Political Wire

Kethledge Seen as Top Supreme Court Choice

July 7, 2018 at 11:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Time: “As of Saturday evening, advisers say, the president had narrowed his list down to four candidates. Raymond Kethledge was the leading contender, although officials stress that Trump has not yet settled on a choice. Trump has been describing Kethledge to aides as “Gorsuch 2.0,” a reference to his 2017 successful nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Trump sees that nomination as one of the high points of his presidency.”

“Even so, White House officials are preparing rollout plans for all four contenders, which also include Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Thomas Hardiman, officials say. Hardiman, however, remains in distant last place.”

McConnell Nudges Trump Towards Two Judges

July 7, 2018 at 9:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told President Trump this past week that Judges Raymond Kethledge and Thomas Hardiman presented the fewest obvious obstacles to being confirmed to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, the New York Times reports.

“While careful not to directly make the case for any would-be justice, Mr. McConnell made clear in multiple phone calls with Mr. Trump and the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, that the lengthy paper trail of another top contender, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, would pose difficulties for his confirmation.”

7th Wrestler Says Jordan Knew of Sexual Abuse

July 7, 2018 at 9:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A seventh former Ohio State University wrestler said Saturday that he believes Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) knew about inappropriate behavior that allegedly took place in the school’s athletic department three decades ago, the Washington Post reports.

GOP Candidate Sees ‘Only Barbarism’ Outside Western Life

July 7, 2018 at 6:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kansas state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald (R), who is running for Congress, told a group of Republicans that “outside of Western civilization there is only barbarism,” CNN reports.

Said Fitzgerald: “We are being told that Western civilization is the problem in the world. Outside of Western civilization there is only barbarism.”

He added: “Our Judeo-Christian ethic is what is civilization. And that is what is under attack here and abroad. It also goes by a different name. Christendom. It’s under attack. And even speaking about it can bring you under attack. It has brought me under attack.”

Red State Democrats Face an Agonizing Choice

July 7, 2018 at 1:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democratic senators running for re-election in Trump Country face an agonizing choice over President Trump’s coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at a Democratic majority in 2019,” the New York Times reports.

“The actions of a handful of Senate Democrats struggling to hold their seats in red states where Mr. Trump remains popular — notably Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — will have broad implications for the party at a critical political juncture.”

Pruitt Was Forced to Resign

July 7, 2018 at 1:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Scott Pruitt resigned as EPA chief Thursday after White House Chief of Staff John Kelly delivered a message from the president that it was time for the scandal-plagued administrator to leave,” Bloomberg reports.

“Pruitt didn’t want to leave his post and was described as being devastated that he had to resign.”

“President Trump wanted Pruitt to leave, after revelations that the administrator’s public schedule had been altered to shield some meetings from public view, they said. Doctored schedules — which could be a criminal violation of the Federal Records Act — were effectively the final straw after a tenure marred by alleged ethical missteps. The administration knew that more damaging reports would emerge soon.”

Government Can’t Find Parents of 38 Migrant Children

July 7, 2018 at 12:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Government lawyers said that “they cannot locate the parents of 38 migrant children under the age of 5, as a federal judge indicated he is open to extending the deadline for reuniting nearly 3,000 children separated from their mothers and fathers while crossing the US-Mexico border,” NBC News reports.

“For 19 children, their parents have been released from custody into the U.S. and their whereabouts are unknown. The parents of another 19 children have been deported.”

Trump’s Lawyers Call Comey ‘Machiavellian’

July 7, 2018 at 12:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Lawyers for President Trump unleashed a blistering attack on former FBI Director James Comey in a confidential memo last year to the special counsel, casting him as “Machiavellian,” dishonest and “unbounded by law and regulation” as they sought to undermine the credibility of a law enforcement leader they see as a critical witness against the president, the AP reports.

Philippines Leader Will Resign If Given Proof Of God

July 7, 2018 at 11:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, “who recently sparked outrage for calling God stupid, has courted new controversy in his largely Roman Catholic country by saying he will resign if anybody can prove that God exists,” the AP reports.

Ex-Playmate Files Suit Against Top GOP Donor

July 7, 2018 at 11:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A former Playboy centerfold model has sued a prominent Republican fundraiser, her former lawyer and the lawyer for former adult-film star Stephanie Clifford in connection with the breakdown of a $1.6 million hush-money agreement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“At issue in the lawsuit filed under seal by Shera Bechard in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Elliott Broidy, a Los Angeles-based GOP fundraiser and venture capitalist, is their agreement from late last year to not disclose their affair.”

