Evening summary
Thanks for sticking with us tonight, everyone. See you tomorrow.
- Congressional negotiators have not yet unveiled the text of compromise to keep the government open, but they are expected to do so by the end of the night.
- Representative Ilhan Omar got down to business following her Twitter controversy, and confronted the Trump administration’s new special envoy to Venezuela about his political past. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood by Omar, telling the Republican leaders calling for her resignation that “they shouldn’t go down this path. They do not have clean hands.”
- A federal judge ruled that prosecutors had sufficiently proved that Paul Manafort lied to Robert Mueller and breached his plea agreement.
Updated
An attorney for Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax responded to reports that one of the two women accusing him of sexual assault will be meeting with the district attorney to discuss possible criminal charges.
NEW: Spokesperson for @LGJustinFairfax responds to news Vanessa Tyson will meet the Suffolk County DA to discuss her claim that Fairfax sexually assaulted her in 2004. pic.twitter.com/SCYx4dITlW
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) February 14, 2019
The Guardian’s Jon Swaine has the details on the federal judge ruling in the Paul Manafort case today:
Manafort, Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign chairman, was found to have intentionally made false statements to Mueller’s team, the FBI and a grand jury about his dealings with Konstantin Kilimnik.
The finding means that Mueller’s team is no longer obliged to endorse the lighter punishment that Manafort was promised for his crimes when he agreed to cooperate with investigators and tell them the truth. Manafort denied lying.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the order on Wednesday evening at the federal court in Washington DC.
Jackson said Mueller’s team had established that Manafort lied about three disputed issues – his interactions with Kilimnik, a payment he took from a pro-Trump campaign group, and another investigation that has not been identified.
Updated
Federal judge rules that Manafort lied, breached plea deal
JUST IN: A federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort case says prosecutors for Special Counsel Robert Mueller have proved 3 of the 5 examples they cite as occurrences when Manafort lied to them in the course of his cooperation. pic.twitter.com/wzqhQFl3GL
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 13, 2019
Check back for the full story.
With Republican leadership calling for Representative Ilhan Omar to be removed from committees, even after her apology, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her position clear Wednesday.
Pelosi just reiterated this now, and said: "No" when asked if Omar would be removed from committees as GOP is demanding. "A newcomer member of Congress has apologized for her remarks. It took them what, 13 years to notice Steve King?" https://t.co/LUG0wsKxhu
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019
One of the two women who have accused Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax of sexual assault will meet with the district attorney to discuss possible criminal charges.
BREAKING: Vanessa Tyson will meet with the Suffolk County DA to discuss her allegations of sexual assault against @LGJustinFairfax. Full statement from her attorney: pic.twitter.com/91I9BU08xM
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) February 13, 2019
Ilhan Omar takes on Elliott Abrams
Exchange between Rep. @IlhanMN and Elliott Abrams: "I fail to understand why members of this committee of the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful." pic.twitter.com/n8aMbH1g3G
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 13, 2019
Representative Ilhan Omar emerged swinging from the controversy around her tweets when she challenged Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration’s new special envoy to Venezuela with a checkered political career, at Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
Abrams worked as an assistant secretary of state for human rights and assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs the Reagan administration, at a time US foreign policy in Latin America destabilized the region. His appointment last month raised concerns for human rights advocates.
In 1991, he admitted to withholding information from Congress about the Iran-Contra affair, and was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
Omar referenced his guilty pleas immediately on Wednesday, saying, “I fail to understand why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful.”
“If I could respond to that - ” Abrams said.
“That was not a question,” Omar said, cutting him off.
Omar continued, bringing the focus to the 1981 El Mozote massacre in El Salvador, in which “more than 800 civilians, including children as young as 2 years old were brutally murdered by US-trained troops.”
“You later said that the US policy in El Salvador was a ‘fabulous achievement,’” Omar said. “Yes or no: do you still think so?”
“From the day that President Duarte was elected in a free election to this day, El Salvador has been a democracy,” Abrams said. “That’s a fabulous achievement.”
Omar responded: “Yes or no: Do you think that massacre was a fabulous achievement that happened under our watch?”
