Summary
- Bill Barr, the attorney general, complained that Donald Trump’s tweets about justice department cases “make it impossible for me to do my job” and said he would not be “bullied” into doing the president’s bidding. The White House responded that Trump “wasn’t bothered” by Barr’s comments.
- Critics have questioned Barr’s sincerity, given his record going along with what the president wants.
- A federal judge dismissed Trump’s criticisms of the court’s handling of the Roger Stone case, issuing a rare statement to say, “The judges of this court base their sentencing decisions on careful consideration of the actual record in the case before them” and not based on “public criticism or pressure”.
- The Democratic National Committee had oversight of the faulty app used in the Iowa caucuses, according to a report.
- Nevada’s influential Culinary Union declined to endorse a candidate ahead of the caucuses next week. The union has criticized Bernie Sanders’ health plan and complained of “vicious attacks” from Sanders’ supporters.
- Elizabeth Warren’s campaign is carrying on after placing third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire.
Updated
Elizabeth Warren is in Virginia, holding her first campaign event since the New Hampshire primaries.
A new chant for @ewarren from the crowd: “I believe that she will win.” pic.twitter.com/i5dBns81ZQ
— Daniella Díaz (@DaniellaMicaela) February 14, 2020
After placing third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, Warren is campaigning as a “consensus” candidate who can unite progressives and liberals.
Donald Trump will be the guest of honor at a fundraiser where donors are paying $580,600 per couple to attend. The Washington Post reports that the dinner on Saturday will take place at the Palm Beach estate of billionaire Nelson Peltz:
The dinner, taking place just a few miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, shows how enthusiastically Trump has embraced big-dollar fundraising in his bid for a second term — a dramatic about-face from 2016, when he criticized the influence of wealthy donors on the politicians who court them.
It also shows the special access enjoyed by many of Trump’s wealthiest donors, including business executives and lobbyists, who get the chance to air their grievances with the president’s tariffs or promote their pet projects, often while dining on Trump’s favorite foods.
The event will be the most expensive fundraising event for Trump since he took office.
A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump’s criticisms of the Roger Stone case. “Public criticism or pressure is not a factor” in the court’s decisions, said Beryl Howell, the chief US district judge of Washington.
Howell issued a rare statement in response to Trump’s criticisms of her colleague Amy Berman Jackson, the sentencing judge in the Roger Stone case.
“The Judges of this Court base their sentencing decisions on careful consideration of the actual record in the case before them; the applicable sentencing guidelines and statutory factors; the submissions of the parties, the Probation Office and victims; and their own judgment and experience,” she said.
Report: the Democratic National Committee had oversight of app that caused chaos in Iowa
The DNC was involved throughout the development of the mobile app that was meant to collect and tally results of the Iowa caucuses, according to Yahoo News. Party officials had access to the software – designed by Shadow – for testing before it was used Iowa, according to a contract obtained by Yahoo:
An unaffiliated Democratic operative in Iowa provided Yahoo News with a copy of the contract between Shadow and the Iowa Democratic Party. The contract, which was signed on Oct. 14 and refers to Shadow as the “Consultant,” specified that the company had to work with the DNC and provide the national party with access to its software for testing.
“Consultant agrees to work with the DNC Services Corporation / Democratic National Committee (‘DNC’) on an on-going basis as Consultant develops the software,” the contract reads.
The contract also specifies that Shadow agrees to “provide DNC continual access to review the Consultant’s system configurations, security and system logs, system designs, data flow designs, security controls (preventative and detective), and operational plans for how the Consultant will use and run the Software for informational dissemination, pre-registration, tabulation, and reporting throughout the caucus process.”
The DNC has tried to distance itself from the debacle in Iowa; chair Tom Perez has blamed state Democratic party, which directly oversaw the caucuses. After this election cycle, the party will “have a further conversation about whether or not state parties should be running elections”, Perez said in an interview with CNN.
In his resignation letter, the Iowa Democratic party chair, Troy Price, said, “I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic party.”
Following the app’s failure in Iowa, the DNC abandoned plans to use a similar system from Shadow in the upcoming Nevada caucuses.
Updated
On Fox News, Senate leader Mitch McConnell said the president should listen to attorney general Bill Barr. “I think the president should listen to his advice,” McConnell told Fox News host Bret Baier. “If the attorney general says it’s getting in the way of doing his job, the president should listen to the attorney general.”
Donald Trump “wasn’t bothered” by the attorney general Bill Barr’s comments, according to the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. “President Trump uses social media very effectively to fight for the American people against injustices in our country.”
NEW: White House press sec. Stephanie Grisham says President Trump "wasn’t bothered" by Attorney General Bill Barr's comments to @ABC News. https://t.co/crNbWi6YpG pic.twitter.com/eK4dd9BdZ0
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 13, 2020
In an interview with ABC, Barr said “the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case” but added that the president’s tweets about the Roger Stone case and the Department of Justice’s work “make it impossible for me to do my job”.