Pruitt Ethics Probes Linger Even After Resignation

July 7, 2018 at 11:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Scott Pruitt may be out of the EPA, but that doesn’t mean his troubles are over. Pruitt is still facing more than a dozen federal probes from his tenure as EPA administrator, and EPA’s watchdog and congressional investigators are promising to continue looking into his long list of ethical woes and lavish spending allegations. Those investigations have already prompted Pruitt to turn to an outside attorney for advice and set up a legal defense fund before his resignation.”

“EPA’s inspector general expects to finish and release as many as four separate reports on Pruitt this summer.”

North Korea Calls U.S. Attitude ‘Regrettable’

July 7, 2018 at 11:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

North Korea accused the Trump administration of pushing a “unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization” and called it “deeply regrettable,” hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his two days of talks in the North Korean capital were “productive,” the New York Times reports.

Washington Post: “The mixed messages followed a visit in which Pompeo did not meet with the North Korean leader while in the country and did not secure a breakthrough in forging a shared understanding of denuclearization.”

“Pompeo has come under increasing pressure to produce tangible results from the summit that President Trump quickly touted as a game-changing moment that eliminated North Korea’s nuclear threat.”

The Senate Must Put Country Over Party

July 7, 2018 at 10:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Bill Frist: “When I retired from the U.S. Senate in 2007 as its majority leader, my parting words were a prayer for my colleagues to rise above the passions of the moment and protect the institution as a bulwark for our country’s enduring values. The Senate I served in was not devoid of partisanship, nor should it be, but my hope was that patriotism would always take priority over party.”

“It is with some trepidation that I offer thoughts on how the good people still serving in the Senate should address a current crisis, but staying silent is no longer an option. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is under assault, and that is wrong. No matter who is in the White House, we Republicans must stand up for the sanctity of our democracy and the rule of law.”

Putin Tells Trump That ‘Deep State’ Is Against Them

July 7, 2018 at 8:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Some White House officials worry that Russian president Vladimir Putin,” who has held several calls with Trump, plays on the president’s inexperience and lack of detailed knowledge about issues while stoking Trump’s grievances,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Russian president complains to Trump about ‘fake news’ and laments that the U.S. foreign policy establishment — the ‘deep state,’ in Putin’s words — is conspiring against them, the first senior U.S. official said.”

Putin has told Trump: “It’s not us. It’s the subordinates fighting against our friendship.”

Can Trump Win the Trade War He Started?

July 7, 2018 at 8:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The United States and China hit each other with punishing tariffs on Friday as the two nations tipped into a long-feared trade war that is only expected to escalate,” the New York Times reports.

“President Trump has said that trade wars are ‘easy to win.’ Now, as he opens a global skirmish with allies and adversaries alike, the question is whether he has a plan to achieve the results he wants or whether he is heading into a costly and futile clash without resolution.”

“The president appears to be betting that threatening trading partners like China, the European Union, Mexico and Canada with tariffs will eventually force them to bend to the United States.”

May Secures Approval to Negotiate ‘Soft Brexit’

July 7, 2018 at 7:58 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

British Prime Minister Theresa May managed to sign up her fractious cabinet to a UK-EU free trade area under a “common rulebook” that will match EU standards on foods and goods, the Guardian reports.

“The plan has alarmed Brexiters, who believe it signals that Britain will in effect remain subject to EU rules and unable to negotiate new trade deals.”

Trump’s Unorthodox Diplomacy Rattles Europe

July 6, 2018 at 10:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump will land in Europe next week amid fears that he will blow up a key summit focused on Europe’s defense and then offer concessions to NATO’s main adversary, Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the Washington Post reports.

“The allies’ worries and Moscow’s hopes are rooted in Trump’s combative approach to foreign policy. In recent days, Trump has told senior aides that he wants to slash U.S. spending on Europe’s defense if the allies are unwilling to contribute more to NATO.”

Jordan’s Allies Blame the ‘Deep State’

July 6, 2018 at 9:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) “is facing the kind of slowly percolating scandal that would bring down other politicians in other times, as new accusers step forward by the day to say the wrestling coach turned politician was aware of sexual misconduct at Ohio State University but did nothing to stop it,” the New York Times reports.

“But like the man Mr. Jordan doggedly supports, President Trump, the Ohio Republican has the kind of stalwart supporters who do not lose faith easily, and they are already defending the conservative powerhouse, saying he is the victim of the same ‘deep state’ conspirators — liberal bureaucrats embedded in the government — who are trying to bring down the President.”

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