“That’s a ridiculous question, and I will not respond to it,” Abrams said, visibly agitated.
“Yes or no?”
“No!”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Chairman, I am not going to respond to that kind of personal attack, which is not a question,” Abrams said, but Omar pressed on, asking now about Venezuela.
“Yes or no: would you support an armed faction within Venezuela that engages in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide if you believe they were serving US interests, as you in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua?”
“I am not going to respond to that question,” Abrams said, crossing his arms angrily. “I don’t think this entire line of questioning is meant to be real questions, so I will not reply. I’m sorry.”
“Whether under your watch, a genocide will take place and you will look the other way because American interests are being upheld is a fair question. The American people want to know that any time we engage a country that we think about what our actions could be and how we believe our values are being furthered. That is my question. Will you make sure that human rights are not violated and we uphold international and human rights?”
After trying to get his own potshots in about whether “there is a question in there,” Abrams answered that upholding human rights and protecting people against genocide“is always the position of the United States.”
Hey all, Vivian Ho on the west coast, taking over for Ben Jacobs. Happy Wednesday.
Summary
- Congressional negotiators are expected unveil the text of compromise to keep the government open in the next few hours
- The legislation is expected to be voted on Thursday and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said “‘It won’t be a perfect deal but it’ll be a good deal.”
- President Donald Trump has yet to make a public statement about whether he supports the legislation. Funding for the government expires at midnight on Friday.
- Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is joining a lobbying firm linked to former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld is expected to move towards launching a primary challenge against Donald Trump on Friday.
Weld, a moderate Republican, left the GOP in 2016 to become the running mate for Libertarian Gary Johnson. He has since returned to his past party affiliation.
Just in: GOP sources tell @WMUR9 fmr Mass @GovBillWeld will announce a substantial move toward a presidential candidacy, challenging @realDonaldTrump for GOP nomination, at Politics & Eggs Friday, @BVI_INN – Earlier story here. #fitn #nhpolitics #WMUR https://t.co/tKdpcVIBMP
— John DiStaso (@jdistaso) February 13, 2019
The House approved a resolution to end U.S. aid for the Saudi-backed military coalition in Yemen by a margin of 248-177.
A similar resolution passed the Senate in December but did not come up for a vote in the House before the end of the congressional session. It is expected to pass again in the Senate and could potentially spark the first veto of the Trump Adminstration.
In a rare occurrence, a procedural motion to recommit passed on the floor of the House of Representatives today. These are offered by the minority party as one last opportunity to change legislation. No motion to recommit ever passed in the eight years that Republicans controlled the House.
One today passed the House unanimously. It condemned anti-Semitism and efforts to delegitimize the state of Israel.
The full language reads:
This Motion to Recommit states it is in the national interests of the United States to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad. With an unfortunate rise in anti-Semitism and attempts to delegitimize Israel, the United States House of Representatives must emphasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism and reject all movements that deny Israel’s right to exist.
It comes days after Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was condemned by Democratic leaders for “anti Semitic comments.” Omar voted for the motion.
Updated
Texas Democrat Colin Allred is not on Capitol Hill this week because he is taking paternal leave.
The freshman from suburban Dallas returned home to Texas to be with his wife Alexandra in advance of the birth of their first child Jordan on Tuesday.
Allred is not expected to return to Washington until the end of February.
Ted Cruz is now pushing legislation to pay for a border wall by having El Chapo pay for it.
Cruz has introduced a legislation that would steer all money forfeited by cartel members like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman towards construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
Guzman was convicted by a jury in Brooklyn on Tuesday and faces life in federal prison.
Let's pass the EL CHAPO Act and make El Chapo pay to secure our border: https://t.co/xBCc6dVaR2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 12, 2019
Trump: “The wall is very very on its way.”
Trump says “the wall is very very on its way.” He adds “It’s big wall, a strong wall.”
He adds that in order to get past it, migrants have to be in very good shape. “They will be able to climb Mount Everest a lot easier.”
Trump also says he is “continuing to review” the congressional budget deal.
Trump says “the prosecutors did an incredible job” in the trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman while speaking to Major County Sheriffs and Major Cities Chiefs Association Joint Conference
Bloomberg reports that Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is stepping down.