Updated
Before the president met with the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, today, he not only insulted Cuomo’s brother – the CNN political analyst Chris Cuomo – he also implied that the administration’s policies toward New York were linked to the state’s ongoing investigations into Trump’s finances.
“New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes,” he tweeted, before the meeting.
The administration and New York have been at odds over a state law that allows undocumented people to apply for drivers licenses. Federal officials banned New York residents from applying to a federal program that lets travelers avoid long security lines.
Picking up on Trump’s ask that New York drop lawsuits, the representative Val Demings, one of the impeachment managers who made the case to remove Trump from office, said the president is “holding New York state hostage to try to stop investigations into his prior tax fraud”.
“The president is now expanding his abuse of power to blackmailing US,” she said.
Neither the president nor Cuomo has commented on whether they reached a resolution after today’s meeting. The acting homeland security secretary, Chad Wolf, described the meeting as “productive”.
“New York is the only state that restricts CBP access to their data across the board – from law enforcement, customs, trade and travel facilitation purposes,” Wolf said. “Despite that, we will continue discussions with the State of New York to find a mutually agreeable solution.”
New York is one of several states that allow undocumented immigrants to have drivers licenses. Still, last week, Ken Cuccinelli, the homeland security department acting deputy secretary, said that New Yorkers would no longer be eligible to apply or reapply for the Global Entry program because the state’s policies made it harder for border agents to confirm immigration status. New York responded with a lawsuit against the administration.
Updated
Vindman attorney: the president is ‘encouraging breaking the law’
The president claimed that “many of the people in the building started applauding” when Lt Col Alexander Vindman was escorted out after he was fired from his post at the National Security Council. Vindman and his twin brother were abruptly recalled from their positions in a campaign of retribution against officials who cooperated with the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.
“Vindman was the guy that, when we took him out of the building, the building applauded,” Trump said in a radio interview with host Geraldo Rivera. “I don’t know if you heard that.”
“Just so you understand, many of these people I’ve never met,” Trump added. “But I’m not a fan of Vindman, no question about it.”
JUST IN: Vindman’s attorney is out with a statement on Trump’s Geraldo interview. He says the president is “encouraging breaking the law” by attempting to intimidate and punish Vindman. pic.twitter.com/VsZXnW1L5J
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 13, 2020
In response, an attorney for Vindman responded that the president’s public attacks are “designed to intimidate and punish” the Ukraine expert, who provided key testimony in the impeachment case.
“By using the power of his office to repeatedly humiliate and punish those following the law, the president is encouraging breaking the law,” said attorney David Pressman.
Updated
Evening summary
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands:
- Attorney general Bill Barr said he would not be “bullied” into allowing the president to influence justice department decisions after Trump tweeted about the case of his former associate, Roger Stone. Barr complained that Trump’s tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job”.
- The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said Trump’s comments on Stone represented “an abuse of power”.
- The Senate passed a resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s authority to launch military operations in Iran, but the proposal seems unlikely to survive the president’s expected veto.
- A judge has temporarily halted Microsoft’s cloud-computing work for the Pentagon in response to a lawsuit from Amazon, which claims the company lost the contract partly because of Trump’s bias against Jeff Bezos.
- The Pentagon informed Congress it intends to shift $3.8bn in funds away from projects like fighter jets and national guard equipment to pay for Trump’s border wall.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
Nevada's influential Culinary Union declines to endorse presidential candidate
The Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 workers in Nevada, declined to endorse a Democratic presidential candidate ahead of the state’s caucuses next Saturday.
“We’ve worked really hard to make sure members know what’s going on with the candidates, and we’re not stopping that,” the union secretary-treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline said during a press conference. “We’re going to endorse our goals, what we’re doing. We’re not going to endorse a political candidate.”
There was some speculation that the union would endorse Joe Biden, the only specific candidate Argüello-Kline mentioned during the press conference. But although she described Biden as “our friend”, the union did not offer an explicit endorsement.
The announcement comes after the union distributed a flier criticizing the Medicare-for-all plans embraced by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The union later said it was subjected to “vicious attacks” by Sanders’ supporters over the flier.
More details: @Culinary226’s spokeswoman tells me they have received “hundreds” of attacks, in the form of mentions, DM’s, calls and emails, including threats to their personal safety. She says she and Geoconda Arguello-Kline have been doxxed, their personal addresses shared.
— Megan Messerly (@meganmesserly) February 13, 2020
Updated
The White House reportedly received little notice about attorney general Bill Barr’s comments to ABC News.
