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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ben Jacobs in Washington

Nancy Pelosi urges Congress to protect Mueller investigation – as it happened

Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press conference in Washington DC on 7 November.
Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press conference in Washington DC on 7 November. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

  • Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court today to lying about Trump’s business dealings in Russia.
  • Donald Trump responded by calling Cohen “a weak person”.
  • Trump also canceled a meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Trump is currently en route.
  • The Senate delayed a confirmation vote on Thomas Farr, a controversial judicial nominee who is opposed by voting rights groups.
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren gave a foreign policy speech ahead of a potential 2020 campaign
  • The chair of the California Democratic party, Eric Bauman, resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct.

Updated

Former FBI director James Comey has filed a motion in federal court in an attempt to squash a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee. Both Comey and former attorney general Loretta Lynch have been subpoenaed by House Republicans to testify in private before Democrats take over in January.

In a statement, Nancy Pelosi urged the inclusion of language to protect the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller in a government funding bill. The legislation can pass the House without any Democratic support but needs Democrats in the Senate. Pelosi did not suggest Democrats would be willing to shutdown the government over the issue.

The Congress must immediately pass legislation to preserve the Special Counsel investigation, which is identical to bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. If Speaker Ryan refuses to take up that bill, House Democrats will fight to include language to protect the investigation in the upcoming must-pass spending bill.

Post-midterms, this is a handy guide to the districts in the House where the party of the incumbent member of Congress is different than the presidential candidate who won it in 2016.

Eric Bauman has resigned as chair of the California Democratic Party after allegations of sexual misconduct.

Warren has also called for United States to withdraw from Afghanistan in her speech.

In her foreign policy speech today, Elizabeth Warren has come out in opposition to the USMCA, the free trade agreement negotiated by the Trump Administration with Mexico and Canada to replace NAFTA.

Rudy Giuliani tried to distance Trump from Michael Cohen in an interview with the Daily Beast today.

Giuliani added, “it was abandoned—from the president’s point of view—[in mid-2016] before he was elected,” and claimed that Trump doesn’t know when, exactly, Cohen “or others” ditched it, as well. He said his client’s position in the written response is that Trump’s contacts on the Russia dealing “were within his organization, and the primary guy was Michael Cohen.”

“This was Cohen’s deal,” Giuliani stressed.

Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that he does not support the resolution advanced in the Senate yesterday to end U.S. support for the Saudi backed coalition in Yemen.

He said “I don’t think the Yemen resolution is the smart way to go.” Instead, Ryan suggested sanctions under the Magnitsky Act as an alternative.

The Trump administration took new steps today to undermine the Affordable Care Act.

It published guidance that allows states to use federal subsidies for people buying health insurance outside the marketplace created by the ACA. These plans provide fewer benefits and protections and it would undermine efforts to standardize health insurance benefits.

Kay Granger of Texas has won the fight to become the next top Republican on the Appropriations Committee.

The race has long been one of the ugliest fights in the Republican conference pitting Granger, who is a senior appropriator, against Tom Graves of Georgia, who is close with Kevin McCarthy.

Trump’s lawyers tell the New York Times that what he told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing is precisely what Michael Cohen admitted to in open court today.

Rudy Giuliani told the New York Times “The president said there was a proposal, it was discussed with Cohen, there was a nonbinding letter of intent and it didn’t go beyond that.”

The search to replace Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador is still ongoing Politico reports.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is no longer the frontrunner as Trump considers other possibility including John James, the losing Republican Senate candidate in Michigan from the midterms.

Incoming Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has called for Eric Bauman, the chair of the California Democratic Party, to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bauman is currently on a leave of absence from the position citing health and alcohol issues.

Nancy Pelosi’s whip count to be Speaker is down one as Ron Kind of Wisconsin has said he will not vote for Pelosi on the floor.

Kind did not vote for Pelosi to be Speaker last Congress and cast his vote for Jim Cooper of Tennessee instead.

Democrats elected a diverse leadership for the next Congress with Steny Hoyer the only straight white man chosen.

A deal has been made on negotiating a new farm bill according to Politico.

House Republicans had forced a standstill by trying to impose tougher work requirements on food stamp recipients which Senate Democrats had rejected. The compromise is not expected to include this provision.

In an interview, outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan expressed his regret that he wasn’t able to do more on immigration and the debt.

He also said the only future government job that he would be interested in was US Ambassador to Ireland.

Updated

There’s already speculation about whether a number of Texas Republicans may retire in 2020. Republicans were plagued this cycle by a rash of retirements and that trend may continue next cycle as incumbents cope with life in the minority.

