The most important part of the GOP memo is all the things it does not say
What's missing is a lot more telling than what is there.
House Republicans and some rich asshole released the infamous “memo” on Friday afternoon that purports to show corruption and malfeasance by the FBI. It mostly focuses on the process used to obtain a surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former the rich asshole adviser, arguing the process was flawed and partisan. It was written by staffers for House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA).
The document, while rehashing a lot of known facts about the counterintelligence investigation into the rich asshole campaign, is more notable for what it does not say.
The memo does not say that counterintelligence investigation into the rich asshole campaign started with the Steele dossier
The memo, in fact, confirms the investigation was started in July 2016 based on information about another the rich asshole advisor, George Papadopolous. While it is not included in the memo, the New York Times reported that the FBI was alerted after Papadopolous bragged about his contacts with Russian operatives and their offers to provide emails to an Australian diplomat.
The memo does not discuss surveillance of a member of the rich asshole campaign
The memo all relates to issues with the surveillance of Carter Page beginning in October 2016. Page stepped down from the rich asshole campaign in September because of controversy regarding his continuing contacts with Russians.
The memo does not say that surveillance of Carter Page was based exclusively on the Steele dossier
The memo does not present the Steele dossier as the exclusive basis for FISA warrant. The FBI, in an extraordinary statement, said the memo was incomplete and presented a false narrative. This suggests there is additional information about Page that is not disclosed in the memo. From publicly available sources we know that Page was traveling to Russia during the campaign and visiting with Russian government officials. In 2013, Page had been recruited by a man charged with being a Russian spy.
The memo paraphrases former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe in saying that the surveillance warrant against Page would not have been sought without “the Steele dossier information.” But it does not quote McCabe directly, nor does it claim there was no other legal basis for the surveillance.
The memo does not establish that the Steele dossier was unreliable
Much of the memo is spent discussing the financing of the Steele dossier and the political preferences of its author, Christopher Steele. But it does not dispute that Steele was an experienced intelligence professional with a reputation for producing reliable work. Nor does the memo address the fact that many parts of the Steele dossier have been corroborated.
The memo does not include anything that implicates Robert Mueller or his investigation
None of the information in the Republican memo involves actions undertaken by Robert Mueller, who is now overseeing the investigation, and Mueller’s name does not appear in the memo. The memo fails to establish that the surveillance of Page is of any particular importance to Mueller’s investigation. It does say that Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General whom the rich asshole appointed, approved one of the orders to surveil Page. But that only underscores the fact that the decision to conduct surveillance of Page, which five other people also authorized, was not political.
This historian had a frightening thought after learning that Nunes’ anti-FBI memo had been selectively edited
Congressman Devin Nunes (Latvian Foreign Ministry/Flickr)
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According to Politico Magazine, Devin Nunes, the California Republican who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, may have selectively edited data to target the FBI. Along partisan lines, the committee voted to send this redacted memo to President the rich asshole, which allegedly proves FBI bias against him as they conduct an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Politico stated that the Bureau then went on a media offensive, their effort to discredit the already infamous Nunes memo before its contents become known. The FBI claims that the Nunes memo contains “material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
History records that we have been down this road before.
An infamous edited dispatch which did just as the FBI described, “material omissions of fact that fundamentally” impacted accurate events back in 1756, cost somebody his life. That somebody was a somebody, indeed: Admiral John Byng, the son of a peer, an MP, a former governor of Newfoundland, and able administrator.
Fearful that a British possession in the Mediterranean may be a target of the French as tensions rose just before the Seven Years’ War, ministers met and chose Admiral Byng to sail from Portsmouth with ten warships. But more than half the ships assigned him were in disrepair and naval records show that each ship was significantly undermanned. Delays at Portsmouth (caused by the Admiralty which ordered Byng to outfit other ships ahead of his own) forced a late start.
Byng left Portsmouth in April without tenders, a fire ship, or a hospital ship. By the time Byng’s fleet reached Gibraltar, the French had landed 15,000 men on Minorca two weeks prior. Byng was then denied marines by the commander of Gibraltar, General Thomas Fowke. Nonetheless, Byng sailed for Minorca to open communications with a fortified British garrison at Port Mahon. An engagement between his fleet and a French fleet on the 20th of May, 1756. For more than four hours ships exchange gunfire. As night fell the French pulled full sail and left the battle. The Battle of Minorca was a draw.
But three of Byng’s ships were damaged, one, the Intrepid, lost its mainmast and leaked severely. Forty-two British sailors died that day including two captains. Byng remained on station, repaired his ships as best could be done at sea (no tenders, remember?), converted one to a hospital ship, and with the unanimous vote of naval and army officers in a council of war, left Minorca on the 25th of May sailing to the nearest port facility, Gibraltar.
Before they sailed, however, Byng wrote a letter to the Admiralty Office explaining the battle. He handed the dispatch to Captain Augustus Hervey who took a small frigate and sailed ahead of the fleet. Hervey sent the dispatch to Madrid where Benjamin Keene, Britain’s diplomat at the court of Spain, took charge. Rather than send the Byng letter directly to London, Keene chose to send it via Denmark. The war had officially begun. Keene, rightly so, felt that Byng’s battle dispatch may be a target for intercept.
Meanwhile, France’s version of the battle landed in London ahead of Byng’s. Ministers panicked. The French boasted a victory. Without waiting for Byng’s version of the battle to arrive, orders were sent to recall the admiral from service, and upon his return to England, to be placed under arrest. On the 26th of June 1756, the government newspaper, the London Gazette printed the Byng letter.
Except about a third of Byng’s dispatch was missing, and some words twisted to make the admiral appear a coward. Historians M. John Cardwell, Nicholas Rogers, and Kathleen Wilson described what happened next: England began to experience anti-Byng riots. The admiral was hung in effigy after huge crowds paraded the proxy admiral through the streets. Even in faraway Boston, Massachusetts, demonstrations against the alleged cowardly admiral took place.
Let me be clear, the British government edited a dispatch – omissions of fact – in an attempt to obscure facts, in this case, that Minorca was already lost by the time Byng’s fleet arrived.