Senior level White House sources tell @ABC the president and top aides were unaware of the Barr’s intentions in today’s interview with ABC and were only informed of the content just before it aired - w/ @KFaulders
— John Santucci (@Santucci) February 13, 2020
Interestingly, Bill Barr said he hoped Trump would respond to the attorney general’s criticism of the president’s comments on Roger Stone.
“I hope he will react,” Barr told ABC News’ Pierre Thomas.
“And respect it?” Thomas asked.
“Yes,” Barr replied.
Despite attorney general Bill Barr insisting he will not be “bullied” by Trump on Justice Department matters, some commentators were skeptical that Barr was actually trying to distance himself from the president.
From an Obama-era Justice Department official:
Don't be fooled by this one, people. Barr is telling the president that his impulsiveness is making it politically harder for him to deliver the results he wants. If Trump would just shut up, Barr could take care of him much more effectively. https://t.co/6CmHHgxy9u
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) February 13, 2020
In his ABC interview, attorney general Bill Barr ackowledged his comments about Trump could leave him open to backlash from the president, who is notoriously intolerant of criticism from his aides.
But Barr said he was determined to lead the Justice Department without being influence by outside forces, including the president.
EXCLUSIVE: Attorney Gen. Bill Barr tells @PierreTABC “the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case”—but should stop tweeting about the DOJ because his tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job.” https://t.co/YGa2AhcH5v pic.twitter.com/GSRRrJadSU
— ABC News (@ABC) February 13, 2020
“I think the essential role of the attorney general is to keep law enforcement, the criminal process sacrosanct to make sure there is no political interference in it. And I have done that and I will continue to do that,” Barr said. “And I’m happy to say that, in fact the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.”
The attorney general insisted he made his own decision that the sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, the president’s former associate, should be revised, but Trump’s tweets on the matter complicated the issue.
“Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet?” Barr said. “And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be.”
Barr: Trump's tweets 'make it impossible for me to do my job'
In an interview with ABC News, attorney general Bill Barr said Trump’s tweets about Roger Stone’s case “make it impossible for me to do my job.”
“I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,” Barr told ABC.
The attorney general emphasized Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case,” but he acknowledged the president’s comments undercut his authority.
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,” Barr said. “I’m gonna do what I think is right. And you know … I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
Trump suggested he may stop allowing aides to listen in to his calls with foreign leaders, a clear reaction to the Ukraine controversy.
“That’s what they’ve done over the years, when you call a foreign leader, people listen,” the president told Geraldo Rivera in a radio interview that aired today. “I may end the practice entirely, I may end it entirely.”
The impeachment inquiry was sparked by a whistleblower complaint stemming from Trump’s July phone call with the Ukrainian president, during which the US president asked for a “favor” and went on to discuss potential investigations of Democrats.
It’s a long-running practice to allow administration officials to listen in on presidential calls with world leaders to keep senior advisers updated on foreign policy.
Pentagon intends to shift $3.8 billion for Trump's border wall
The Pentagon has informed Congress of plans to shift $3.8 billion away from fighter jets and National Guard equipment, among other resources, to pay for Trump’s border wall.
Politico reports:
The surprise reprogramming of another $3.8 billion ... means the Pentagon will have forked over nearly $10 billion since last year to help pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
But this shift in funding marks a new phase for the administration, which until now had used money set for military construction and counterdrug operations, not combat equipment. The fiscal 2020 money will be moved into drug interdiction accounts that the Pentagon tapped last year to fund border barrier projects.
The money will be drawn from a host of procurement accounts, many of which are popular on Capitol Hill. The move includes a cut of two Marine Corps F-35B fighter jets at a cost of $223 million; $100 million from the Army National Guard’s Humvee modernization program; $650 million cut from the Navy’s amphibious assault ship replacement; and $261 million from the Expeditionary Fast Transport ship. The reprogramming also trimmed two Air Force C-130J transport aircraft for a cut of $196 million and $180 million from the service’s light attack aircraft program.
The plan sparked criticism from at least one Republican lawmaker, congressman Mac Thornberry, but he has already said he will not seek reelection next year.
Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas, the top Republican on House Armed Services Committee, says President Trump's latest raid on DOD funds to spend more taxpayer money on a Mexico border wall than Congress was willing to appropriate is unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/JiorGw1LKt
— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) February 13, 2020
Judge halts Microsoft's Pentagon contract amid Amazon complaints
A judge has temporarily blocked Microsoft’s cloud-computing work with the Pentagon after Amazon complained that it lost the contract partly because of Trump’s bias against the company.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out against Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of the Washington Post.
CNBC reports:
A judge ordered Thursday a temporary block on the JEDI cloud contract, which was awarded to Microsoft, in response to a suit filed by Amazon. Shares of Microsoft fell on the news, while Amazon’s stock rose slightly.
