NEWS: The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has drafted an opinion centering on McGahn’s planned testimony to House Judiciary tomorrow, per DOJ official. A Hill aide tells me they expect it to provide a legal basis for McGahn refusing to comply with the subpoena. — Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) May 20, 2019 NY Times: President Trump is preparing to instruct … Read More
Meanwhile, A Fifth Migrant Child Dies In Custody Of Border Patrol
The U.S. government says a 16-year-old Guatemalan died Monday at a Border Patrol station in South Texas, the fifth death of a migrant child apprehended by border agents since December. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that Border Patrol apprehended the teenager in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley on May 13. The agency says the teenager was … Read More
Pardoning War Criminals: A Terrible Idea
Nowhere is Donald Trump’s imperial instinct more obvious than when it comes to the pardon power. This makes sense. The pardon power is a relic of the English monarchy, which most of the founders didn’t think was necessary and didn’t originally include in the Constitution. With some famous exceptions, pardons have mostly been used to show mercy. In recent years presidents … Read More
The Iran War Drumbeat
This morning, the State Department issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Americans considering going to Iraq, ordered nonessential personnel to leave the country, and warned of a “high risk for violence and kidnapping.” This action comes after the United States indicated that Iran was behind attacks on four oil tankers just outside the Persian Gulf. Iran has denied those accusations, but as tensions in the region increase, Republicans … Read More
Trump’s Lawyers Adopt Untenable Position
On all fronts, Trump, through his lawyers, is fighting congressional subpoenas issued to him, his businesses, his sons, etc. in the courts. Trump and his allies are working to block more than 20 separate investigations into his actions as president, his personal finances and his administration’s policies, according to a Washington Post analysis. The most important case of all is, ironically, one … Read More
Trump Abuse Everywhere
First, an insight into the guy we’re dealing with: Ok. So he’s an asshole. But he’s dangerous too. Trump, through his surrogates, is openly involving a foreign power in domestic politics: If you’re still worried about the collusion described in the Mueller Report forgot about that because it probably means you’re not focused enough on how President Trump’s top advisors … Read More
Document Dump: We Have Questions
Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have sent a letter to Republican committee Chair Lindsey Graham to insist on the importance of bringing Robert Mueller before their committee. To demonstrate the importance, the Democratic senators have included a list of 60 questions that can only be answered by the special counsel’s appearance. The letter—which includes the signatures of 2020 presidential candidates … Read More
North Korea Resumes Missile Firing
We all know Trump’s game. It came to stark reality this week when his tax returns from the 1980s and early 1990s were revealed. Back then, as he was touting a name for himself as a shrewd businessman, hawking his “Art Of The Deal” book, he was losing money hand over fist. Not just a little money, but upwards of … Read More
Breaking: Senate Intel Committee Subpoenas Donald Trump Jr.
Axios is reporting that the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about his previous testimony before Senate investigators in relation to the Russia investigation. This is huge and unique as it is REPUBLICANS who lead the committee. It is the first congressional subpoena — that we know about — of one of President Trump’s … Read More
Trump’s Business Failures Revealed
He’s not a successful businessman. He’s a grifter. During the decade when he was hawking “The Art Of The Deal”, Trump was losing money hand over fist, according to the NY Times, who obtained his tax transcripts from 1986-1995. If the new tax information does not offer a new narrative of Trump’s career, its granular detail gives a precise accounting … Read More
Breaking: White House Declares Executive Privilege Over Unredacted Mueller Report
NY Times: WASHINGTON — President Trump asserted executive privilege on Wednesday in an effort to shield hidden portions of Robert S. Mueller III’s unredacted report and the evidence he collected from Congress. The assertion, Mr. Trump’s first use of the secrecy powers as president, came as the House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Wednesday morning to recommend the House … Read More
Call For Impeachment Grows
There are a lot of serious writings lately urging the impeachment of Trump, and not just from the fringes of the internet. Here is one typical example, printed in the Washington Post, by Brian Klaas: If Donald Trump weren’t president, he’d probably be in jail. That’s the view of a bipartisan group of hundreds of former federal prosecutors, who have … Read More
Mnuchin Says No To Handing Over Trump’s Tax Returns
Surprising absolutely no one, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin thumbed his nose at the House of Representatives on Monday evening and decided not to turn over President Donald Trump’s business and personal tax returns after weeks of saying he just needed a little more time to think about it. In a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, Mnuchin, citing guidance … Read More
400+ Former Federal Prosecutors Can’t Be Wrong
More than 400 former federal prosecutors have signed onto a statement asserting that if the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) did not prohibit a sitting president from being indicted, President Trump would be charged with obstruction of justice. Special counsel Robert Mueller laid out extensive evidence of possible obstruction by Trump in volume 2 of his report, though he ultimately … Read More
Xander and Alex Boycott The White House
NBC: Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will not attend the ceremony at the White House on Thursday honoring the 2018 World Series champions.Cora cited the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico as the reason for his decision. “The government has done some things back home that are great, but we still have a long … Read More