“The president has tremendous moral standards.”
— White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, interviewed on CNN.
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Subpoena for Trump Financial Records Confirmed
Though President Trump’s lawyers deny a subpoena had been issued to Deutsche Bank for the president’s financial records, the Wall Street Journal confirms earlier reports that one had been given.
Said Dan Stein, former chief of the criminal division at the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office: “Either it means they’re going beyond the narrow question of election interference. Or, it means the question of election interference may now somehow involve the transfer of funds to the president or his family or inner circle.”
Woman Says Conyers Threatened Her While an Intern
Courtney Morse told the Washington Post she was a 20-year-old college student when Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) propositioned her.
“She quit her internship after Conyers drove her home from work one night, wrapped his hand around hers as it rested in her lap, and told her he was interested in a sexual relationship. When she rejected his advances, Morse said he brought up the then-developing investigation into the disappearance of former federal intern Chandra Levy.”
Said Morse: “He said he had insider information on the case. I don’t know if he meant it to be threatening, but I took it that way. I got out of the car and ran.”
Atlanta Mayor’s Race Heads to a Recount
“For the second time in eight years, the mayoralty of the South’s most influential city is likely to head to a recount,” the New York Times reports.
“Fewer than 800 votes separated Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood after local officials tallied more than 92,000 ballots that were cast in a runoff election on Tuesday, according to unofficial returns. The margin was narrow enough that Ms. Norwood, seeking to become Atlanta’s first white mayor in more than 40 years, said she would ask for a recount.”
“But Ms. Bottoms and her allies declared victory early Wednesday.”
Voters Warn Against a Government Shutdown
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds 63% say members of Congress should should avoid a government shutdown at all costs. Only 18% of voters surveyed say members should allow a temporary government shutdown if it helps them achieve their policy goals. The remaining 19% of voters are undecided.
Quote of the Day
“There is a credible case of obstruction of justice against Donald Trump.”
— Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), interviewed on CNN.
Support Crumbles for Bipartisan Obamacare Fix
Sam Baker: “Just a few weeks ago, the Affordable Care Act stabilization bill from Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray looked like a common-sense fix with a decent shot at finding its way into Congress’ big end-of-the-year package. But that was before Republicans were on the cusp of repealing the individual mandate. Now the bill’s constituency is eroding — on every front.”
“Democrats liked Alexander-Murray on its own, but Sen. Susan Collins is now framing the bill as a trade-off to help her support repealing the law’s individual mandate, and Democrats can’t go for that deal.”
“Many Republicans never supported Alexander-Murray. The Wall Street Journal reports that it won’t be attached to the two-week spending bill Congress takes up this week, and that House Speaker Paul Ryan was never part of any agreement to pass the bill to help get Collins on board with Republicans’ tax overhaul.”
RNC Won’t Publicly Defend Decision to Back Roy Moore
“The RNC’s renewed support for Roy Moore comes with a peculiar caveat: No one at the RNC is actually defending the decision publicly,” BuzzFeed News reports.
“On Tuesday — as the national party took a beating for the decision — including from many fellow Republicans, the RNC remained silent. Several RNC committee members acknowledged frustrations but would not speak on the record. Senior party leaders punted questions to spokespersons who declined to comment.”
Said one source close to the RNC: “Oh man. It’s embarrassing.”
Biggest Winner In Tax Plan Is Trump’s Industry
New York Times: “After a frenzy of congressional action to rewrite the tax code, salesclerks and chief executives are calculating their gains. Business was treated with the everyone’s-a-winner approach that ensures no summer camper goes home without a trophy.”
“Some got special prizes. Cruise lines, craft beer and wine producers (even foreign ones), car dealers, private equity, and oil and gas pipeline managers did particularly well. And perhaps the biggest winner is the industry where President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made their millions: commercial real estate.”
GOP Tax Plan Riddled with Glitches
Politico: “Republicans’ tax-rewrite plans are riddled with bugs, loopholes and other potential problems that could plague lawmakers long after their legislation is signed into law. Some of the provisions could be easily gamed, tax lawyers say. Their plans to cut taxes on ‘pass-through’ businesses in particular could open broad avenues for tax avoidance.”
“Others would have unintended results, like a last-minute decision by the Senate to keep the alternative minimum tax, which was designed to make sure wealthy people and corporations don’t escape taxes altogether. For many businesses, that would nullify the value of a hugely popular break for research and development expenses. Some provisions are so vaguely written they leave experts scratching their heads, like a proposal to begin taxing the investment earnings of rich private universities’ endowments.”
More Charges May Be Coming In Russia Probe
“Robert Mueller may not be through with Rick Gates, a deputy Trump campaign aide and one of the four people who have been charged as part of the special counsel probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election,” CNN reports.
“In a court appearance Monday in Manhattan, Gates’ attorney Walter Mack said that federal prosecutors have told him that more charges, called superseding indictments, may be coming.”
House Conservatives Return to Their Old Ways
Washington Post: “Since the spring, House Republicans have lived through a relatively calm seven months, a period lacking the drama and infighting that have come to define their majority.”
“That came to an abrupt end Monday night, when members of the Freedom Caucus tried to grind progress on tax legislation to a halt.”
“These hard-right conservatives had no quarrel with the tax plan — they almost all voted for it — but they were looking for a hostage to grab and knew that this one would get everyone’s attention. Their real target is the 2018 spending bill for federal agencies, along with a clutch of other must-pass items that conservatives oppose.”
A Republican Party In Chaos Heading Into Midterms
New York Times: “As the party prepares for a midterm election that could bring a fierce backlash against a historically unpopular president, Republicans are growing more alarmed that a difficult race could be made worse without some semblance of planning to avert more discord.”
“Some top party officials say they are worried that the political environment may prove punishing enough to cost Republicans control of the House.”
“But an organization that can fend off such a landslide does not appear in the offing. In a departure from every modern White House, Mr. Trump himself largely dictates whom to back and how to support his preferred candidates.”
Politico: GOP senators grumble over Trump, RNC backing Roy Moore.
Trump Jr. Sought Clinton Info from Russian
“Donald Trump Jr. asked a Russian lawyer at the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting whether she had evidence of illegal donations to the Clinton Foundation,” the lawyer told the Senate Judiciary Committee in answers to written questions obtained by NBC News.
“The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, told the committee that she didn’t have any such evidence, and that she believes Trump… Once it became apparent that she did not have meaningful information about Clinton, Trump seemed to lose interest.”
Trump Plans Waiver on Moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem
President Donald Trump “will sign a waiver delaying the move of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv while declaring the contested city the capital of Israel,” Bloomberg reports.
“Reports that Trump would unilaterally declare Jerusalem to be the capital and begin moving the embassy there fueled warnings from Middle East and European leaders saying it would undermine peace efforts and potentially generate protests across the region.”
Trump Science Job Nominees Lack Science Degrees
“Of 43 Trump administration nominees in science-related positions — including two for Health and Human Services secretary — almost 60 percent did not have a master’s degree or a doctorate in a science or health field, according to an Associated Press analysis. For their immediate predecessors in the Obama administration, it was almost the opposite: more than 60 percent had advanced science degrees.”
In addition, Trump has left 23 Senate-confirmable positions — 35% of all science-related positions — vacant, including the post for the White House’s top science advisor.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I have done my part to make sure men who hurt little girls go to jail and not the United States Senate.”
— Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones (D), quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Moore Spokesman Calls Accusers ‘Criminals’
A spokesman for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) said that the women who accused him of sexual misconduct are “criminals” who are “seeking revenge” — arguing that there were plenty of “non-accusers that did not accuse the judge of any sexual misconduct,” the New York Post reports.