Because the London Gazette was the British government’s mouthpiece, dozens of papers, in the habit of simply reprinting some of its content, reprinted that Byng was a coward. The nation was against him when he landed in Portsmouth, 26 July 1766. John Byng was placed under arrest, unfree to counter the calumny his own government had accused him of.
In January, a military court martial found Byng innocent of cowardice and disaffection in battle. But Byng could not dodge the third charge. The court-martial stated the admiral “did not do his utmost” to defeat the enemy, a breach of Article 12 of the 1749 Naval Code. Found guilty, Byng was executed by firing squad on 14 March 1757.
The Nunes memo may be the London Gazette of our times, a highly redacted, partisan piece meant to protect high ranking government officials (guess who?). Is the FBI’s Russian investigation the target? Is Nunes trying to Byngify Special Counsel Robert Mueller?
History just may be repeating.
Joe Krulder, Ph.D., teaches history at Butte College.
Scarborough: the rich asshole is 'scared to death' of Mueller investigation
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/02/18 11:21 AM EST
“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough said Friday that President the rich asshole is “scared to death” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, knowing the former FBI director “will out-think him at every turn.”
“He understands that he’s not smart enough, he understands that he’s not smooth enough, he understands that he’s just too slow to keep up with Robert Mueller,” Scarborough, a frequent the rich asshole critic, said on MSNBC “He doesn’t have the nerve.”
“He’s scared to death right now that he’s going to have to actually testify in front of Robert Mueller, because he knows that Mueller will outwit him at every turn,” the former Florida congressman continued.
“He knows that Mueller will outthink him at every turn. He’ll know that when he’s sitting in that interview across from Robert Mueller, that Mueller will be three, four, five steps ahead of him.”
the rich asshole said earlier this month that he was “looking forward” to interviewing with Mueller, but that he would defer to his attorneys for a final decision.
CNN reported Monday that the rich asshole’s lawyers are reportedly arguing that Mueller has not yet met the “bar” to interview the rich asshole, saying that his team must prove that the rich asshole is the only person who can provide them with the information they seek before interviewing him.
Scarborough said the rich asshole is “frantically doing everything he can to avoid testifying” before Mueller.
“some rich asshole knows that Robert Mueller is just a lot smarter than him, a lot shrewder than him, and so he’s doing all of these things,” he said.
A new poll released Thursday found more than 70 percent of Americans say the rich asshole should agree to an interview with Mueller, and 82 percent said that such an interview should be under oath.
Mueller’s investigation has produced four indictments of former the rich asshole officials, including campaign chairman Paul Manafort and national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Ex-Tea Party congressman torches Devin Nunes as ‘obedient’ partisan hack in blistering op-ed
Former Republican lawmaker Joe Walsh talks on CNN (Screen cap).
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Joe Walsh, a hardcore conservative and former Tea Party congressman, has writtenblistering editorial in the Washington Post that hammers Rep. Devin Nunes for putting his party above the well-being of the United States.
Even though Walsh didn’t spend a long time in Congress, he was there long enough to get a sense of Nunes’ character — and what he saw was not pretty.
“He saw everything through a Republican vs. Democrat lens,” writes Walsh. “In weekly conference meetings for Republican House members, Nunes was always one of then-Speaker John A. Boehner’s or Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s go-to lieutenants, willing to tout the party line and make sure the rest of us lined up like obedient boys and girls.”
Given this, Walsh says he’s not surprised to see Nunes “acting more like the chairman of the president’s reelection campaign than chairman of the Intelligence Committee” because “he wants to please whomever he sees as the person or people running the show.”
The bottom line, writes Walsh, is that the House Republicans should not have anyone who is this fanatical about towing the party leadership’s line in an important job such as chairing the House Intelligence Committee.
“He’s not searching for truth, he’s running interference for the White House, abdicating his role as a member of a coequal branch of government, dragging his fellow committee members down with him and exposing House leadership as ineffectual and foolish,” writes Walsh. “As a former congressman — but more important, as a citizen — that’s not what I want.”
‘He’s scared to death’: Morning Joe says the rich asshole willing to do anything to avoid being ‘humiliated’ by Mueller
Joe Scarborough and some rich asshole
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MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said President some rich asshole’s “frantic and furious moves” show how terrified he is of meeting face to face special counsel Robert Mueller.
The “Morning Joe” host said the rich asshole was trashing the FBI and Department of Justice in hopes of avoiding the interview, because he knows how badly he would fare against the special counsel.
“He understands that he’s not smart enough, he understands that he’s not smooth enough, he understands that he’s just too slow to keep up with Robert Mueller,” Scarborough said. “He doesn’t have the nerve.”
the rich asshole’s lawyers fear the interview would be a perjury trap, as Mueller investigates the president’s campaign ties to Russia and his efforts to conceal those now that he’s in the White House.
“He’s scared to death right now that he’s going to have to actually testify in front of Robert Mueller because he knows that Mueller will outwit him at every turn,” Scarborough said. “He knows that Mueller will outthink him at every turn. He’ll know that when he’s sitting in that interview across from Robert Mueller, that Mueller will be three, four, five steps ahead of him.”
“some rich asshole just doesn’t want to be humiliated that badly,” he continued, “so he’s frantically doing everything he can to avoid testifying despite the fact that that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that some rich asshole should agree to an interview with Robert Mueller. But, again, some rich asshole knows that Robert Mueller is just a lot smarter than him, a lot shrewder than him, and so he’s doing all of these things.”
Even if the president succeeds in pushing Mueller off the case, Scarborough said the Russia probe could move into state courts or get picked up by a new special counsel.
“Americans just need to keep in context, our viewers need to keep in context, if it’s not Robert Mueller getting all these people for committing crimes — it will be somebody else,” Scarborough said.
the rich asshole: FBI leadership has 'politicized' investigations to favor Democrats
BY BROOKE SEIPEL - 02/02/18 07:22 AM EST
President the rich asshole early Friday morning lashed out at Department of Justice (DOJ) leaders, as top officials continue to advise the president not to release a confidential memo accusing the DOJ and FBI of abusing their power.
"The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!" the rich asshole tweeted early Friday.
The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!
the rich asshole has frequently clashed with the FBI as the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election continues.
However, his Friday morning tweet strikes a new tone by emphasizing that his frustrations are only with top officials at the DOJ and FBI, not "rank and file" employees.
