Wednesday, May 8, 2019

"Could you hold the Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin in contempt? Some Democrats have even raised the prospect of arresting the Treasury Secretary if he does not comply..." Nancy Pelosi: "We do have a little jail down in the basement of the Capitol."


Trump’s White House just revoked the press pass I’ve had for 21 years as part of its broader crackdown on journalists’ access.


BREAKING: Republican-led Senate intelligence community has subpoenaed the President's son, Donald Trump Jr.


BREAKING: Senate Intel subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. over Russia investigation


JUST IN: House Judiciary Committee votes 24-16 to approve a contempt citation against Attorney General William Barr, sending the charge to the full House.


BREAKING: House Judiciary Committee holds Barr in contemt


The Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about his previous testimony before Senate investigators in relation to the Russia investigation, sources with direct knowledge told Axios.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Judiciary panel votes to hold Attorney General Barr in contempt of Congress, escalating fight over Mueller report.


Hillary Clinton was right. Hillary Clinton warned us. "This is so worth the watch, especially in light of today’s news.


Kendrick Castillo was three days from graduation. He loved robotics. Yesterday, he ran toward the shooter to save his classmates. Read his story, learn his name and do not become numb to this senseless violence.


Ivanka Trump explains her father's extreme debt issues in a documentary from several years ago. We always knew Trump was a #BillionDollarLoser and his daughter confirms it.


20-12 House Judiciary votes yes to holding Barr in contempt


Schumer accuses McConnell of "aiding and abetting" the Russians


Archie


BREAKING: The @NYSenate PASSES the bill authorizing state authorities to release tax returns - including Trump's - if requested by House Committees by a margin of 39-21.


The man who just bought the New Orleans Times-Picayune and fired its entire staff called the paper a “trophy.” This is the story of how all that came to be. If you can hire good journalists like @jarvisdeberry, get wise and please do so.


Barr, in letter to Trump, requests he asserts executive privilege to block Dem subpoena demands


The View’s Meghan McCain reveals how Trump tax returns already gave Democrats the ‘kill shot’ for 2020


Chart: Trump's negative adjusted gross income on tax returns.


The president has just claimed executive privilege over a document that he says totally exonerates him.


Please allow me to interrupt our Constitutional crisis in progress to inform you that the Trump WH, which has absolutely no idea what it's doing, is getting dangerously close to stumbling into a no-kidding war with Iran.


My Republican friends, this president considers himself above the law, above accountability to us, and above the nation’s interests. We cannot allow this lawlessness and expect that our republic “of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”


"This is a man who was handed hundreds of millions of dollars, flushed it down the toilet, and was desperate to maintain his image of wealth and success. You couldn’t invent a more inviting target for a foreign intelligence service to manipulate."


New - @RepAdamSchiff just introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United


“New York is a sovereign entity: we must have the power to prosecute crimes that occur here.” “When you read the Mueller Report, and see ‘don’t worry, you’ll be taken care of,’ it’s clear that pardons are being discussed as a means to avoid justice.”


#Florida Bar determines further investigation into U.S. Rep. @mattgaetz is warranted for his menacing tweet at Michael Cohen. The case now moves into a grand jury-like phase.


"If you think there was no collusion or no obstruction, you haven't read the Mueller report." - Rep. Mary Scanlon.


Nancy Pelosi: "Every single day the president is making a case — he's becoming self-impeachable."


Jim Jordan: Mueller's gonna be here next week, why don't you wait until after then... Nadler: Um, because we need to read all what he wrote before we question him. Biggest duh moment yet.


Nancy Pelosi Live Now


Justice Anthony Kennedy's son led Deutsche Bank as it loaned Trump over $1 billion

ICYMI

JUST IN: House Speaker Pelosi says Attorney General Barr should be held in contempt of Congress for withholding full Mueller report from Congress


DC-area radio station told to register as Russian agent - Sputnik International 24/7 has been ordered to register his Florida-based broadcasting company as a Russian foreign agent.


John Kelly Says Trump Family Must Be ‘Dealt With’ in White House


NEW: Kentucky's signature plan to connect rural residents to high-speed internet is years behind schedule and *way* over budget. Now, taxpayers are on the hook for $1.5 billion — 50 times more than they were initially told.


Trump insists that his suffering of more than $1 billion in business losses was actually part of his plan all along


Trump's steel tariffs cost U.S. consumers $900,000 for every job created, experts say.


Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Trump is goading us to impeach him."


United States of America, 2019


BREAKING: Wednesday at 10 a.m. @HouseJudiciary to markup contempt report for AG Barr after DOJ rejects Committee’s counteroffer to view hidden sections of Special Counsel Mueller’s report.


Just a heads up from an American living abroad: the insanity of active shooter drills for 6 year-olds and bulletproof backpacks and a debate over arming teachers doesn’t exist in other developed countries because children don’t get shot at school on a routine basis. Laws matter.


Pompeo said election interference was discussed, which is disputed by the Russians: "Pompeo did not discuss the topic of Russia’s meddling in the US elections with Sergey Lavrov. The Russian side is surprised to hear the US Secretary of State saying this."


Florida Republicans warn Trump not to arrive in storm-torn Panhandle empty-handed


“I committed tax fraud”


Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada has refused to resign despite engaging in lewd text messages about women with his then-chief of staff. The aide resigned on Monday.


The Trump campaign wouldn't say whether it has a policy about foreign interference, including the use of information stolen or hacked by a foreign power


Sen. Chuck Schumer: "So [McConnell] says let's move on. It's sort of like Richard Nixon saying let's move on at the height of the investigation of his wrongdoing. Of course he wants to move on. He wants to cover up, he wants to silence on one of the most serious issues we face."


Today is Day 127 without a Secretary of Defense—or even a nominee. The previous record was 60 days at the start of the Bush 41 administration. If Republican Senators cared one whit about the separation of powers rather than the separation of parties, they could end this quickly.


The symbolism of @SecPompeo cancelling a meeting with one of America's closest allies, Chancellor Merkel, to dash off to Sochi to see Lavrov/Putin is not being lost on our European allies. (He just met with Lavrov, after all, yesterday.)


“They showed he didn’t pay any federal income tax. He paid zero. That means zero for troops, zero for vets, zero for schools or health.”


Russia isn't just interfering in US elections. They're also interfering in US justice. Some shocking stories of Russian manipulation of US courts in this article


BREAKING: One student is dead and 7 others injured after shooting at Colorado STEM school.


When Mitch McConnell says the Mueller investigation is “case closed,” he’s doing Donald Trump’s dirty work for him. We’ve got to call it out, and we’ve got to fight back. Sign on to demand the full, unredacted Mueller report.


Iran has announced it will no longer fully comply with the landmark nuclear deal it signed with the United States and five other nations in 2015. What does this mean? Read more about the nuclear deal here:


The White House announces that Trump will host Hungary’s Orban on May 13, inviting a leader who is building what he calls “an alternative to liberal democracy."



Democrats to vote tomorrow to hold A.G. Barr in contempt


: It’s time to start impeachment hearings. Today.


The CEO of snowmobile makers says Polaris "cannot stand for" paying Trump's tariffs to import parts for its U.S. plants


NYT report on Trump taxes begs the question: Who is paying Trump?


The Trump campaign has all but called for "authorities" to investigate David Bossie, because of this @jonathanvswan story:


It’s been nearly 2 years since the #EquifaxBreach – & Congress still hasn’t acted to protect consumers or prevent the next breach. So @MarkWarner @RepCummings, @CongressmanRaja & I are reintroducing a bill to impose massive, mandatory fines when companies expose personal data.


Swalwell to McGahn: Put country above Trump lawlessness


WH tries to claw back executive privilege on McGahn evidence


Elizabeth Warren: "I didn't wake up this morning saying, 'Let’s go to the floor and talk about the Mueller report.' But let's keep in mind, Mitch McConnell came in and just kept saying, ‘No, no, no. Everything’s over. Case closed. We're done.' And no. We're not."


Really big issue is how Trump survived financially after 1994. Where did he get the cash to stay afloat? That’s what is hidden in more recent tax returns.


This Kushner proposal that prevents siblings & parents from immigrating is Dead On Arrival. The House will not vote to keep families apart. Try again, Jared. Next time have a plan that wouldn't have stopped your mother-in-law's parents from immigrating


Sen. Elizabeth Warren: "We took an oath not to try to protect Donald Trump. We took an oath to protect and serve the Constitution of the United States of America. And the way we do that is we begin impeachment proceedings -- now -- against this president."


Nadler on the DOJ letter: "In the coming days, I expect that Congress will have no choice but to confront the behavior of this lawless Administration. The Committee will also take a hard look at the officials who are enabling this cover up."