A court notice announcing the injunction was filed on Thursday, but wasn’t public. It’s unclear why the documents were sealed.Amazon Web Services (AWS) is instructed to earmark $42 million for any ‘costs and damages’ that could be incurred in the event that the ‘injunction was issued wrongfully,’ the filing states. Amazon must file a notice with the courts indicating it has obtained the $42 million by Feb. 20. Microsoft and Amazon must respond to the filing by Feb. 27.
The eight Republicans who supported the Iran War Powers resolution in the Senate were: Todd Young, Mike Lee, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy, Jerry Moran and Lamar Alexander.
The resolution, aimed at limiting Trump’s authority to launch military operations in Iran, was expected to attract some Republican support, but the number of defections was surprising.
But again, the resolution is unlikely to attract the two-thirds Senate majority that it would need to survive Trump’s likely veto.
Senate passes Iran War Powers resolution
With the support of eight Republicans, a Democratic resolution to limit Trump’s authority to launch military operations in Iran has passed the Senate.
The AP reports:
The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the resolution by a 55-45 vote.
Kaine and other supporters said the resolution was not about Trump or even the presidency, but instead was an important reassertion of congressional power to declare war. ...
The Democratic-controlled House passed a separate, nonbinding war powers resolution last month. The House could take up the Senate resolution later this month, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
But considering Trump’s expected veto, the resolution will not likely be able to attract the two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate that it would need to become law.
The influential Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 workers in Nevada, will announce its presidential endorsement ahead of the state’s caucuses next Saturday.
📣BREAKING: Culinary Union to host a press conference regarding a 2020 endorsement ahead of the #NVCaucus.
— The Culinary Union (@Culinary226) February 13, 2020
WHERE: Culinary Union (1630 South Commerce Street Las Vegas, Nevada 89102)
WHEN: TODAY 2/13 at 1pm Pacific
LIVESTREAMED: https://t.co/BkEbHlSlzmhttps://t.co/gJyGTApNYC pic.twitter.com/pnHrMnJwXw
It’s unknown who the union will endorse, but Joe Biden is attending a union-hosted event on Saturday.
The union has also criticized the Medicare-for-all proposals embraced by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, so it seems unlikely that either candidate will win the organization’s endorsement.
Updated
Trump previewed his meeting today with New York governor Andrew Cuomo and insulted Cuomo’s brother, Chris Cuomo, by once again referring to the CNN anchor as “Fredo.”
I’m seeing Governor Cuomo today at The White House. He must understand that National Security far exceeds politics. New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harrassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes. Build relationships, but don’t bring Fredo!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
The meeting between Trump and Cuomo comes amid an ongoing standoff between the administration and New York over a state law allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses.
The New York Times reports:
Cuomo said on Wednesday that he would seek to give federal officials access to state driving records for applicants to Global Entry and other federal programs that allow travelers to quickly pass through airports and borders.
The announcement by Mr. Cuomo comes days after federal officials banned New York residents from applying to — and re-enrolling in — the programs, known as the Trusted Traveler Program.
Senator lights into GOP over silence on Trump impunity
Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown has slammed Senate Republicans for enabling Donald Trump in his post-impeachment “retribution tour”, as he called it.
After sounding off during a committee hearing yesterday, Brown appeared on CNN this morning and criticized some Republicans who reckoned the president would “learn a lesson” from the humiliating process of being impeached, and behave more appropriately.
“He’s learned his lesson,” said Brown. The lesson being that “he can do whatever he wants. The ‘retribution tour’ will continue, and we all know that.”
Trump ousted impeachment witnesses Alexander Vindman and Gordon Sondland last week, just two days after being acquitted at his Senate impeachment trial.
Brown continued that Republican senators criticize Trump in private and were “very concerned about the Ukraine call and the cover-up” that lead to the impeachment. “But they fear that the president will turn on them. They know his character. [After impeachment] the first stop was the prayer breakfast [during which he obliquely slammed Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney], then the East Room [where Trump made a triumphalist and vindictive post-acquittal “celebration” speech] and all these senators stood and applauded him.”
I ask my Republican colleagues – what will you do to stop President Trump’s personal retribution tour? pic.twitter.com/VvUbTUMFK2
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) February 12, 2020
Many had been keen for Brown to run for president, but he didn’t.
In response to some of his congressional colleagues’ concerns that his nomination could weaken down-ballot Democrats, Bernie Sanders predicted he would increase turnout if he were the presidential nominee.
Bernie Sanders on criticism that he endangers Hill Dems’ chances.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2020
"When you have a large voter turnout, which is I think what our campaign is going to generate, it's going to help everybody from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket,” per @jeremyherb
However, there is some skepticism that Sanders’ nomination would increase turnout, considering the turnout in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.
By my calc, NH Dem turnout (vs. '16) in towns won by...
