Republican lawmaker who won’t hold a town hall invokes Gabby Giffords shooting. She responds: ‘Have some courage.’

The following article by Mark Berman was posted on the Washington Post website February 23, 2017:

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords smiles as she raises a fist pump to the crowd as she, her husband Mark Kelly, and a number of other Tucson mass shooting victims returned to the site of a shooting that left her critically wounded to urge key senators to support expanded background checks for gun purchases, Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

As Republican lawmakers across the country have faced raucous, chaotic town halls in recent days, a number have refused to have these events. Some cited safety as a reason, while others said they didn’t want their events “hijacked” by the confrontations seen elsewhere.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), in a statement released this week, blamed his decision not to hold these events in person on “the threat of violence at town hall meetings.” He also pointed to a specific violent event to bolster his case, invoking the 2011 shooting that severely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and killed six others.

The former congresswoman responded Thursday, and she made clear that she does not agree with lawmakers shying away from meeting with members of the public.

“To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this: Have some courage,” Giffords said in a statement. “Face your constituents. Hold town halls.” Continue reading “Republican lawmaker who won’t hold a town hall invokes Gabby Giffords shooting. She responds: ‘Have some courage.’”

CNN: FBI Refused WH Request To Refute Stories About Russian Contact

The following article by Matt Shuham was posted on the Talking Point Memo website February 23, 2017:

FBI Director James Comey, center, flanked Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson, right, and Director of National Counterterrorism Center, Office of the National Intelligence, Nicholas Rasmussen, pauses while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on on terror threats. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

CNN reported Thursday that the FBI and other federal agencies rejected the White House’s request to refute stories about contact between members of the Trump campaign and Russian nationals, including members of the Russian intelligence community.

CNN’s report was based on multiple unnamed U.S. officials briefed on the matter.

The New York Times and CNN reported last week that members of the Trump campaign and Russian nationals were in repeated contact during the campaign. Continue reading “CNN: FBI Refused WH Request To Refute Stories About Russian Contact”

Manafort faced blackmail attempt, hacks suggest

The following article by Kenneth P. Vogel, David Stern and Josh Meyer was posted on the Politico website February 23, 2017:

Stolen texts appear to show threats to expose relations among Russia-friendly forces, Trump and his former campaign chairman.

Paul Manafort confirmed the authenticity of the texts hacked from his daughter’s phone during an interview on Tuesday. | Getty

A purported cyberhack of the daughter of political consultant Paul Manafort suggests that he was the victim of a blackmail attempt while he was serving as Donald Trump’s presidential campaign chairman last summer.

The undated communications, which are allegedly from the iPhone of Manafort’s daughter, include a text that appears to come from a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Serhiy Leshchenko, seeking to reach her father, in which he claims to have politically damaging information about both Manafort and Trump. Continue reading “Manafort faced blackmail attempt, hacks suggest”

Americans think President Trump’s conflicts of interest are unethical: poll

The following article by Matthew Rozsa was posted on the Salon website February 23, 2017:

More than half of registered voters say Trump is either breaking the law or simply being unethical

President Trump at a White House news conference Wednesday. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest appear to be resonating with Americans, despite White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s claims that “people don’t care” about matters like his unreleased tax returns.

More than a quarter of registered voters — 28 percent — believe Trump has done something illegal, while an additional 25 percent believe he has behaved unethically but not illegally, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Poll. By contrast, only 42 percent of poll respondents think Trump has done nothing wrong, with 6 percent saying they’re unsure. Continue reading “Americans think President Trump’s conflicts of interest are unethical: poll”

Obamacare just hit its highest popularity ever

The following article by Bob Bryan was posted on the Business Insider website February 23, 2017:

Americans are learning to love the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

As the law faces possible repeal and replacement by Republicans, a new poll from the Pew Research Center shows that the ACA’s popularity is soaring and has hit its highest point since it was passed. Continue reading “Obamacare just hit its highest popularity ever”

How Trump’s campaign staffers tried to keep him off Twitter

The following article by Tara Palmeri was posted on the Politico website February 22, 2017:

The trick? Making sure his media diet included a healthy dose of praise.

(Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s former campaign staffers claim they cracked the code for tamping down his most inflammatory tweets, and they say the current West Wing staff would do well to take note.

The key to keeping Trump’s Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise. And when no such praise was to be found, staff would turn to friendly outlets to drum some up — and make sure it made its way to Trump’s desk. Continue reading “How Trump’s campaign staffers tried to keep him off Twitter”

Resolution of Inquiry – Sounds Boring But It’s Important

The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website February 23, 2017:

President Trump, accompanied by Vice President Pence, center, shakes hands with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday at a Republican congressional retreat. (Matt Rourke/AP)

The House leadership has signaled that they intend to bury a Resolution of Inquiry introduced by Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in the House Judiciary Committee so it can’t come to a vote in the full House. Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) will likely let the resolution die. The relevant facts are:

  • The Resolution Of Inquiry directs “the Department of Justice to provide the House of Representatives with any and all information relevant to an inquiry into President Trump and his associates’ conflicts of interest, ethical violations—including the Emoluments Clause—and Russia ties.”
  • While these kinds of resolutions are rare, Nadler and his Democratic colleagues feel that the unprecedented conflicts of interest surrounding the administration demand greater scrutiny and the House Oversight Committee has not exerted much effort to investigate issues that many Americans are concerned about. “Republicans have shown zero willingness to follow through on their duty to conduct oversight,” according to Nadler, “and they must be held accountable if they are truly willing to abdicate this constitutional obligation and must be made to answer to the American people for that failure.”
  • Make no mistake: “accountable to the American people” is an enormous issue. By sending the Resolution of Inquiry to committee to die members of the House will not have to go on record and won’t be accountable for lax oversight of Trump’s actions and conflicts.

Continue reading “Resolution of Inquiry – Sounds Boring But It’s Important”