The comment echoes Sean Hannity's own word choice late Thursday night. While calling for the release of the memo, Hannity repeatedly criticized the FBI and DOJ, but added: "not rank and file, we love you guys."
The controversial memo, compiled by GOP staff for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), alleges surveillance abuses by the DOJ. Debate over the memo's release has caused a firestorm in Washington, D.C. as many argue whether its publication would pose national security concerns.
the rich asshole is expected to announce the release of the memo on Friday.
An official said Thursday that the rich asshole would tell Congress "probably tomorrow" of his decision. The official said the president did not have any national security objections to releasing the memo and likely wouldn't request to redact any material.
Detention of DACA-eligible recipient at traffic court reveals that the March 5 deadline is bogus
"I step out of the courthouse. They say my name. I never expect they would be ICE agents."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Illinois detained an immigrant in court for a traffic ticket, the Chicago Tribune reported, and released him three days later on Thursday.
As Christian Gomez Garcia — a 29-year-old immigrant who came to the country at the age of four from Mexico — came out of traffic court in Cook County’s Skokie branch court on Monday, federal immigration agents called his name and arrested him. They detained him and sent him to a holding facility in Wisconsin for nearly three days.
“I step out of the courthouse. They say my name. I never expect they would be ICE agents,” the 29-year-old told CBS News after his release. “I thought they were regular people. As soon I said, ‘Yes, my name is Christian,’ I just basically got turned around and handcuffed.”
“You can’t tell whether it’s night or day. It’s horrible, sitting down in a square room,” he added.
Federal authorities released Gomez Garcia on Thursday after immigrant advocates and his lawyer appeared at a news conference in front of the courthouse.
Gomez Garcia is in the renewal process of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era initiative that grants temporary deportation protection and work authorization to certain immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16.
President some rich asshole phased out the DACA program in September 2017, putting a hard stop on renewals for beneficiaries whose statuses expire after March 5, 2018. A federal judge has since issued a temporary injunction ruling which allows some DACA beneficiaries to continue their renewal process, but new applications will not be accepted. The the rich asshole administration has expressed that it planned to appeal the decision.
Gomez Garcia’s DACA status has lapsed, but Juan Soliz, one of his attorneys, believes that “federal authorities recognized that because Gomez Garcia is still eligible for a DACA extension, ‘they shouldn’t have picked him up in the first place and they’re compelled to release him.'”
Gomez Garcia said federal authorities released him and told him that his detention was the result of a computer glitch. As the Chicago Tribune found, the Secretary of State’s office explained that “Gomez Garcia’s driver’s license was suspended for failing to pay a fine for a driving offense. A search of court records in Cook County and other Chicago-area counties found no indication of criminal charges against Gomez Garcia.”
Gomez Garcia’s detention is alarming for a couple of reasons. For one, the ICE agency issued a directive Wednesday that greenlit arresting immigrants at courthouses. Although courthouses have never been off limits for ICE detentions, such arrests could dissuade immigrant victims of crime from showing up to defend themselves against perpetuity. But his detention also adds a new level of urgency to the so-called March 5 deadline that the the rich asshole administration insists Dreamers have. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in January that the administration wouldn’t pursue DACA recipients until after March 5. But DACA recipients never had until March 5 to avoid deportation. As Gomez Garcia’s case highlights, contact with federal agents could mean a three-day stint in a Wisconsin holding facility based on a “computer glitch.”
White House releases misleading document attacking diversity visa lottery
The White House's fact sheet doesn't take into account the full picture.
The White House on Thursday released an extensive fact sheet calling on the elimination of the diversity visa lottery program, out of concerns of fraudulent applications and in order to “reduce waitlists in nuclear family-based and high-skilled employment immigration.”
But the claims made by the the rich asshole administration misrepresent the program.
Created through the Immigration Act of 1990, the diversity visa lottery originally helped Irish immigrants enter the country, in part in response to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which only prioritized immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. The program now extends a welcoming mat to countries that generally send low numbers of people to the United States.
The White House made valid claims in the fact sheet that the program could be subject to fraud, citing a 2007 Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) reportthat explained that consular offices found challenges in verifying the identities of applicants and dependents. The report goes on to say that some people from countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism could apply for diversity visas. Yet in the very same paragraph, report authors indicated, “we found no documented evidence that DV immigrants from these, or other, countries posed a terrorist or other threat.”
As the State Department’s Diversity Immigrant Visa Program website states, “Being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. Selection merely means that you are eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa. If your rank number becomes eligible for final processing, you potentially may be issued a Diversity Visa.” There is no guaranteed admission into the United States.
Winners of the lottery, the Immigration Policy Council explained, have to “undergo extensive screening before a visa will be issued, including multiple identity confirmations using biometrics, criminal and security background checks, cross-checks with various watch-lists, and in-person interviews.” Those security measures also apply for family members, like spouses and children, who the lottery winner can petition to bring into the United States as “derivatives.”
The White House also framed its bias against the visa lottery system as an issue of “merit and skill.” But as it stands, diversity visa lottery program applicants must have a high school education or two years of work experience in the past five years that requires at least two years of training or experience.
“As a result of these low qualifying standards, there is no guarantee that those admitted to the U.S. through the visa lottery system can contribute positively to the United States or assimilate successfully,” the White House fact sheet said.
Some immigration experts would disagree that a high school graduate from another country makes them unable to “contribute positively” or “assimilate successfully” in the United States. As a point of clarification, merit does not necessarily equate skill, and having a skill does not necessarily require a formal education.
,Associate Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College argued that accepting immigrants with diverse backgrounds with diverse skills “tend to produce greater economic benefits” in part because the “more homogeneous and similar immigrants are to natives, the greater the odds they’ll in fact have a negative effect.” Lewis argued that people with diverse backgrounds and a lower grasp of English aren’t competing for the same jobs as native Americans, since they tend to “specialize in jobs that are less ‘communication-intensive,’ such as manual labor.” Deborah Weissman, professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, similarly argued that the emphasis on “merit” is hard to understand given that “there aren’t mechanisms by which” skills like like construction work can be measured.
Senator demands new information on ties between Russia and the NRA
In a pair of letters, Ron Wyden sets his sights on shell companies and real estate transactions.