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) February 12, 2020
Buttigieg: +26.5%
Klobuchar: +25.2%
Sanders: +12.0%
Takeaway: most of Dems' turnout increase was attributable to Kasich/Rubio types crossing over from '16 GOP primary - not heightened progressive/Sanders base enthusiasm.
Afternoon summary
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- House speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump’s comments about the case of Roger Stone, his former associate, as “an abuse of power.”
- Jessie Liu, the former US attorney whose Treasury nomination was withdrawn in part because of her involvement with the Stone case, has resigned.
- Hope Hicks, Trump’s former communications director, is returning to the White House.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
North Dakota settles lawsuit over Native Americans' voting access
North Dakota election officials have agreed to implement new measures that will make it easier for Native Americans to vote, a major victory for groups suing the state over an issue that dogged the 2018 midterm elections.
The law illegally disenfranchised Native Americans in the state, groups challenging the law argued, because it required them to have a form of identification listing a residential address in order to vote. Many Native Americans who live on reservations don’t have traditional addresses. The issue exploded into the national spotlight in 2018 in a closely-watched US Senate Race when Republican Kevin Kramer defeated incumbent Democrat Heidi Heitkamp. Tribal governments went into a sprint in the days before the election to issue addresses and tribal identification cards so people could vote.
Under a proposed settlement, North Dakota election officials will allow people without a traditional address to locate their homes on a map for the 2020 election. The burden will be on the state, not voters, to verify the address and give that information to both the tribe and voter. The state also agreed to work with tribal governments to provide free identification within 30 days of an election.
“Native American voters, whether they’re just turning 18 and becoming eligible to vote, or whether they’ve moved, will be able to vote without having to go the same extreme measures that the tribes went through last time,” said Molly Danahy, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center who helped challenge the law.
As Bernie Sanders cements his position as the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary, some congressional Democrats are voicing concerns that the Vermont senator’s nomination could weaken down-ballot candidates.
Dem CO Sen Bennet on if Sanders is the nominee: I think that it can be challenging in parts of the country that we have to win in order to win the presidency and win a majority in the Senate. I think that we should be running on an agenda that can get us 55 votes in the Senate
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 13, 2020
Asked Rep. Dean Phillips, a freshman from a swing MN district and Klobuchar backer, if he thinks Bernie Sanders atop the ticket could have a disastrous impact on down-ballot races. “To be forthright, yes, I do. I think it would have some significant down-ballot effects.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2020
Sanders has pushed back against that argument, telling CNN on Sunday that his nomination would lead to “incredible gains for down-ballot Democrats.”
Congressman Jerry Nadler, one of the impeachment managers during Trump’s Senate trial, responded to the president’s demand that “bad people” get “out of our government” by suggesting that he resign.
You know, Nixon actually resigned. https://t.co/h2KVrtIHGj
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) February 13, 2020
Appearing on “The View,” Joe Biden criticized Trump as “the most corrupt president” and once again called on him to release his tax returns.
.@JoeBiden takes on @realDonaldTrump on @TheView:
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) February 13, 2020
"This is the most corrupt president we've ever had. He talks about how he wants to fight corruption. I tell you what, Mr. President, I've released 21 years of my tax returns, release ONE of yours." pic.twitter.com/ElJ97qaaSB
After disappointing performances in the first two voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden is counting on a strong showing in next week’s Nevada caucuses to reenergize his campaign.
In addition to the return of former White House communications director Hope Hicks, Trump is also moving his former body man John McEntee into a new role.
MORE in White House staff moves - Johnny McEntee, the aide removed by Kelly over security clearance issues who recently returned to the West Wing, is expected to take over the office that oversees presidential personnel appointments, per 2 ppl briefed.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 13, 2020
McEntee’s new job overseeing presidential personnel appointments is a bit of a surprise, considering he was fired by former chief of staff John Kelly after being denied a security clearance, in part because of an online gambling problem.
Updated
A quick addition on that last post: the RNC office Trump is unexpectedly visiting is actually his campaign headquarters in Arlington.
What the WH is referring to as the "RNC Annex Office" is in fact the president's campaign headquarters, @Santucci confirms https://t.co/d6tlk5ISrS
— Jordyn Phelps (@JordynPhelps) February 13, 2020
In an unexpected addition to the president’s schedule today, Trump has left the White House to visit a Republican National Committee office in Arlington, Virginia.
The White House said the president was there for some meetings and to offer thanks to campaign officials.
The president has an otherwise empty public schedule today, with the exception of a closed-door meeting with New York governor Andrew Cuomo at 3 pm ET.
House votes to remove deadline for Equal Rights Amendment
As the debate contines over whether Trump is jeopardizing the rule of law, the House has just voted to remove a 1982 deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The Washington Post reports:
The vote on a resolution introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) pushes the issue to the Senate, where Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced a similar measure.
