about Mueller, we think we know that he follows the rules—all of them. Even the ones that restrict him in ways he would prefer they not. And if he were to choose not to follow the rules, that, in turn, would be a reasonable justification for firing him. So … the special counsel will not indict the president.”
Trump Sought to Fire Mueller In December
“In early December, President Trump, furious over news reports about a new round of subpoenas from the office of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, told advisers in no uncertain terms that Mr. Mueller’s investigation had to be shut down,” the New York Times reports.
“The president’s anger was fueled by reports that the subpoenas were for obtaining information about his business dealings with Deutsche Bank… To Mr. Trump, the subpoenas suggested that Mr. Mueller had expanded the investigation in a way that crossed the ‘red line’ he had set last year.”
Trump May Fire Rod Rosenstein
President Trump “is considering firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein… a move that has gained urgency following the raid of the office of the President’s personal lawyer,” CNN reports.
“Such an action could potentially further Trump’s goal of trying to put greater limits on special counsel Robert Mueller.”
“This is one of several options — including going so far as to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions — Trump is weighing in the aftermath of the FBI’s decision Monday to raid the office of Michael Cohen, the President’s personal lawyer and longtime confidant. Officials say if Trump acts, Rosenstein is his most likely target, but it’s unclear whether even such a dramatic firing like this would be enough to satisfy the President.”
Cohen Says FBI Was Respectful During Raid
In his first comments since the FBI raid on his home and office, Michael Cohen told CNN that the FBI agents “were extremely professional, courteous and respectful.”
The comments contrast with President Trump who complained that agents “broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys.”
Asked whether he is worried about where this could be headed, Cohen said: “I would be lying to you if I told that I am not. Do I need this in my life? No. Do I want to be involved in this? No.”
British Investigators Raid Murdoch’s Offices
The British offices of the Murdoch entertainment empire 21st Century Fox have been raided by investigators from the European Commission, the Daily Telegraph reports.
“It is understood that competition watchdogs gained access to the company’s offices in Hammersmith, west London, early today to seize documents and computer records.”
“The full details of the confidential investigation, which is believed to be in its early stages, are unclear.”
Stormy Daniels Cooperating with Federal Investigators
Stormy Daniels is cooperating with federal investigators probing the 2016 non-disclosure agreement and $130,000 payment she received from President Trump’s longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, NBC News reports.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports federal prosecutors asked the Trump Organization for records relating to the $130,000 payment as well. The request came in connection with yesterday’s FBI raids on Cohen’s home and office.
White House Says Trump Has Power to Fire Mueller
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that President Trump “believes he has the power to” fire special counsel Robert Mueller, CNN reports.
Said Sanders: “He certainly believes he has the power to do so.”
Most Voters Would Reject Attempt to Fire Mueller
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that American voters say by 69% to 13% that President Trump should not fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
Even Republicans say by 55% to 22% that he shouldn’t move to dismiss Mueller.
Why the FBI Raid Is Perilous for Donald Trump
Ken White: “The Stormy Daniels payout may be outside the scope of the Russia investigation, but it’s possible that Mr. Cohen’s records are full of materials that are squarely within that scope. And the law is clear: If investigators executing a lawful warrant seize evidence of additional crimes, they may use that evidence. Thus Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen, with their catastrophically clumsy handling of the Daniels affair, may have handed Mr. Mueller devastating evidence.”
“It’s easy to conclude that after so many bombshells, this is just another overfrantic news cycle. It’s not. It’s highly dangerous, and not just for Mr. Cohen. It’s perilous for the president, whose personal lawyer now may face a choice between going down fighting alone or saving his own skin by giving the wolves what they want.”
Earlier for members: 3 Takeaways on the FBI Raid of Michael Cohen’s Office
Bonus Quote of the Day
“It would be suicide for the president to want to talk about firing Mueller.”
— Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), quoted by Politico.
Republicans Warn Trump Against Axing Mueller
“Republicans are mounting an urgent defense of special counsel Robert Mueller in the face of President Trump’s latest attacks, with one key senator leading a renewed push to protect him and other GOP lawmakers arguing the special counsel’s report should become public when Mueller finishes his work,” Politico reports.
“The GOP alarm was palpable on Tuesday in the wake of Trump leaving the door open to canning Mueller.”
FBI Raid Sought Info on Payments to Two Women
“The FBI agents who raided the office of President Trump’s personal lawyer were looking for records about payments to two women who claim they had affairs with Mr. Trump, and information related to the publisher of The National Enquirer’s role in silencing one of the women,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: “The interest in both Daniels and McDougal indicates that federal investigators are trying to determine whether there was a broader pattern or strategy among Trump associates to buy the silence of women whose accounts could harm the president’s electoral chances and whether any crimes were committed in doing so.”