He's stalling you, @RepJerryNadler. He's going to assert executive privilege anyway, even if it's meritless and even if you negotiate, and try to tie you down in court as long as he can. Trump has done that for decades, and it's standard big law foot-dragging. Get moving ASAP.


Mitch McConnell tries to make Trump’s misconduct disappear


FBI DIRECTOR WRAY: "Russians are focused on sowing divisiveness and discord in this country and pitting us against each other and I think that part we see alive and well."


"As a standoff builds in Washington over the president’s federal tax returns, New York’s Legislature is moving quickly to allow the release of Mr. Trump’s state returns."


Dick Durbin suggested Mitch McConnell is ignoring election security legislation because Russian meddling helped Republicans in 2016


"One number from Mr. Trump’s tax returns is particularly striking—and particularly hard to explain: the $52.9 million in interest income he reported in 1989" but public findings "show no evidence that he owned anything capable of generating close to $52.9 million" in interest?


Officials say 8 students have been injured in a shooting at a public charter school in Colorado. The sheriff says "several of them are in critical condition." Two suspects are in custody.


Nadler says in statement Barr contempt vote tomorrow is still on: “In the coming days, I expect that Congress will have no choice but to confront the behavior of this lawless Administration. The Committee will also take a hard look at the officials who are enabling this cover up”


Mnuchin broke recent precedent for Treasury secretaries and spoke at a Trump campaign fundraiser, addressing a group of top donors that included industry executives his department regulates,


"Months before evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr.’s game-changing presidential endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016, Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor, Cohen said in a recorded conversation reviewed by Reuters."


Analysis: How Trump tries to obscure the strong economy he inherited


Chuck Schumer on @allinwithchris: "What Leader McConnell did today on the floor was nothing short of despicable."


I’d be very interested in the names of the military leaders who allegedly supported this violation of professional ethics and the rules of land warfare.


A "caravan" of Americans with diabetes recently crossed into Canada in order to buy their insulin. The same amount of insulin that costs $700 in Minnesota is just $65 across the border. We must allow the government to negotiate lower prices


Oh, Mitch. As if anybody would brief you given the amount of Russian money you let into the GOP. That case is really quite open.


Bad policies like the forced pregnancy bill are a direct result of voter suppression. If leaders can silence Georgians’ voices at the ballot box, they can ignore Georgians’ voices when in office. We will fight back in court and at the voting booth


Like I said, it’s hard to take admin claims at face value. The administration lies at a record-setting pace and Bolton himself was credibly accused of twisting intelligence in the past to justify U.S. action against Iraq and Cuba.


Police: Ohio man raped 11-year-old who is now pregnant. State law requires the girl to give birth. No law provides for the child's welfare throughout his/her life.


Deal was first reported by @JordanSchachtel who notes Lindsey Graham's many mtgs w/senior officials from $320bil Qatar Investment Authority/QIA. Top donor to Gov Henry McMaster’s last campaign is Qatari lobbyist Imaad Zuberi, who is facing 2 federal probes


Banks that serve U.S. farmers are increasingly restructuring existing loans and boosting the collateral needed for new ones


EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin inflated Iran intel, U.S. officials say


The House Intelligence Committee’s Democratic chairman and Republican ranking member are threatening to hit the DOJ with a rare bipartisan subpoena if the department doesn’t hand over testimony and briefing materials produced by Mueller's investigation


Two of Patriots owner Robert Kraft's defense attorneys are being accused of lying by prosecutors in his solicitation of prostitution case.


Barr fighting losing battle to withhold Mueller report redactions


Trump red line failing despite urgency to keep finances opaque


Executive privilege won’t cover all 36 document requests, is subject to waiver, and can’t justify McGahn’s no-show: as a private citizen he can’t pretend to be under 45’s control. Finally, an impeachment inquiry’s need for evidence trumps privilege.


History in black and white Tea Party: "We must see Obama's Harvard transcripts and his long-form birth certificate! A president is not entitled to privacy!" Trump Party: "We don't need to see Trump's tax returns or his bank records. A president is entitled to privacy."


Who signed the letter asserting Trump would have been charged with obstruction if he weren’t president, and what they hope happens next


Months before Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed Trump in 2016, Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor: to help him with "racy personal photographs-the sort that would typically be kept between husband and wife." It makes more sense now.