SCOOP: FEMA chief Brock Long is planning to leave the agency, sources say. Could be announced as soon as today.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 13, 2019
Tom Barrack, a close friend of Donald Trump who chaired Trump’s Inaugural Committee, apologized after dismissing criticism of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
At an event in Abu Dhabi, Barrack said “So whatever happened in Saudi Arabia, the atrocities in America are equal or worse to the atrocities in Saudi Arabia.” He added “The atrocities in any autocratic country are dictated by the rule of law. So for us to dictate what we think is the moral code there when we have a young man and a regime that’s trying to push themselves into 2030 I think is a mistake.”
In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, Barrack said: Khashoggi’s killing “was atrocious and is inexcusable” and added “I apologize for not making this clear in my comments.”
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is joining Turnberry Solutions, a lobbying firm linked to former Trump campaign manager Cory Lewandowski that is named after a Scottish golf course owned by the president.
Lewandowski is also formally joining the firm, which had long operated out of a rowhouse where Lewandowski lived in Washington.
The Justice Department is investigating the leak of private banking records of former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen is scheduled to begin a three year jail sentence in March for fraud and campaign finance violations.
The bank transactions of Cohen became public last May when lawyer Michael Avenatti posted a memo online outlining numerous payments to Cohen from a company linked to a Russian oligarch, pharmaceutical giant Novartis, AT&T, which owns CNN, and others.The payments went through Essential Consultants LLC, a shell company Cohen created that he also used to make hush money payments to Avenatti’s client, adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, to silence her allegations of an affair with Trump. Trump has denied the affair. At the time, Cohen’s attorney alleged his bank records were illegally obtained.
If he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee Cory Booker said last night “he will be looking to women first” to be his running mate.
In an interview on MSNBC, the New Jersey Democrat said:
“We have such a great field of leaders. I think that you will rarely see a Democratic ticket anymore without gender diversity, race diversity. I think it’s something that we should have. So I’m not going to box myself in. But should I become it, you know I’ll be looking to women first.”
As negotiations move forward on a deal to avoid a government shutdown, Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri says that one red line for Trump is back pay for federal contractors who were out of work during the 35-day partial government shutdown in December and January.
On including back pay for federal contractors in the spending deal, Blunt tells reporters: “I’ve been told the president won’t sign that.”
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) February 13, 2019
A sentencing date has been set for Sam Platten, a lobbyist with ties to Paul Manafort, who pled guilty for failing to register as a foreign agent.
The prosecution of Platten stemmed from the Mueller probe and his work on behalf of Ukranian oligarch. In particular, Platten funneled money from the oligarch to buy tickets to events tied to Trump’s inauguration.
🚨 JUST IN: Sam Patten is set to be sentenced on April 12. Sentencing memos are due by April 5, which will describe the extent of his cooperation. pic.twitter.com/1SGPmoCrkL
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 13, 2019
Mark Kelly already has picked up his first congressional endorsement in Arizona’s Senate race. Tom O’Halleran, a moderate Democrat representing a rural district won by Trump has endorsed him.
The former astronaut is seeking to challenge appointed Republican incumbent Martha McSally in 2020. However, he still may face a primary from Reuben Gallego, a progressive three-term congressman from Phoenix.
NEWS: @RepOHalleran (D-AZ) tells me he endorses @ShuttleCDRKelly for SENATE in 2020. Says Kelly has impeccable record, served country with distinction and stood by wife @GabbyGiffords through toughest times
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) February 13, 2019
Chris Christie has interesting insights into Donald Trump’s use of nicknames.
“If he respects you, you don’t get a nickname, because he’s afraid what’s going to come back.”
“So Cryin’ Chuck Schumer gets a nickname, because [Trump] has no respect for Schumer.”
“But Nancy Pelosi’s got no nickname. It’s just Nancy. And if she doesn’t have a nickname by now, she ain’t getting any.”
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump still did not commit to signing legislation to avoid another partial government shutdown.