While Devin Nunes tries to mislead audiences about his memo, an actual document hunt in Washington could have far-reaching ramifications, both for the Russia investigation and national security writ large.
On Friday Sen. Ron Wyden. (D.-Ore.) wrote a pair of letters, obtained by ThinkProgress, to both Treasury Department head Steve Mnuchin and National Rifle Association Treasurer Wilson Phillips, Jr. First reported by AP, the letters demand any and all financial information pertaining to links between the NRA and Russian officials. The letters were prompted by a recent report from McClatchy noting that the FBI is investigating such links – especially as it pertains to the $30 million the NRA funneled to some rich asshole campaign, money that came from an NRA arm that isn’t forced to disclose its donors.
In his letter to Mnuchin, Wyden noted that the “national security as well as legal implications of these reports make it imperative that Congress conduct a thorough investigation.” Wyden specifically requested documents “relevant to financial links between the NRA and its associate entities” and Russian officials, as well as documents “related to shell companies or other illicit funding mechanisms suspected of being connected to these reported links.”
His letter to Phillips struck a similar vein, noting that “Russian-backed shell companies or intermediaries may have circumvented laws designed to prohibit foreign meddling in our elections.” As such, Wyden was requesting “all documents related to any remuneration, transaction, or contribution” between Russia and the NRA – including, interestingly, “real estate ownership documentation[.]”
The burgeoning NRA-Russian links have been one of the stranger spurs of ongoing links between Russian actors and American conservatives, ranging from the rich asshole to evangelicals to white nationalists. Not only have NRA higher-ups sought meetings with Russian officials currently sanctioned by the U.S., but, most strikingly, the NRA’s Russian counterparts financed a 2015 trip that saw notorious Sheriff David Clarke posing in Moscow.
Beyond the obvious concerns about Russia funneling money via the NRA to prop the rich asshole’s campaign – as well as Russia’s attempts to use NRA links to lobby on Moscow’s behalf – the Russia-NRA ties also circle on Alexander Torshin, a Russian national who, according to Spanish investigators, had previously laundered funds in Spain for the Russian mafia. Indeed, Wyden made sure to cite Torshin specifically in his letter to Mnuchin, asking specifically for “documents relevant to financial links between the NRA and its associate entities and Mr. Torshin.”
WATCH: Ana Navarro burns down the rich asshole defender for accusing Obama of ordering surveillance on the rich asshole
Ana Navarro, Matt Schlapp -- CNN screengrab
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Both CNN host John Harwood and CNN regular Ana Navarro hammered an avid some rich asshole defender who made baseless claims that a FISA warrant at the heart of a memo critical of the FBI compiled by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) was ordered by former President Barack Obama.
Discussing the rich asshole’s Friday morning tweets attacking the FBI, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp immediately supported the president, saying he was “disgusted” with Obama.
“Look, John,” Schlapp told the CNN host.”It is a very fair question. these are troubling times. I am disgusted and dismayed that during a presidential election President Obama used the intelligence community to essentially spy on its political opponents.”
“Hang on, hang on,” Harwood interrupted. ” You said President Obama used it. Where is your proof?”
“John, that’s why all of this needs to be released,” Schlapp deflected. “How did they get the FISA warrant if Obama appointees didn’t go get the FISA warrant in order to spy on the rich asshole team in order to find information, that could be politically –.”
Harwood once again interrupted the conservative to explain the process by which FISA warrants are obtained, with Schlapp responding, “I agree with everything you said despite one fact: what they did to get this FISA warrant.”
“Who is they?” the CNN host pressed.
“The specific person? The name, rank, and serial number?” the conservative responded without answering the question. “That’s why I want to read this memo. That’s why you should read this memo, which most Americans have not read, most congresspeople have not read.”
Following Harwood and Schlapp talking over each other over whether Nunes has read the documents behind the memo, co-panelist Ana Navarro joined the fray, accusing Schlapp of doing the rich asshole’s bidding and trying to destroy the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“I just think there is so much noise with the clear intent of muddying the waters of discrediting the FBI, of discrediting Bob Mueller, of trying to lay the groundwork so he can fire [Assistant AG Rod] Rosenstein, and then, you know, go after Mueller,” Navarro said, but not before telling Schlapp “You’ve already talked a hell of a lot,” as he tried to interrupt her.
“This is to me a very clear road map here with the help of a lot of people, with the coordination of folks in Congress, in the right wing media, in coordination with surrogates and allies, of just drumming up all of this nonsense, conspiracy theories under the direction of the White House” she continued.
Watch the video below via CNN:
Morning Joe: Devin Nunes is wrapped up in a ‘conspiracy to obstruct’ justice with some rich asshole
Joe Scarborough (MSNBC)
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MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said President some rich asshole and Republican lawmakers were conspiring to obstruct justice in the special counsel probe.
The “Morning Joe” host and his guests discussed the memo that originated with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), who says the document proves wrongdoing by the FBI — which has disputed the claims as intentionally misleading.
“(Nunes) is coordinating with the White House,” Scarborough said. “He coordinated with the White House on the unmasking information, and he’s clearly coordinating with the White House here. That’s not oversight — that’s actually being in a conspiracy to obstruct an investigation against a president of the United States. Pretty cut and dry.”
Frank Figliuzzi, the former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, agreed that Nunes could be in legal jeopardy for obstruction — and the memo could be further evidence against the president.
“He’s waving around a very dramatic memo that he’s going to release, essentially in the form of a press release,” Figliuzzi said. “It clearly goes toward his intent, and his intent appears to be obstruction.”
Scarborough said congressional Republicans “care more about being subservient” to the rich asshole than protecting national security, and MSNBC contributor Donny Deutsch said Democrats should hammer them on that during this year’s midterm election campaigns.
“Going forward, are you going to bet on the people that keep this country safe, the men and women that have lost their lives and dedicated their lives in the FBI, or a reality TV guy?” Deutsch said. “That’s the choice you put in front of the American people.”
the rich asshole says it’s OK he spread fake news about Muslims because he only ‘did a retweet’
"I know nothing about these people."
During an interview with Piers Morgan, President the rich asshole refused to apologize for retweeting three fake, inflammatory, and Islamophobic videos originally posted by the far-right British group Britain First.