During debate on the House floor, Republicans leaned on anti-abortion and constitutional arguments to oppose the ERA, arguing that enshrining protections for women in the Constitution would mean abortion could not be restricted. Democrats focused on the legality of deadlines and the importance of equal rights. ...
Three-quarters of the states must ratify a proposed amendment for it to be added to the Constitution. With new Democratic majorities in both chambers, the Virginia General Assembly last month met that threshold, becoming the 38th state to ratify the ERA.
But the bill faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate, and some states that previously ratified the amendment have said they no longer support it.
Even liberal Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has long championed the ERA, suggested earlier this week that the amendment’s supporters should “start over.”
Trump lashes out against former chief of staff
Trump has just sent yet another tweet bashing one of his former aides. This time, it’s former chief of staff John Kelly, who defended Lt Col Alexander Vindman for raising concerns about Trump’s Ukraine call.
....which he actually has a military and legal obligation to do. His incredible wife, Karen, who I have a lot of respect for, once pulled me aside & said strongly that “John respects you greatly. When we are no longer here, he will only speak well of you.” Wrong!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Vindman was fired from the National Security Council last week in apparent retaliation for the lieutenant colonel testifiying about his concerns that Trump conditioned Ukraine’s military assistance on an investigation of Joe Biden.
“He did exactly what we teach them to do from cradle to grave,” Kelly said of Vindman during an event at Drew University last night. “He went and told his boss what he just heard.”
Kelly also more broadly criticized Trump’s interactions with Ukraine, which were at the center of the president’s impeachment.
“Through the Obama administration up until that phone call, the policy of the US was militarily to support Ukraine in their defensive fight against … the Russians,” Kelly said. “And so, when the president said that continued support would be based on X, that essentially changed. And that’s what [Vindman] was most interested in.”
Pelosi says Trump's comments on Stone represent 'abuse of power'
During her weekly press conference, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump’s comments on Roger Stone’s case represent an “assault on the rule of law” and an “abuse of power.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on President Trump’s comments on Roger Stone sentencing: “This is an abuse of power that the president is again trying to manipulate federal law enforcement to serve his political interests.” https://t.co/lDmNpyyCo4 pic.twitter.com/RZ5B56j8Do
— ABC News (@ABC) February 13, 2020
“This is an abuse of power that the president is again trying to manipulate federal law enforcement to serve his political interests,” Pelosi said.
The Democratic speaker called on Republican lawmakers to “speak out” against the president’s actions and specifically criticized the attorney general for his handling of the Stone case.
“The attorney general has stooped to such levels,” Pelosi said. “What a sad disappointment to our country.”
Liu reportedly resigns amid fallout from Stone case
Jessie Liu, the former US attorney whose nomination for a top Treasury post was withdrawn because of her involvement in the prosecution of former Trump associate Roger Stone, has reportedly resigned.
CNN reports:
Jessie Liu, who previously headed the US attorney’s office in Washington, submitted her resignation to the Treasury Department, effective Wednesday evening. She went to the Treasury Department with the intention of filling a Senate-confirmed position, which is no longer available after her nomination was withdrawn earlier Wednesday, the official said.
While head of the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, Liu inherited many of the major ongoing cases from Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation and was also handling the politically charged case of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of Trump’s ire who is also a CNN contributor.
Trump’s decision to abruptly withdraw her nomination was directly tied to her former job.
Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro has introduced a resolution calling for the resignation of Stephen Miller, Trump’s adviser who has helped to craft the president’s immigration agenda.
In a statement, Castro criticized Miller as “a known white nationalist and believer of white supremacist ideology.”
“Stephen Miller’s presence in the Trump White House has allowed him to sow hate into federal policy, grind our immigration system to a halt, and encourage the President’s own xenophobic beliefs,” Castro said.
Kamala Harris is expected to introduce a similar resolution in the Senate.
According to a series of reports released by the Souther Poverty Law Center, Miller endorsed white nationalist books and websites in emails to a writer for the far-right website Breitbart.
Pete Buttigieg is now wading into a controversy surrounding a flier from the influential Culinary Union in Nevada, with nine days to go until the state’s caucuses.
With Bernie Sanders becoming the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary, the union distributed a flier warning the Vermont senator’s Medicare-for-all plan would jeopardize workers’ popular healthcare plan.
The union then said it was “viciously attacked” by Sanders’ supporters, and Buttigieg is now coming to the union’s defense.
I stand with @Culinary226 and their fight for better wages, world class health care, and the American dream for working and immigrant families. No one should ever attack them for fighting and delivering for their members.
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 13, 2020
To reiterate, Buttigieg needs an impressive performance in Nevada to prove he can win over voters outside the mostly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Pete Buttigieg is releasing a new Spanish-language television ad in Nevada, which will hold its caucuses next Saturday.