Well, we haven’t gotten it yet. We’ll be getting it and we’ll be looking for land mines—because you could have that. It’s been known to happen before to people. But we have not gotten it yet. It’ll be sent to us at some point. And we’ll take a very serious look at it. We have a lot of things happening right now. We’re building a lot of wall, right now with money that we already have. When people see what we’re doing, I think they’ll be very surprised. We’re doing a lot of work. And we have planned to do a lot of work. But I have not seen it yet. I appreciate all the work the Republicans are doing because they’re really going against a radical left. It’s a radical left. And they’re going against it very hard and they’re fighting. But we’re in very good shape and we’re going to take a look at it when it comes.
“I don’t want to see a shutdown. A shutdown would be a terrible thing. I think a point was made with the last shutdown; people realized how bad the border is, how unsafe the border is. I think a lot of good points were made, but I don’t want to see another one—there’s no reason for it. We’re going to look at the legislation when it comes and I’ll make a determination then.”
On a conference call with donors last week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blamed the GOP push to repeal Obamacare as the key driver behind Republicans losing the House in 2018.
In particular, McCarthy pointed the finger at the hard-right Freedom Caucus which pushed to remove protections for pre-existing conditions from the bill
“When we couldn’t pass the repeal of Obamacare the first way through, an amendment came because the Freedom Caucus wouldn’t vote for” the original House bill, McCarthy said. “That amendment put [the] preexisting condition campaign against us, and so even people who are running for the very first time got attacked on that. And that was the defining issue and the most important issue in the race.”
McCarthy’s account accurately describes the dynamics of passing the American Health Care Act, the Republican ACA alternative, in 2017: After an initial version of the bill was withdrawn due to opposition from both the Freedom Caucus and GOP moderates, Meadows and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) crafted an amendment that would give states the ability to waive protections for people with preexisting conditions.
After being widely condemned for anti-Semitic comments this week, Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar is now taking her frustrations out on Capitol Hill reporters.
Before I even got my question out the second time I saw her, Ilhan Omar angrily said: “Are you serious? What’s wrong with you.” https://t.co/uhQ2stdrsF
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019
New York mayor Bill de Blasio is delaying a planned trip to New Hampshire this weekend after a police officer was murdered yesterday.
De Blasio is one of a number of Democrats still mulling a presidential bid.
Mayor @BilldeBlasio will postpone his trip to New Hampshire, a toe-dipping 2020 excursion, City Hall says
— J. David Goodman (@jdavidgoodman) February 13, 2019
Decision comes after the death of an NYPD officer in a friendly fire shooting
The House is expected to pass a bipartisan spending bill to avert another government shutdown on Thursday night, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Wednesday.
The bill would then go to the Senate, where party leaders there have expressed optimism. Trump has not publicly committed to signing the agreement – but congressional leaders are hopeful and keen to note that he also hasn’t publicly committed to not signing it.
If the president does not sign the bill, part of the US government would shut down at midnight on Friday.
Hoyer called the measure – which includes $1.375bn for new fencing along the border, far less than Trump demanded for a steel or concrete wall – a “reasonable compromise” and expressed confidence it would easily pass the chamber. A vote would not be held until at least Thursday evening, after a funeral mass for long-serving former congressman John Dingell in Washington and to allow time for members to return from North Carolina, where a funeral service is being held for congressman Walter Jones.
The Maryland Democrat, fresh from a trip to the border, emphasized that he encountered no “crisis” as described by the president. Fencing, he said, should be part of a much broader solution.
Asked whether there would be further repercussions for Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who apologized this week over online remarks that were widely condemned as anti-semitic, Hoyer said the conference responded “strongly” and would do so again in the future.
“Congresswoman Omar apologized,” he said. “Apologies are appropriate. The real test is the actions going forward. ... And frankly if that doesn’t pan out there may be further actions.”
He rejected the comparison to congressman Steve King, a Republican from Iowa who was stripped of his committee assignments after questioning why white supremacy was offensive.
“Congressman King for years has been using language and taking actions which belie the values of our country and reflected adversely on his party and on the Congress,” he said. “His party finally after years and years decided to take action. Very frankly, there’s another member of their party who on a regular basis uses similar language and similar denigration of people, nationalities, race, disability and that’s the president of the United States. “
Updated
Former astronaut Mark Kelly is already facing questions only a day into his run for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
According to public records, Kelly voted in the 2012 Republican presidential primary. However, a spokesman told Huffington Post that Kelly voted for Obama in the general election.