Asked if he regrets the retweets, the rich asshole didn’t directly answer, but instead said, “You know, look, it was done because I am a big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror. This was a depiction of radical Islamic terror.”
Morgan cut in to note that the videos were misleading. Though they purportedly showed Muslims committing acts of violence, each of the videos contained false or misleading information.
But the rich asshole said that he doesn’t think it really matters whether the videos were accurate or not. And anyway, retweets don’t equal endorsements.
“I didn’t do it,” the rich asshole said. “I did a retweet.”
the rich asshole’s line echoes the talking point Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders used to defend the rich asshole’s retweets in November, when she told reporters that it doesn’t matter if the videos the rich asshole shared are misleading, because the threat posed by Muslims is “real.”
On Friday, Morgan went on Morning Joe to talk about his interview with the rich asshole, and said he “can’t believe” it took the rich asshole several weeks to un-retweet the Islamaphobic videos.
“I can’t believe in that period of time that nobody had told him exactly who these people were,” Morgan said.
As ThinkProgress previously detailed, Britain First is a xenophobic far-right party known for filming Islamophobic stunts. The group gained notoriety in 2016 when the assassin who gunned down MP Jo Cox repeatedly yelled “Britain First” after murdering her.
A number of leading British politicians denounced the rich asshole’s retweets, but the rich asshole told Morgan he didn’t know anything about Britain First.
“It was a big story where you are but it was not a big story where I am,” the rich asshole said, downplaying the significance of the retweets. “I know nothing about them… I know nothing about these people.”
the rich asshole’s comments about Britain First are reminiscent of what he said after David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed him in February 2016.
“I know nothing about David Duke,” the rich asshole told CNN’s Jake Tapper at the time. “I know nothing about white supremacists.”
Good news for people who want to do good: Week 54
News you actually want to know, and what you can do to make a difference.
Welcome to your weekly roundup of good news about good people, how you can help make a difference — and a picture of President Obama because you’ve earned it.
Wow! More than 500 women are running for major office in 2018
The numbers just keep climbing: Across the nation, more than 500 women are running for congressional seats or state governorships in 2018.
As of last week, 325 women were non-incumbent candidates for the United States House, along with 72 female members seeking reelection, according to data compiled by [the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University]. Thirty-eight women not currently serving in the United States Senate are aiming for the upper chamber, along with 12 incumbents running again. And 75 women have set their sights on the nation’s governorships — plus four female incumbents fighting to keep their seats.
By comparison, 2016 was a high-water mark for women candidates, and there were less than half as many candidates as there are so far in 2018.
The current political climate may be an intimidating one for women — but it’s also energizing for that exact reason.
“There is this general call that women would be able to legislate in a way that was more honest and trustworthy because they are political outsiders,” noted Jennifer Lawless of the Women and Politics Institute at American University.
People of color are also getting off the political sidelines in record numbers
The changes to the political landscape are not only happening from the perspective of gender, but racial identity as well.
Men and women of color are “part of a powerful groundswell of young, largely progressive candidates … entering politics for the first time in forceful opposition to the rich asshole.”
Faced with an administration led by a man who embodies white privilege and bigoted thinking, nonwhite candidates are determined to push back against the dangerous policies and hateful ideology emanating from the White House and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans are ready to run all over the country. In one example of the massive numbers, out of the 15,000 potential candidates recruited by the national Democratic training organization Run For Something, one-third identify as persons of color.
In particular, the rich asshole’s callous words about Mexicans and his obsession with a southern border wall have drawn Latino candidates out in droves.
“The silver lining for us this year,” said Mayra Macias, political director for Latino Victory Project, “is we’re seeing that some rich asshole may be the greatest Latino political organizer in history.”
ACTION ALERT: We Are All America!
We Are All America seeks to uphold the country’s commitment to welcoming newcomers to our shores, and providing safety and freedom for all who seek refuge here.
The organization’s National Week of Action to recommit to solidarity and support for immigrants and refugees is still in effect, so find or register an event near you and make your voice heard!
Indivisible Colusa took a little road trip to send a message to a California Republican
Indivisible Colusa showed some neighborly spirit recently when they hit the road heading north to Chico, California, and added their voices to the call to flip the state’s 1st Congressional District:
Some of our members took a beautiful drive to Chico today to support our neighbors’ stand against Rep. Doug LaMalfa. #ReplaceLaMalfa #FlipCA1 @IndivisibleTeam
According to FiveThirtyEight, Rep. Doug LaMalfa has a 98.4 percent “the rich asshole score.” So it’s no wonder this very blue state is eager to show him the door.
Must-see ad from an oncologist and Texas Democrat running for Congress
Dr. Jason Westin is an award-winning oncologist and cancer researcher. He’s also a Democrat in the still-red state of Texas.
And he’s got a campaign video that is an absolute must-see.
Remember, “don’t mess with Texas” applies to all Texans — especially those who are ready to stand up to the rich asshole.
California Senate rebukes the rich asshole’s FCC, passes net neutrality law
Under the rich asshole, the Federal Communications Commission has upended the crucial net neutrality regulations which help to ensure free debate and open access to the internet for everyone.
But California is fighting back.
The California State Senate approved a bill that would place its own net neutrality protections on internet service providers, in a direct challenge to the FCC.
The bill passed 21-12, with all votes in favor coming from Democrats. It now heads to the State Assembly, where Democrats also hold a massive majority of 53-25 over Republicans.
Alongside lawsuits from multiple states, this move by the California Senate ought to make it crystal clear to the rich asshole administration that attacking access to the internet will be met with consistent fire.
ACTION ALERT: Mueller firing rapid response
the rich asshole has made it abundantly clear that he is willing to do anything to protect himself from the Russia investigation, and firing special counsel Robert Mueller may very well be on his mind — just like it was last June.
MoveOn has everything you need to know about the rapid response that must occur if the rich asshole actually goes ahead with his seeming goal to plunge the nation into an all-out constitutional crisis.
Your escape back to the Obama years is now in theaters
Remember when we had a competent, intelligent, good-hearted president?
Unfortunately, time travel has yet to be invented, but you can get as close to it as possible by simply heading to your local movie theater or tuning in to On Demand.