The ad features Buttigieg, who speaks Spanish and several other languages, saying what has becoming a common line at his campaign rallies: “I want you to picture the first day after the Donald Trump presidency.”
Buttigieg had impressive performances in the first two voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, but his path to the Democratic nomination is uncertain as the primary moves on to more racially diverse states.
The former Indiana mayor is currently polling in the low single digits with voters of color.
Hope Hicks reportedly returning to the White House
Hope Hicks, Trump’s former White House communications director, is reportedly returning to the administration to work under Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser.
The New York Times reports:
Ms. Hicks, 31, worked on Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign from its inception and followed him to the White House after he was elected, eventually becoming communications director. Her return will come as his re-election campaign intensifies and as his advisers say the superstitious president has talked about recreating some aspects of that first race.
Ms. Hicks’s title when she left belied her influence with Mr. Trump, who felt more personal comfort with her than with almost any other adviser. But on her return, she will report to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and work with the White House political director, Brian Jack. Her title will be ‘counselor to the president.’
The senior administration official said that Ms. Hicks would work on projects that Mr. Kushner oversees, including the re-election campaign. She will not rejoin the communications office.
Speaking at a campaign event in the Super Tuesday state of North Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg thanked Trump for giving him the attention boost of a presidential tweet.
To an audience in North Carolina, @MikeBloomberg thanks @realDonaldTrump for the tweets this morning, returning the insults to “Donald” and saying: “If he doesn’t mention you, you have a big problem!” pic.twitter.com/XDrXPtYssp
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) February 13, 2020
On Trump’s nickname for him of “Mini Mike,” Bloomberg said, “Donald, where I come from, we measure your height from neck up.”
Trump’s insults to Bloomberg come as national polls show the former New York mayor in third place in the Democratic primary, trailing only Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.
It seems America just can’t shake Sean Spicer, Trump’s former press secretary who first came to fame by making false claims about the size of the crowd at the president’s inauguration.
Some big personal news!
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) February 13, 2020
I excited to announce that I will be hosting a new show at 6pm on Newsmax TV.
“Spicer & Co,’’ debuts on Super Tuesday, March 3rd, at 6 pm ET and will air daily. Sign up at https://t.co/ZOL1vhTXcN to keep up to date as we get closer to the launch date. pic.twitter.com/Efq9Zjki6Q
After performing on the most recent season of “Dancing With the Stars,” Spicer is now getting his own show for the conservative website Newsmax.
In a press release announcing Spicer’s new show, Newsmax’s CEO applauded the former press secretary for “off the charts” ratings during his press conferences, which were often riddled with inaccuracies and controversial comments.
In addition to the false claims about the inaguration crowd size, Spicer once said of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians, “You know, you had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.”
Trump and Bloomberg clash over Twitter
This morning, Trump had some insults to throw at Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is using his vast personal fortune to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign ads.
Mini Mike Bloomberg is a LOSER who has money but can’t debate and has zero presence, you will see. He reminds me of a tiny version of Jeb “Low Energy” Bush, but Jeb has more political skill and has treated the Black community much better than Mini! https://t.co/qIef5VhjDr
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Bloomberg responded in kind by suggesting those in the New York business community call Trump “a carnival barking clown”:
.@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 13, 2020
I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg
The relationship between Trump and Bloomberg goes back years because the two men were both so well known in New York.
But much of their current animosity seems to stem from comments Bloomberg made about Trump during the 2016 Democratic convention.
“Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s running his business? God help us,” Bloomberg said. “I’m a New Yorker, and I know a con when I see one.”
Frontrunner Sanders under fire
The Democratic establishment is worried about Bernie Sanders becoming the party’s nominee, as the New York Times, the Hill, Politico and others report today.
To summarise, centrist Democrats – including Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and reportedly Barack Obama – are concerned about the prospect of his success in the primary race for four interlinked reasons:
- They think he’s too leftwing for voters’ tastes
- They think he’s too leftwing for their own tastes
- They think he’s not a real Democrat (he sits in the Senate as an independent)
- They dislike him personally and blame him for Clinton’s 2016 defeat
Many leading media commentators seem to share their fears.
In the New York Times, Nick Kristof argues that “there is one kind of candidate that Americans remain hostile to. Only 45 percent say that they would be willing to vote for a socialist”.
In the Washington Post, a sceptical Charles Lane wants to ask Sanders “a few serious questions”, while Max Boot writes: “Given the terrible track record of far-left candidates in the 2018 midterm election and in the recent British election (Jeremy Corbyn lost in a landslide), [Sanders] is a risk we cannot afford to run.”