The Senate Rules Committee has voted to advance a proposal to speed up the process for the Senate to consider judicial nominations and limit the debate needed before a vote.
Republicans have pushed this as a way to confirm even more Trump nominees on the federal bench.
Senate Rules Committee votes 10-9 to advance GOP rules change that would speed up consideration of lower court judicial nominees. Now heads to full Senate.
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) February 13, 2019
The House will likely vote on legislation to keep the government open tomorrow. Most Democrats and some Republicans expected to support it in the lower chamber. It will then advance to the Senate where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he supports it. It is likely to get the necessary votes there to advance to President Donald Trump’s desk who can either sign it or veto it. Trump has not given clear signals about the legislation but a veto would lead to another government shutdown and place the burden on his shoulders.
The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump has installed “a room sized golf simulator” in the White House
Per the Post:
President Trump has installed a room-sized “golf simulator” game at the White House, which allows him to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world by hitting a ball into a large video screen, according to two people told about the system.
That system replaced an older, less sophisticated golf simulator that had been installed under President Obama, according to two people with knowledge of the previous system.
Trump’s system cost about $50,000, and was put in during the last few weeks in a room in his personal quarters, a White House official said
A former Air Force intelligence agent has been charged with defecting to Iran.
In an indictment, the government says Monica Elfriede Witt defected to Iran and aided the Revolutionary Guard in targeting the United States.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says the text of the government funding bill will be available later this afternoon and that it would likely be voted on Thursday.
Hoyer on border package bill text:
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 13, 2019
We are hoping the conference committee report could be filed, sometime after 4:00..we would consider that tomorrow
Hoyer on 72 hour rule:
This is an emergency. The government shuts down..shutting down government is not an acceptable alternative
Democrats are recruiting Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot who lost a 2018 congressional race, to run again Mitch McConnell in 2020.
McGrath received national attention when she launched a campaign with a web video about her career as an Marine pilot.
However, she would face an uphill race against McConnell in the deep red state of Kentucky. McConnell, who was first elected in 1984, has built a formidable political machine in his home state which Trump won handily in 2016.
Although it looks like a deal to fund the government past February 15 and avoid another shutdown is progressing, there are still some snags. One of them is whether federal contractors should get back pay from the 35 day partial shutdown in December and January. Although federal workers have received backpay, contractors have not.
snag-let: Dems are pushing for back-pay for federal contractors hit by shutdown, McConnell et al rejecting it
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) February 13, 2019
Elizabeth Warren has formally announced a campaign manager. Days after officially launching her campaign and six weeks after announcing her exploratory committee, Warren has named veteran operative Roger Lau to be her campaign manager. Lau had previously been her campaign manager on her 2018 re-election bid for the Senate.
Scoop: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has chosen Roger Lau to be campaign manager for her 2020 campaign for the White House. Full story going up momentarily
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) February 13, 2019
McConnell: 'It won't be a perfect deal but it'll be a good deal'
Mitch McConnell appears to back the deal to keep the government open. He told reporters today “It won’t be a perfect deal but it’ll be a good deal.”
.@senatemajldr: "It won’t be a perfect deal but it’ll be a good deal. I hope that our colleagues will complete the process of turning these principles into final text soon” and pass before Friday deadline.
— Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) February 13, 2019
Updated
President Donald Trump may have just invoked, either intentionally or unintentionally, a long running Internet meme on Twitter.
The Gallup Poll just announced that 69% of our great citizens expect their finances to improve next year, a 16 year high. Nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2019
Progressive groups are launching an effort to draft Congressman Reuben Gallego to run for Senate in Arizona.
Gallego, a three-term congressman who served in Iraq, has long been considered a rising star in Arizona politics and a potential statewide candidate.
However, his trajectory was upset when Mark Kelly, an astronaut and husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, announced his candidacy Tuesday for the seat.