“The Final Year” is a unique look at the inner workings of the Obama administration during President Barack Obama’s last year in office.
Watch the trailer, catch the movie, and reminisce — then, as the man always said, get fired up and ready to go!
the rich asshole attacks his own FBI director, says he’s working against Republicans
the rich asshole broadsides his own top officials.
When President the rich asshole announced Christopher Wray’s nomination as FBI director in June, he praised him as “a man of impeccable credentials.”
But on Friday morning, the rich asshole sang a very different tune.
After Wray’s FBI took the unusual step of publicly speaking out against the release of a Republican intelligence memo that purportedly details political bias in the intelligence community, the president is now accusing Wray — who was nominated by President George W. Bush to run the DOJ’s criminal division — of politicizing investigations and favoring Democrats.
“The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” the rich asshole tweeted on Friday morning. “Rank & File are great people!”
Not only is the rich asshole attacking Wray, but he’s also attacking Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Republican senator who was one of the rich asshole’s most prominent surrogates during the campaign before the rich asshole appointed him to the top DOJ role. the rich asshole has publicly criticized Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the FBI’s investigation into his campaign, which ultimately led to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointing Robert Mueller as special counsel.
The controversy here centers on a Republican intelligence memo that alleges FBI abuses in the ongoing investigation into the rich asshole officials’ ties to Russia. the rich asshole reportedly hopes the public release of this memo will allow him to put pressure on Rosenstein, the top official overseeing the active investigation into his campaign.
Rosenstein, or whoever replaces him as deputy attorney general, will ultimately make the decision about whether or not Mueller’s investigatory findings will be made public. Rosenstein is also the only U.S. official with the authority to fire Mueller.
But experts across the intelligence community have cautioned against taking the memo seriously. The FBI released a statement saying the memo isn’t accurate, and Wray reportedly threatened to quit if it becomes public.
the rich asshole’s accusation that the FBI and DOJ are biased against him is hard to square with the facts. The FBI investigation into the the rich asshole campaign for possible collusion with Russia became in the summer of 2016 — a period of time when then-director Comey repeatedly spoke out publicly about the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Comey’s unusual move to publicize new information pertaining to the Clinton investigation in the day before the election arguably cost her the election. Meanwhile, the bureau didn’t confirm the existence of the investigation into the the rich asshole campaign until the rich asshole had already won office.
Republicans who have been helping the rich asshole is his effort to discredit the FBI have centered their conspiracy theory on text messages exchanged by two FBI officials who privately shared anti-the rich asshole views during the campaign. But that conspiracy theory, weak as it was, fell apart earlier this week when CNN reported that one of those employees supported reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation days before the election — and wrote the first draft of the letter from Comey that made the decision public.
the rich asshole’s attack on his top officials comes days after numerous outlets reported that he asked Rosenstein about his political allegiance during a recent White House meeting. Rosenstein is the latest in a string of top DOJ officials who have been pressed by the rich asshole about the strength of their allegiance to him, including Comey, former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, and Sessions.
Following his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, a hot mic caught the rich asshole telling a Republican congressman that he “100 percent” supports releasing the memo. The next morning, White House officials confirmed that the rich asshole hadn’t even read it yet.
‘Bet against the president’: Senior White House official’s lawyer predicts the rich asshole indictment in next 2-3 months
Special counsel Bob Mueller (left) and President some rich asshole (right). Images via screengrab.
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According to two lawyers who have clients who have been swept up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into some rich asshole administration, they believe that the president may be indicted for obstruction of justice within the next few months.
In an interview with Politico, the lawyers — who asked to remain anonymous to protect their clients — said they don’t exactly know what Mueller’s ultimate plans are, but the line of questioning by investigators indicates that he is going hard at the rich asshole for attempting to block the investigation.
According to one attorney, his interactions with the special counsel’s team while representing his client in interviews have focused on “whether the rich asshole tried to derail the probe into his campaign’s Russia ties.”
“If I were a betting man, I’d bet against the president,” one attorney said, while the other — who represents a high-ranking the rich asshole official — added that he fully expects the indictment to be forthcoming for no other reason than to get Congress to take the matter seriously.
“It’s entirely possible that Mueller may go that route on the theory that, as an open question, it should be for the courts to decide,” the attorney explained to Politico. “Even if the indictment is dismissed, it puts maximum pressure on Congress to treat this with the independence and intellectual honesty that it will never, ever get.”
The attorney who made the betting comment said he expects an indictment earlier rather than later, saying Mueller may not want to drop the bombshell just prior to the 2018 midterms.
“If he’s going to do it, I think he’ll do it in the spring,” the attorney said. “I don’t think he wants to be accused of trying to influence the election that dramatically.”
The attorneys acknowledged that there is a question whether a sitting president can be indicted, but that Mueller’s team is willing to let the courts settle that issue while Congress wrestles with what to do with the embattled president.
the rich asshole’s personal attorney, John Dowd, is betting the president can’t be indicted, saying, “president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer” under the Constitution.
the rich asshole lashes out at FBI and DOJ ahead of Nunes memo release in early morning Twitter attack
President some rich asshole (AFP / Mandel NGAN)
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In an early morning tweet, President some rich asshole lashed out at the “top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department” who are investigating his administration, saying they are biased against Republicans.
“The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!” the president wrote.
the rich asshole’s tweet comes as FBI officials are battling with the White House over the release of the memo compiled by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) aimed at undercutting special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
You can see the tweet below:
Veteran journalist nails complicit Paul Ryan: He’s “advancing …the interests of Russia”
John Heilemann has some choice words about the House Speaker’s endorsement of intel chair Devin Nunes’ crusade against the FBI.
As the sordid saga of House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes and his anti-FBI memo continues to unfold, the ignominy is no longer just his, but also of his biggest protector and endorser in Congress: House Speaker Paul Ryan.
And longtime national affairs correspondent John Heilemann is completely disgusted.
On Thursday’s edition of “Deadline White House” on MSNBC, Heilemann railed against Ryan after conservative analyst Bill Kristol pointed out that Nunes’ phony memo has “totally muddied the waters” and “may leave the groundwork for the rich asshole firing [Deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein.”