Over at the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger asks of Sanders’ plan to replace the health insurance industry with a publicly run model: “Come Election Day in November, will 50% of the electorate actually believe Democrats today could competently administer a national health-care system in the US?”
When Elizabeth Warren briefly seemed to become a frontrunner in the Democratic race last year, her policies – particularly her healthcare plan, which is similar to Sanders’ – came in for sustained criticism and her position in the race began to fade. It’s possible the same thing is about to happen with Sanders after his victory in New Hampshire and effective tie in Iowa.
Joe Biden provided a preview of that attack during Friday’s debate, telling Sanders his proposal “will cost more than the entire, the entire federal budget we spend now, more than entire budget. The idea middle class taxes aren’t going to go up is just crazy.”
Sanders had a reply:
We are spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as do the people of any other country. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the healthcare industry last year made $100 billion in profit. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are wasting $500 billion a year trying to administer thousands and thousands of different plans. What Medicare for All will do is save the average American substantial sums of money.
It’s a case he’s likely to be asked to make again in the next few weeks.
Donald Trump does not seem too worried about the snowballing controversy over his interference in the Roger Stone case (see earlier).
Echoing the case made by Fox News (see here), the president has tweeted:
Now it looks like the fore person in the jury, in the Roger Stone case, had significant bias. Add that to everything else, and this is not looking good for the “Justice” Department. @foxandfriends @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Bloomberg's memestagram takeover
The New York Times reports on the Instagram posts by leading meme-makers that Mike Bloomberg has bought.
The self-deprecating and somewhat meta posts pretend to be screenshots of messages from the former New York mayor to the memestagrammers asking them to make memes that make him look cool.
Still following? Here’s one example:
The posts – which state that they are sponsored by the presidential candidate – are an illustration of how freely the billionaire businessman is able to spend on the Democratic primary, and met a mixed response from commenters.
“You may have bought a third mayoral term, @mikebloomberg but you’re not buying the presidency. #endcorruption,” wrote glassslipper below a post by fuckjerry.
“These are trash and flooding my timeline,” wrote onekitwonder under a post that used a picture of Bernie Sanders that has become a meme recently.
“why is every meme page doing this?” asked piraetje. “i don’t get it, is it because i’m Dutch?”
Updated
Pro-Trump media on Roger Stone case
It’s interesting to see how the more pro-Trump sections of the US media are reporting the Stone controversy.
Breitbart sent out an email this morning headlined: “Justice for Roger Stone!”
The newsletter’s lead story is an opinion piece by John Nolte that defends cutting the guidelines for Stone’s sentencing with the following argument:
Regardless of your opinion of Stone, he was only found guilty of lying to Congress (which plenty of people have done without being prosecuted), interfering in the House investigation of the Russia Collusion Hoax, and tampering with a witness ...
Hey, I’m no Roger Stone fan, and it actually sounds like he deserves some prison time, but there are murderers and rapists and child molesters who don’t serve seven to nine years.
Meanwhile Fox News’ morning email focuses on the revelation that the foreperson in Stone’s trial had a “history of Democratic activism and a string of her anti-Trump, left-wing social media posts”.
This, Fox states, has “raised questions about how the case was handled and whether Stone’s lawyers could seek a new trial”.
Updated
Good morning.
Controversy continues to rage over Donald Trump’s intervention in the sentencing of his friend and unofficial adviser Roger Stone – which Democrat Chuck Schumer has called “a crisis in the rule of law in America”.
Yesterday William Barr, the US attorney general, agreed to testify before a congressional committee over alleged political interference at the justice department, Democrats said, as they warned of “a crisis in the rule of law in America”.
The entire prosecution team in the case resigned in protest after the justice department considerably softened its sentencing recommendations in the case. That followed Trump tweeting of Stone’s original sentence recommendation: “This is a horrible and very unfair situation ... Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!”
The final decision on Stone’s fate will rest with US district judge Amy Berman Jackson, who repeatedly took a harsh tone with Stone during his trial for obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. Stone’s sentencing is expected on 20 February.
David Smith has more here:
And he explains the background to the case and what’s at stake here:
Meanwhile, Ed Pilkington has spoken to lawyers who say the US justice system is facing a crisis of credibility that could undermine the integrity of federal prosecutors, politicize the legal handling of Trump’s friends and enemies, and ultimately threaten democracy itself:
He notes that Trump is also reported to have tried to interfere with the sentencing of another ally, former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Today Trump has a meeting with New York governor Andrew Cuomo, while Democratic presidential candidates continue to campaign across the country ahead of the next primary contests. Joe Biden will be in New York, Michael Bloomberg in North Carolina and Texas, Pete Buttigieg in Indiana and Nevada, Elizabeth Warren in Virginia, and Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar in Nevada.
We’ll cover all today’s US politics news here throughout the day, and here’s a bit of further reading to get you started:
