On Sunday Trump tweeted a demand that the DOJ investigation spying on his campaign. Rosenstein responded by handing the question to the inspector general: “If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”
Here is Ben Wittes on the danger Trump’s threat’s pose to the rule of law and the DOJ in particular.
Trump, Wray and Rosenstein made some sort of agreement on Monday. Details are unclear early in the week, but the broad outline is that the DOJ/FBI will turn over more documents to Congress.
Some scholars are calling this a “direct assault” on the Justice Department’s independence.
Wray, Rosenstein and Coates met with members of Congress Thursday in an attempt to defuse the conflict with the White House. No one from Congress asked to see any documents, and Nunes said nothing at the meeting. Ryan and McConnell gave the impression that they heard nothing that changed their minds on the investigation. There is a sense of the adults in the room trying to manage a bad situation from getting out of hand by defusing the Nunes/Trump feud with the FBI–for now.
Trump’s trade deal with China fell through after infighting within his negotiators. Mnunchin and Novaro broke out in a shouting match in front of the Chinese.
Broidy was in the news again: “After a year spent carefully cultivating two princes from the Arabian Peninsula, Elliott Broidy, a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump, thought he was finally close to nailing more than $1 billion in business.”
The Democrats are beginning to openly talk about what their winning narrative should be for the 2018 midterms. The consensus may be forming to talk about issues like jobs and healthcare, but as far as Trump goes focus on his corruption.
Pelosi at a CNN Town Hall on Wednesday night: “Impeachment is to me divisive. If the facts are there, the facts are there, then this would have to be bipartisan to go forward. But if it is viewed as partisan, it will divide the country. And I just don’t think that is what we should do.”
On Thursday Trump canceled his North Korea summit.
Here is a harrowing case of one father separated at the boarder from his 18 month old son for over four months. The details show what’s it is like for these parents, and how little they are told about their child’s location and how or when they might be reunited.
An associate of Cohen plead guilty, and will potentially provide information about him to law enforcement.
The BBC reported that Cohen was paid between $400,000 and $600,00 to arrange a meeting between the Ukrainian president and Trump. After the meeting happened, the Ukrainian internal investigation of Manafort was closed.
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Trump’s Job Approval: 42.3%