ICYMI China's WeChat platform is being used to target Australian's of Chinese heritage, in Mandarin, against the Australian Labor Party this election. The source/sources of the memes & fakery is as yet unknown


Chris Wray clearly thinks there is no lawful way for Barr to open an investigaton. This is a shot across the bows. Wray can investigate Barr for obstruction, and does not need his permission to do so. McCabe opened such an investigation on Trump without Rosenstein’s permission.


McCONNELL on OBAMA: "Maybe stronger leadership would have left the Kremlin less emboldened. Maybe tampering with our democracy wouldn't have seemed so very tempting."


Two guys were plucked, basically from obscurity, and installed at the top of the tax system in the U.S. while both having very specific ties to the president's particular tax situation.


Trump was in such financial ruin that we put him in charge of our economy. He dodged service so we put him in charge of our military. His marriages went to shit so we made him the moral center of our country. He was the shittiest person alive so we gave him the nuclear codes.


Schumer and Pelosi: "McConnell's declaration of 'case closed' is a stunning act of political cynicism and a brazen violation of the oath we all take ... When a President is allowed to violate the law with impunity ... it gnaws at the roots of the great oak that is our democracy."


"This is a man who was handed hundreds of millions of dollars, flushed it down the toilet, and was desperate to maintain his image of wealth and success. You couldn’t invent a more inviting target for a foreign intelligence service to manipulate."


Nadler responds to the DOJ: "This is, of course, not how executive privilege works. The White House waived these privileges long ago ... The Department's legal arguments are without credibility, merit, or legal or factual basis. Worse, this kind of obstruction is dangerous."


McConnell owes the country a fuller explanation on Russian meddling


A former promoter of galas held at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has filed a libel lawsuit against the Miami Herald over a story that she claims falsely portrays her as the one-time head of a day spa prostitution ring.


NBC News: FBI Director Christopher Wray says he knows of no illegal surveillance of any of the 2016 campaigns, in his testimony to Congress. When asked about the use of the term "spying" used by AG Barr, he says that's not the term he would use.


United Australia Party 'undecided' on vaccines and immunisation in Australian election


Trump used the same tax breaks as Amazon to obliterate his IRS bill


The House Intelligence Committee’s Democratic chairman and Republican ranking member are threatening to hit the DOJ with a rare bipartisan subpoena if the department doesn’t hand over testimony and briefing materials produced by Mueller's investigation


Chairman Nadler’s Statement on DOJ Meeting Ahead of Scheduled Contempt Vote Nadler has asked for a meeting with DOJ five times over the past six weeks


Trump's treasury secretary 'breaks law' by refusing to hand over president's tax returns for investigation


The Pentagon recently asked me what I think about Putin, his regime, and his strategic intentions vis-a-vis the US, NATO, and the West -- and What It All Means. DoD paper's been released to the public now -- here's my portion, for those interested


Breaking: Trump lies about the success of his businesses, as well as everything else.


Nearly 80% of American workers live paycheck to paycheck. They work hard, worry and struggle, but still pay their taxes because it’s the law and to support our troops, teachers, first responders and poor. We should expect at least as much from our privileged president.


If McConnell was so "awake" to the dangers of Russian aggression in 2016, why did McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund accept $2.5 million from Kremlin cut-out Len Blavatnik? Why did Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy not denounce Trump, who McCarthy believed was paid by Putin? Hypocrites.


House Democrats threaten to withhold salaries of Trump officials that block probe interviews


Trump has overplayed his hand in trying to gag McGahn and suppress a large number of clearly unprivileged documents. He has set things up to make McGahn’s live testimony all the more explosive when it finally takes place. The King of PR will be hoist with his own petard.


A little time in the slammer for contempt of Congress would wipe that smirk off his face


FBI director tells Congress he has no evidence of "spying" on Trump campaign


Executive privilege can’t be used to hide illegal conduct. The President and his lawyers know that. This is a desperate attempt to rewrite the rules, continue stonewalling Congress, and try to hide the President’s unethical conduct from the American people. It won’t work.


Trump has spent his adult life ridin' his father's wealth and the last two years ridin' Obama's economy.


Democratic congressman Lloyd Doggett says he does not want to throw Attorney General William Barr in jail but is "ready to do so"


Two of Patriots owner Robert Kraft's defense attorneys are being accused of lying by prosecutors in his solicitation of prostitution case.


Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault


Reuters: Cohen said he fixed 'racy photo' problem for Falwell Jr