“The Trump administration is sending mixed signals on how far along negotiators are on a tax reform plan,” Politico reports.
“National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said on CNBC Friday that only outlines have been set so far. That seemed to contradict Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told CNBC Thursday “we have a very detailed plan” that would come out later in September.”
“Lawyers for Donald Trump have met several times with special counsel Robert Mueller in recent months and submitted memos arguing that the president didn’t obstruct justice by firing former FBI chief James Comey,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“One memo submitted to Mr. Mueller by the president’s legal team laid out the case that Mr. Trump has the inherent authority under the constitution to hire and fire as he sees fit and therefore didn’t obstruct justice when he fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Another memo outlined why Mr. Comey would make an unsuitable witness, calling him prone to exaggeration, unreliable in congressional testimony and the source of leaks to the news media.”
Mike Allen: “A quiet but consequential battle for staff and cash has begun among ambitious Democrats with their eyes on the 2020 presidential race. The party is likely to start with a bigger field — perhaps much bigger — than the unwieldy Republican batch that produced Donald Trump as the nominee.”
“Our conversations with well-wired Democrats produced a list of three dozen names that range from possible to plausible to probable. Other potential candidates seem certain to emerge, based on who looks strong after the 2018 midterms.”
“Several have begun to actively talk to potential staff members, and a few more have put out feelers, according to Democrats familiar with the conversations.”
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Politico: “As soon as Hurricane Harvey hit, Mexico — a country described by President Trump as a source of rapists and drugs — stepped up to offer boats, food and other aid to the United States. Another offer of help came from Venezuela, a country in severe political and economic crisis that has been repeatedly sanctioned by the Trump administration; it said it could give $5 million in aid. The European Union has proudly noted that it is sharing its satellite mapping with U.S. emergency responders dealing the Harvey’s devastation. This despite Trump’s chastisement of European countries he views as overly dependent on the U.S. military. Then there’s tiny Taiwan, which has reportedly offered $800,000 in aid — a number likely calculated to annoy China as much as to curry favor with Trump.”
“But compared to past crises, the list of foreign governments lining up to help the United States this time is relatively short for the time being. And the few countries that have raised their hand may get more out of it – politically, at least – than the U.S. The relative dearth of global goodwill, some analysts say, may stem from anger at Trump over his ‘America First’ approach to the world, which has irked even staunch U.S. allies.”
Playbook: “Jared Kushner quietly escaped to North Carolina last night to raise money at a private fundraiser for Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, according to multiple sources familiar with the event. Meadows and Kushner have discussed Israel — part of Kushner’s portfolio, and a key issue for Meadows — and paid leave, which faces long odds in the Republican Congress. Kushner went in a private capacity.”
“Why does this matter? Easy. Meadows has been a thorn in the side of Republican leaders for years, and is now one of the most powerful men in the Capitol. He has been a key ally of President Donald Trump’s — and an intermediary between conservatives in the House and the White House. Kushner traveling to North Carolina ahead of the long weekend shows the nature of the relationship between Meadows and members of the Trump administration.”
Just published: Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution.
The Kenyan Supreme Court “nullified the re-election last month of President Uhuru Kenyatta, ordering a new vote to be held within 60 days, in a stunning decision that said the election had been tainted by irregularities,” the New York Times reports.
“Eric Garcetti started the week toying with a 2020 presidential run on a trip to New Hampshire, but the Los Angeles mayor is still keeping his options open for a 2018 run closer to home,” Politico reports.
“That includes next year’s open governor’s race, and possibly a Senate race, should Sen. Dianne Feinstein decide not to seek a fifth term.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC he would not commit to his predecessor’s pledge to remove President Andrew Jackson from the twenty-dollar bill and replace him with Harriet Tubman.
Said Mnuchin: “People have been on the bills for a long period of time. This is something we’ll consider; right now we have a lot more important issues to focus on.”
Daily Beast: “Special counsel Bob Mueller has teamed up with the IRS. According to sources familiar with his investigation into alleged Russian election interference, his probe has enlisted the help of agents from the IRS’ Criminal Investigations unit.”
“This unit—known as CI—is one of the federal government’s most tight-knit, specialized, and secretive investigative entities. Its 2,500 agents focus exclusively on financial crime, including tax evasion and money laundering. A former colleague of Mueller’s said he always liked working with IRS’ special agents, especially when he was a U.S. Attorney.”
“And it goes without saying that the IRS has access to Trump’s tax returns—documents that the president has long resisted releasing to the public.”
Washington Post: “Friends used to be able to call the White House and be patched directly through to Trump; now those calls are routed through Kelly and do not always make it to the president. Friends used to drop by the West Wing when they had time to kill, wandering to the Oval Office to say hello; now they must have an official appointment — and a clear reason — to visit.”
“But Trump sometimes defies — and even resents — the new structure. He has been especially sensitive to the way Kelly’s rigid structure is portrayed in the media and strives to disabuse people of the notion that he is being managed. The president continues to call business friends and outside advisers, including former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, from his personal phone when Kelly is not around, said people with knowledge of the calls.”
Washington Post: “Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room, Sanders was asked whether Trump’s pledged money would come from his personal finances or another source, such as a private charitable foundation he founded or his real estate company.”
Said Sanders: “I know that the president, he said he was personally going to give. I don’t know the legal part of exactly that, but he said his personal money.”
David Clarke, the controversial outgoing sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, is expected to take a job in the Trump administration, Politico reports.
“Clarke resigned as sheriff on Thursday. A regular presence on Fox News, Clarke has become a well-known figure in conservative circles in recent years… But he has come under fierce criticism amid a series of deaths in the Milwaukee County prison, including that of Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration last year after guards turned off the water in his cell.”
“The Trump administration plans to deeply cut Obamacare outreach and advertising,” Vox reports.
“They will reduce Obamacare advertising spending 90%, from the $100 million that the Obama administration spent last year to $10 million this year, and cut the budget for the in-person enrollment program by 41%.”
“Taken together, this represents a 72% cut to efforts to enroll eligible Americans into health law programs.”
“Sara Armstrong, the top staffer at the Republican National Committee, is departing, the latest in a string of exits from the committee,” Politico reports.
“Armstrong, the RNC’s chief of staff, is exiting to take a senior-level job at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She had been serving in the chief of staff role since early this year after helping to oversee President Trump’s inauguration planning.”
Paul Manafort’s notes from a controversial Trump Tower meeting with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign included the word “donations,” near a reference to the Republican National Committee, NBC News reports
“The references, which have not been previously disclosed, have elevated the significance of the June 2016 meeting for congressional investigators, who are seeking to determine whether it included any discussion of donations from Russian sources to either the Trump campaign or the Republican Party.”
“President Trump could trigger a furious response from corporations and some members of his own staff if he green-lights a plan under consideration at the White House to end DACA, the Obama-era policy that suspends deportation of some undocumented workers who arrived as children,” Mike Allen reports.
“I’m told some top CEOs, including leaders in tech and retail, plan to be tough and vocal if Trump ends the policy. But they’re keeping quiet for now because they fear antagonizing him on a question that could have massive implications for their workforces.”
Accuweather estimates that Hurricane Harvey could be “the most costly natural disaster in United States history” and estimates that its economic impact on GDP is $190 billion, which is more than that of Katrina and Sandy combined.
Bloomberg: Harvey wasn’t just bad weather. It was bad city planning.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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