Phil Rucker and Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post provide a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to interview Donald Trump.

As they describe his “standard rules of engagement”:

He responds to questions with a torrent of words, digressions and self-congratulatory boasts. He makes humorous asides. He brushes away facts to spin his own reality. He sells his own accomplishments, no matter the question. And he tries to run out the clock with long-winded answers.

Updated

The United States could have a partial government shutdown on 7 December without congressional action.

Although some government funding bills have been passed, much of the government is still funded via short term continuing resolution, which will expire then. It includes Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the IRS.

However, politicians in both parties are viewing the deadline as an opportunity to force through major legislative goals. Donald Trump has insisted that any government funding deal include at least $5bn for a wall along the American border with Mexico.

Democrats are hoping to use government funding to force through legislation protecting Robert Mueller’s investigation. They are also hoping to use the showdown as leverage to keep Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from adding a question about citizenship status to the census, which they fear will keep undocumented immigrants from being counted and lead to an inaccurate process.

Any deal requires bipartisan support with a 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate where there are currently only 51 Republicans.

Trump has said that he is “totally willing” to shut down the government over funding for a wall and has insisted “I am firm” over the $5bn total. Senate Democrats have signaled that they are willing to accept $1.6bn in funding for border security, which could potentially encompass a wall.

The funding fight will be the last before Democrats take control of the House in January. At that point, they will have significantly more leverage in future negotiations over keeping the government open.

Updated

Vice President Mike Pence just cast another tie-breaking vote in the Senate on a judicial nomination.

Trump has canceled two of his scheduled formal meetings in Argentina with other world leaders at the G20.

Sarah Sanders has provided more detail on the canceled meeting with Putin to reporters on Air Force One.

Cheri Bustos of Illinois has been elected chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of the House Democratic Caucus for the 2020 cycle.

Congress just got its newest member today. Brenda Jones of Michigan was sworn in. However, she will only serve five weeks. She won a special election for John Conyers’s seat but lost the general. Rashida Tlaib will replace her in January.

In the ongoing drama over the Farr nomination, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska now says that she has not made up her mind on his confirmation. She voted to advance the nomination yesterday.

Just in time for the Michael Cohen plea deal today, the Washington Post has a detailed article on Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, two other close Trump associates under scrutiny (one of whom has pled guilty himself in the Mueller probe).

It captures how the two started in Republican politics in Connecticut in the 1970s and ended up together through Trump’s 2016 campaign.

A new poll from the Associated Press shows continued skepticism towards Donald Trump from members of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints (LDS).

The new data reaffirms Trump’s struggle to gain widespread acceptance among Mormons despite the faith’s deep-rooted conservative leanings.

Voters of other religious faiths such as evangelical Christians and Catholics are more consistent in their ratings of the president and vote choice. Across most other religious affiliations, about the same share voted for Republican candidates as said they approve of the president.

That’s not the case with Mormons: 67 percent voted for Republicans, but 56 percent said they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president . . .

According to VoteCast, a majority of Mormons said Trump does not have the right temperament to serve effectively as president (58 percent), while just about 4 in 10 (42 percent) said he does. Forty-six percent of Mormons said the president is honest and trustworthy.

Support for Trump among Mormons nationally was slightly lower among more educated members of the faith. College-educated Mormons were far more likely to vote for Republican candidates than to express approval of the president (73 percent versus 51 percent), while there is no significant gap among Mormons without a college degree (63 percent voted for Republicans, and 60 percent approve of Trump).

Trump cancels meeting with Putin in Argentina

Trump had said an hour ago “I probably will be meeting with President Putin.”

Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who is expected to take over as chairman next year, just posted a statement on Cohen.

Rudy Giuliani has released a statement attacking Mueller after the Cohen plea deal this morning.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana will announce if he will run for Governor on Monday.

Kennedy, a Republican first elected in 2016, would seek to face incumbent Democrat John Bel Edwards in the Pelican State’s 2019 gubernatorial election.

ABC News reports that the Moscow project was the subject of questioning from special counsel Robert Mueller for Trump.

Trump recently submitted his answers in writing.

Senate delays confirmation vote on Farr

In non-Michael Cohen news, the Senate has now delayed the final vote on Thomas Farr, the controversial nominee to the federal bench from North Carolina.

Farr has faced ferocious opposition from voting rights groups over his support for provisions like a voter ID law that was struck down in federal court as racially motivated.