“I’ve said this now multiple times this week and I’ll say it again,” said Heilemann. “It has clarified the extent to which Paul Ryan is now no longer on Team USA or on even Team Old Republican Party. He is on Team Nunes, which means he’s on Team the rich asshole, which means to some extent they’re all — they’re advancing, in some sense, the interests of Russia. This is — this is what Russia wants here.”
“We now have a clear signal that Ryan is utterly supine, and he’s backed Nunes, he’s saying — to the extent that Nunes is saying — we don’t care about Russian meddling in the 2016 election, what we’re going to do is investigate the FBI,” he said. “Ryan has come out and endorsed that view. And I find that utterly stunning.”
“Paul Ryan has behaved poorly over the course of the last year. But this — I did not think he would end up in this position,” Heilemann concluded. “It has huge implications for the future, too.”
Nunes was forced to sort-of recuse himself from the House Russia probe and submit to an ethics investigation after allegedly going rogue and sharing information from his own probe with the rich asshole. He has since weaponized his committee to incessantly attack the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller, to the point that he is concealing from his own committee members what they are voting to let him do.
But Ryan refuses to hear a word against Nunes. He has for months insisted he has “full confidence” in Nunes’ investigations, and says Nunes should be allowed to release his anti-FBI hit job. In response to Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer demanding Nunes be removed from the committee, Ryan said they are just “playing politics,” that Nunes is just keeping “our country safe,” and “look, the tax cuts are working.”
Heilemann is not alone in criticizing Ryan’s complicity. The Washington Post editorial board slammed Ryan for giving Nunes free reign in a new op-ed published Thursday night.
“Mr. Ryan bears full responsibility for the deterioration of congressional oversight of intelligence operations,” the editorial board writes. “Once a bipartisan responsibility that lawmakers treated soberly — as they still do in the Senate — oversight under Mr. Nunes has become another front in some rich asshole’s assault on the law enforcement institutions investigating the president and his associates. House Republicans are poisoning the committee’s relationship with the intelligence community and distracting from real issues demanding attention.”
At some point we must go beyond asking why Nunes is intent both on destroying congressional investigative legitimacy and besmirching the integrity of federal law enforcement, and start asking why Ryan is giving him free reign to do so.
BY JOHN BOWDEN - 02/01/18 09:14 PM EST
President the rich asshole mocked Democrats and "the resistance" at the Republican National Committee's (RNC) winter meeting at the rich asshole International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night.
In brief remarks broadcast by Fox News, the rich asshole said that his administration has been able to pass major legislation, including an overhaul of the tax code, despite Democrats' call to "resist" his presidency.
"You know, the name is resist," the rich asshole joked. "That's the name of their movement. 'Resist.' That's all they do is resist. I don't know if they're good at it, they can't be too good at it because we're passing a lot of things."
"So I wouldn't say their resistance is extremely successful," he added.
the rich asshole made the remarks after speculating that congressional Democrats would be unwilling to work with his administration on a fix for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, accusing the party of just wanting to "talk" about immigration reform.
"You know, the Democrats are AWOL. They're missing in action," the president said. "We're saying, 'where are they? We have a proposal, we never hear from them.' Because I don't think they want to solve the DACA problem. I think they want to talk about it. I think they want to obstruct."
the rich asshole's comments came during a brief portion of the event that was open to the press before members of the media said reporters were escorted out of the room.
Press only allowed to cover a few minutes of his remarks to the RNC, before being escorted out of the room.
After five minutes of covering President Trump's remarks to the Republican National Committee, the press pool has been kicked out of the Trump International Hotel.
Last week, the White House said the rich asshole would endorse a plan allowing as many as 1.8 million young immigrants to seek U.S. citizenship in exchange for funding for a border wall system an other sweeping changes to the U.S. immigration system.
the rich asshole accused Democrats of "doing nothing" on DACA in a tweet earlier Thursday as lawmakers push to secure a deal to protect an estimated 700,000 young immigrants at risk of deportation ahead of a March deadline that the rich asshole announced when saying he would rescind the Obama-era immigration program.
"March 5th is rapidly approaching and the Democrats are doing nothing about DACA. They Resist, Blame, Complain and Obstruct - and do nothing," the rich asshole said.
"Start pushing Nancy Pelosi and the Dems to work out a DACA fix, NOW!"
Watch protesters descend on 5-star resort where GOP plots against American workers
Congressional Republicans planned to map out their next moves at a retreat held in the lap of luxury. But they didn't plan on the protesters who were waiting at the gates to greet them.
Republicans have declared an all-out economic war on the American people, and they are proud of it.
They tried repeatedly to strip millions of families of their health insurance. They rammed through a trillion-dollar tax giveaway to corporations and billionaires, at the expense of working people who are now losing their jobs.
To cap it all off, the GOP this week headed for their annual retreat at the Greenbrier, a five-star luxury resort in White Sulphur Spring, West Virginia. There, in sumptuous surroundings, House Speaker Paul Ryan talked up his 2018 plans to tackle “workforce development” — his latest sunny euphemism for cutting Medicaid, food stamps, and welfare.
If Republicans thought they would get a reprieve from public opposition at the Greenbrier, however, they were sorely mistaken. The Resistance was waiting for them at the gates.
Scores of protesters, gathered for a march organized by the Center for Popular Democracy Action in partnership with Tax March, converged on West Virginia Thursday from ten different states. The group, which included many low-income people who rely on the programs that the GOP was plotting to cut during discussions at the retreat, marched through the streets of West Virginia before arriving in White Sulphur Springs.
By Thursday afternoon, a huge crowd of protesters had gathered outside the gates of the Greenbrier:
THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. The angry masses swarm the gates of the @GOP retreat. #RepealTheTrumpTax pscp.tv/w/bUH_YDFWR2p2…
This demonstration was only the latest in an aggressive series of nationwide campaigns by resistance groups, like the Repeal the rich asshole Tax Tour, designed to fight back against the GOP’s toxic economic agenda. The group marching on Thursday said they were “fighting for an economy that works for everyone, and not just the wealthy few.”
Ryan does not yet have universal support among Republicans in Congress for his plan to pay for the tax scam’s deficit spending with massive cuts to social programs. But he is determined for this to be a top priority this year — and the rich asshole’s unilateral action to let states boot Medicaid recipients off the rolls if they cannot find a job indicates he is on board.
Even for the GOP, the optics of gathering at a luxury resort to take health care and food assistance from the poor is beyond brazen. The American people are fed up — and increasingly, they’re making themselves heard.
GOP eyeing vote to fund the government through March 23
BY MELANIE ZANONA - 02/01/18 06:22 PM EST
House lawmakers will likely consider legislation early next week to keep the government open through about March 23, according to two sources familiar with the situation, though the plan has not been finalized.
The thinking is that a six-week funding patch would give lawmakers enough time to reach a deal on immigration, which would then unlock the budget caps deal that is needed to write a massive omnibus spending bill for the rest of the fiscal year.
Congress may end up voting on the spending measure as early as Tuesday because of a House Democratic retreat planned for next Wednesday.
“What I’ve heard is later March, sometime around the 23rd, so enough time to hopefully come to a deal to actually get an omnibus,” said one GOP lawmaker. “I think they want to give themselves some breathing room, but no final decisions have been made.”
But Republican leaders have still not finalized a broader strategy to avoid another government shutdown when current funding expires on Feb. 8, though lawmakers dismissed concerns that the government would close down again.
Key details like the length and contents of the next funding bill were still under discussion as of Thursday, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters at the annual GOP retreat in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
It’s still unclear how much support the short-term funding patch — which would be the fifth since September — will have from the House GOP conference, where defense hawks and conservatives have grown increasingly frustrated with the cycle of passing continuing resolutions (CR).
The far-right House Freedom Caucus has already fired a warning shot to leadership that they may not support the next funding bill.
“I don't see the probability of the Freedom Caucus supporting a fifth CR without substantial changes by Feb. 8, unless we see dramatic changes,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) told reporters Thursday.
After a three-day government shutdown last month, sparked by a bitter fight over immigration, Democrats agreed to a funding bill that keeps the government open through Feb. 8.
President the rich asshole gave Congress until March 5 to come up with a permanent legal fix for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.
But with Congress nowhere closer to a deal on budget caps or immigration, lawmakers will have to pass yet another short-term funding patch next week.
Leadership is still deciding whether to attach any sweeteners to the next CR in a bid to attract more support. One option under consideration, according to Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), is including money for community health centers.
“There’s certainly some discussion about that. A lot of us would like to do community health centers, Medicare extenders, things like the special diabetes program for Native American nations that is critical,” said Cole, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee on labor and health and human services. “I think it would make it much more attractive to Democrats.”
Senate Democrats, who rejected a stopgap funding bill last month and sparked a government shutdown, may be willing to go along with the next CR as long as there are no poison pills. They received assurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that he would put immigration and border security legislation on the floor if a deal is not reached by Feb. 8.
But GOP leadership could run into problems within its own party when it comes to the CR. Many rank-and-file House Republicans are upset that they keep backing CRs without ever seeing a different end result.
The Freedom Caucus and defense hawks are pushing hard for leadership to include a full year of defense funding on the next short-term spending patch — an idea that has gone nowhere in the past, partly because it’s been considered dead-on-arrival in the Senate.
But Republicans think they may have more leverage now, given that Senate Democrats are expected to be less willing to use shutdown tactics a second time around.
“I don’t think we’ll see a threat [of a] government shutdown again. … One of my favorite old Kentucky country sayings is 'there’s no education in the second kick of a mule,' and so I think there will be a new level of seriousness here trying to resolve these issues,” McConnell told reporters at the Republican retreat.
A new Treasury Department report this week warning that Congress will need to raise the debt ceiling earlier than expected, in early March, could also impact leadership’s plan for the CR.
The preference has been to attach debt ceiling legislation to an omnibus spending bill, but the new report could heighten the sense of urgency to resolve the issue sooner.
“The CR is obviously one potential vehicle for the debt ceiling, but I think they would like to put that on an omnibus,” Cole said.
Some Republicans, however, are insisting that any debt ceiling legislation be paired with spending reforms. That pairing could face opposition from Democrats.
“I’ve had conversations as recently as yesterday with Director Mulvaney and as recent as last week with Secretary Mnuchin on the debt ceiling, on how we can effectively make some real reforms in that area,” Meadows said Thursday, referring to White House budget director Mick Mulvaney and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
“Based on those initial conversations, a number of Freedom Caucus members could potentially support those efforts,” he added.
- Alexander Bolton contributed.
the rich asshole: Democrats 'just aren't calling' on DACA
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/01/18 10:50 PM EST
President the rich asshole took to Twitter on Thursday night to slam Democratic leaders for “not calling” him about a fix for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“The Democrats just aren’t calling about DACA. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have to get moving fast, or they’ll disappoint you again,” the rich asshole wrote, referring to the House Democratic leader and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). “We have a great chance to make a deal or, blame the Dems! March 5th is coming up fast.”
The Democrats just aren’t calling about DACA. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have to get moving fast, or they’ll disappoint you again. We have a great chance to make a deal or, blame the Dems! March 5th is coming up fast.
the rich asshole tweeted a similar sentiment early Thursday when he said Democrats were “doing nothing” to protect young immigrants covered by DACA.
March 5th is rapidly approaching and the Democrats are doing nothing about DACA. They Resist, Blame, Complain and Obstruct - and do nothing. Start pushing Nancy Pelosi and the Dems to work out a DACA fix, NOW!
the rich asshole announced in September that he would move to end the program, which protects certain young immigrants who were brought into the U.S. illegally when they were children from being deported, unless Congress could come up with a fix by March.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said last month they had reached a deal among themselves for an immigration package that provided a fix for DACA as well as provided border security funding and changes to legal immigration. the rich asshole later rejected that plan.
Schumer later tried to negotiate a deal with the rich asshole to pair a DACA fix with funding for a border wall, but those negotiations failed.
Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a government spending bill last month because a fix for DACA wasn’t included, leading to a three-day government shutdown.
The White House unveiled details of the rich asshole’s immigration plan last week. The plan includes a path to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants, including those who are covered by DACA program as well as those who are eligible for DACA but did not apply.
In exchange for those protections, the rich asshole will seek $25 billion in funding for his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The money would be placed in a trust fund, preventing it from being reallocated by future Congresses.
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