The seat is currently held by appointed incumbent Martha McSally and the race in November 2020 would be a special election to fill the remaining two years of the term that the late John McCain was first elected to in 2016.
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is prepared to spend at least $500 million of his fortune to defeat Donald Trump in 2020. Bloomberg is mulling a presidential campaign but is prepared to spend that sum regardless of if he runs.
Bloomberg has not yet announced whether he will run in the Democratic primary. If he runs, he will use that half-billion-dollar stake — roughly $175 million more than the Trump campaign spent over the course of the entire 2016 election cycle — to fuel his campaign through the 2020 primary season, with the expectation that the sum represents a floor, not a ceiling, on his potential spending.
If Bloomberg declines to seek the presidency, his intention is to run an unprecedented data-heavy campaign designed to operate as a shadow political party for the eventual Democratic nominee.
Kamala Harris has made two more hires in the crucial early state of Iowa.
The Des Moines Register reports:
California Sen. Kamala Harris is hiring Zack Davis and Nora Walsh-DeVries to help lead Iowa operations for her 2020 presidential run.
Harris’ campaign announced Tuesday that Davis will serve as the Democrat’s Iowa senior advisor and Walsh-DeVries as Iowa political director.
Davis recently served as state director for Let America Vote, and before that he was state director for NextGen Climate in 2016. Davis also worked for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 Iowa campaigns.
Walsh-DeVries recently served as Iowa outreach director for Need to Vote and she was campaign manager for Iowa gubernatorial candidate John Norris during the 2018 cycle. She also worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 cycle.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House this morning, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was equivocal about whether Trump would support the deal to avoid a government shutdown
“We want to see what the final piece of legislation looks like. It’s hard to say definitively whether or not the president is going to sign it until we know everything that’s in it. Unlike Nancy Pelosi we actually like to read legislation before we agree to it. The president isn’t fully happy, as he said yesterday with everything that’s in the legislation but there are some positive pieces of it.”
“At the end of the day the president is going to build the wall”
The mayor of Edmond, Oklahoma could be re-elected after dying last year.
Charles Lamb, who died last year, made it into a runoff yesterday against former mayor Dan O’Neil.
Deceased candidates have won a number of elections in the past. Most recently, Dennis Hof, a Nevada brothel owner, was elected to the state house in November 2018. Hof had died the month before.
The mayor of Edmond, Oklahoma died in December. He just won enough votes to earn a spot in an April runoff - https://t.co/18N4gJuScv
— Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) February 13, 2019
A former top Trump aide is subpoenaing journalists as part of a lawsuit.
Jason Miller, a former top Trump campaign aide, has subpoenaed J. Arthur Bloom, a former Daily Caller reporter, in a defamation lawsuit over a story that reported a claim that Miller impregnated a stripper and then unwittingly gave her a pill to cause her to miscarry. Miller denied the allegation and filed a lawsuit against the person who reported the claim.
Bloom told The Daily Beast he will not comply with the subpoena.
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean will lead a new Democratic exchange for voter data. The exchange has come about after long internal wrangling within the party about how to keep its tech infrastructure up to date.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dean confirmed that he’s signed on to lead a planned data exchange hammered out by DNC officials, state party leaders and Democratic consultants. The agreement still requires the expected approval from state party leaders gathering Wednesday in Washington, but it would end more than 18 months of internal party wrangling that has dogged DNC Chairman Tom Perez amid fights over money and control.
“This is a big breakthrough,” Dean said. “This is a model we’ve needed, and Republicans have it already. I’d sort of given up that we could get it done.”
The arrangement would allow the national party, state parties and independent political action groups on the left to share voter data in real time during campaigns. That means, for example, that a field worker for a congressional campaign in Iowa and another for an independent political action committee knocking on doors in Florida could update a master voter file essentially as they work. When a presidential campaign spends big money on consumer data to update voter profiles, the new information would go into the file as well. And all participating organizations would have access to the latest information.
Congressional negotiators hammer out shutdown deal
Good morning.
We are less than 72 hours from another government shutdown as congressional negotiators continue to hammer out details of a deal to fund the government and President Donald Trump will meet with Ivan Duque Marquez of Colombia today.
It’s Wednesday in American politics.
Updated