Farr’s nomination only advanced yesterday after Mike Pence cast a tie breaking vote

Trump has now boarded Air Force One for his flight to Argentina. Depending on the inflight wifi, we may get some interesting tweets in the coming hours.

Trump also said the only reason he hired Michael Cohen and kept him on payroll is because “a long time ago, he did me a favor.”

Trump also expresses his sympathy for former campaign chair Paul Manafort while speaking to reporters. “It’s very sad what’s happening to Paul Manafort, he’s being treated very badly,” says Trump. He refused to rule out a pardon for Manafort yesterday.

Trump provides a very interesting defense to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.

Trump says “I probably will be meeting with President Putin” while in Argentina.

Adam Schiff, the incoming chair of the House Intelligence Committee, says Cohen’s plea changes things for his committee.

Trump: Cohen is a 'weak person … lying to get a reduced sentence'

Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that “Cohen is being a weak person and trying to get a reduced sentence so he’s lying about a project everyone knew about”.

Updated

Trump told reporters that he “passed” on the Trump Tower Moscow deal.

Trump says he is unconcerned about Cohen while speaking to reporters.

Trump has apparently just called Michael Cohen “a weak person” when speaking to reporters outside the White House.

Cohen’s guilty plea is now officially posted on the website for the special counsel’s investigation.

Michael Cohen of New York, New York, pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2018, to making false statements to the U.S. Congress in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001 (a)(2).

Cohen apparently talked to a top aide to Putin in 2016 about the project after reaching out to Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

Cohen apparently said in court today that he lied in order to be consistent with Trump’s political messaging. In the criminal information, the President is referred to as “Individual-1.”

Some of the court documents from Cohen’s guilty plea are now posted online

Worth noting Trump tweeted that he had “no deals in Russia” while Cohen was pursuing Trump Tower Moscow on his behalf.

CNN has the court documents which are summarized here.

Cohen leaves court as his attorney says he 'has cooperated'

Michael Cohen has just left the courtroom in New York and entered a car. Cohen made no comments to reporters as he left.

His attorney said “Mr. Cohen has cooperated. Mr. Cohen will continue to cooperate.”

Updated

Worth noting this statement from Richard Burr, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in August after Cohen’s initial guilty plea.

Worth recalling with Cohen’s plea that President Donald Trump went on another extended tear about the Mueller investigation late last night and this morning.

Yahoo News reported in May that Cohen’s effort to pursue Trump real estate projects in Moscow for longer than he had publicly claimed.

The story seems to cover some of what Cohen is pleading guilty to. Yahoo only had evidence of Cohen working to build Trump Tower Moscow as late as May 2016 when Trump was the Republican nominee.

Updated

Cohen told the court that he lied about his conversations with Trump about a real estate deal in Moscow.

And Cohen has officially entered a guilty plea inside the courtroom.

Per what’s being read in the courtroom, Michael Cohen apparently had conversations about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow as recently as August, 2017.

There are new details on what precisely Cohen will plead guilty to this morning.

ABC is reporting that since Cohen’s guilty plea in August that he has sat for over 70 hours of interviews with special counsel Robert Mueller and his team.

The New York Times has more details on Cohen’s appearance in federal court in Manhattan this morning and CNN has confirmed his guilty plea as well.

Cohen pled guilty in August to campaign finance violations around Trump’s hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.

A guilty plea on lying to Congress on the Russia investigation could have even broader ramifications.

Politico has details on what Nancy Pelosi told her most ardent critics yesterday in a private meeting.

Democratic rebels like Tim Ryan of Ohio and Kathleen Rice of New York have been pushing for Pelosi to set a timeline to step down. She did not agree.

Pelosi received support from 203 Democrats in her caucus yesterday and needs 218 votes on the floor to become Speaker in January.

Michael Cohen to reportedly plead guilty to lying to Congress

ABC News is reporting that Michael Cohen will plead guilty this morning to lying to congressional committees investigating collusion.

Sinclair Broadcasting is on the defensive for a controversial segment where former White House aide Boris Epshteyn defended the use of tear gas on the US/Mexico border.

He said “the fact of the matter is that this is an attempted invasion of our country. Period. Our border must remain intact and secure.”

Sinclair distanced itself from the segment last night.

A number of potential 2020 presidential candidates are headed to an event in Iowa later this month. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Congressman Eric Swalwell of California and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will all appear at the Progress Iowa holiday party in Des Moines on December 20.

Good morning.

President Donald Trump is going to Argentina, the Senate will vote on the confirmation of a controversial federal judge and a government funding deadline has creeped ever closer.

It’s Thursday in American politics.

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