Tag: Trump White House

White House worried FBI director could quit over Nunes memo release

The following article by Dana Bash, Jeff Zeleny and Evan Perez was posted on the CNN website February 1, 2018:

Washington (CNN) — Top White House aides are worried FBI Director Christopher Wray could quit if the highly controversial Republican memo alleging the FBI abused its surveillance tools is released, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN.

Wray has made clear he is frustrated that President Donald Trump picked him to lead the FBI after he fired FBI Director James Comey in May, yet his advice on the Nunes memo is being disregarded and cast as part of the purported partisan leadership of the FBI, according to a senior law enforcement official. Continue reading “White House worried FBI director could quit over Nunes memo release”

As Strongmen Steamroll Their Opponents, U.S. Is Silent

The following article by Declan Walsh was posted on the New York Times website February 1, 2018:

President Trump has often expressed a desire for closer ties with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has barred his main challenger from the March election. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

CAIRO — When it comes to securing a second term in power, Egypt’s president is leaving little to chance.

Potential rivals in the March election have been sidelined, jailed or threatened with prosecution. The news media is largely in his pocket. On polling day, Egyptians will have a choice between President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and one of his most ardent supporters — an obscure politician drafted at the 11th hour to avoid the embarrassment of a one-horse race.

As he cruises toward victory, Mr. Sisi need not worry either about foreign censure: President Trump has hailed the Egyptian leader as a “fantastic guy,” and most other Western leaders have been largely silent. Continue reading “As Strongmen Steamroll Their Opponents, U.S. Is Silent”

Rep. Devin Nunes, Trump’s stooge, attacks FBI

The following commentary from the Editorial Board of the Sacramento Bee, the largest newspaper in Rep. Nunes’ district, was posted on their website January 24, 2018 and updated February 1, 2018:

What, pray tell, does Rep. Devin Nunes think he’s doing by waving around a secret memo attacking the FBI, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency?

He certainly isn’t representing his Central Valley constituents or Californians, who care much more about health care, jobs and, yes, protecting Dreamers than about the latest conspiracy theory. Continue reading “Rep. Devin Nunes, Trump’s stooge, attacks FBI”

Why Trump is so eager to release the Nunes memo

The following article by James Hohmann with was posted on the Washington Post website February 1, 2018:

The Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett analyzes the disagreements between the FBI and the White House over a memo alleging surveillance abuse by the FBI. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

THE BIG IDEA: The classified memo written by Republican staffers for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) could be released as early as today, despite an FBI statement expressing “grave concerns” and complaints from Democrats that it’s been materially altered at the last minute.

Senior White House officials and advisers say that President Trump wants the document published because he sees it as key to making changes at the Justice Department, particularly pushing out Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Continue reading “Why Trump is so eager to release the Nunes memo”

Rising White House fear: Nunes memo is a dud

The following article by Jonathan Swan was posted on the axios.com website February 1, 2018:

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who previously had recused himself from the panel’s Russia investigation, arrives ahead of White House Senior Advisor and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s interview on Capitol Hill on July 25. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Inside the Trump administration, sources who’ve been briefed on the Nunes memo expect it will be underwhelming and not the “slam dunk” document it’s been hyped up to be.

What we’re hearing: There is much more skepticism inside the administration than has been previously reported about the value of releasing the memo, according to sources familiar with the administration discussions.

Be smart: Trump still wants to release the memo. But there are a number of people in the White House who are fairly underwhelmed, and there’s internal anxiety about whether it’s worth angering the FBI director and intelligence community by releasing this information.

Continue reading “Rising White House fear: Nunes memo is a dud”

White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels

The following article by Chris Mooney and Steven Mufson was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

President Trump applauded his administration’s energy policy at a rally in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 8. (The Washington Post)

The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for deep budget cuts to the Energy Department’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, slashing them by 72 percent overall in fiscal 2019, according to draft budget documentsobtained by The Washington Post.

Many of the sharp cuts would likely be restored by Congress, but President Trump’s budget due out in February will mark a starting point for negotiations and offer a statement of intent and policy priorities. Continue reading “White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels”

White House Will Release Nunes Memo ‘Quick,’ Kelly Says

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website January 31, 2018:

Without reviewing it, Trump said he would ‘100 percent’ make it public

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says President Donald Trump “wants everything out so the American people can make up their own minds.” Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images file photo

The White House plans to release soon a classified memo crafted by House Republicans that casts doubt on the Justice Department’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia and that country’s meddling in the 2016 election, Chief of Staff John Kelly said Wednesday.

“It will be released here pretty quick, I think, and the whole world can see it,” Kelly told Fox News Radio. Continue reading “White House Will Release Nunes Memo ‘Quick,’ Kelly Says”

Devin Nunes Won’t Say If He Worked With White House on Anti-FBI Memo

The following article by Betsy Woodruff and Spencer Ackerman was posted on the Daily Beast website January 30, 2018:

The House intel committee GOP leader refused to answer behind closed doors if he coordinated with the president’s team on his report blasting Rosenstein, Comey, and McCabe.

Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty

The Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee refused to answer when a colleague asked him if he had coordinated his incendiary surveillance memo with the White House, The Daily Beast has learned.

During Monday’s contentious closed-door committee meeting, Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democrat, asked Nunes point-blank if his staffers had been talking with the White House as they compiled a four-page memo alleging FBI and Justice Department abuses over surveillance of President Trump’s allies in the Russia probe. Continue reading “Devin Nunes Won’t Say If He Worked With White House on Anti-FBI Memo”

Justice Dept. officials appealed to White House to halt release of memo alleging FBI abuses related to author of Trump dossier

The following article by Josh Dawsey and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2018:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein warned White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Monday about the risks of releasing the document. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Top Justice Department officials made a last-ditch plea Monday to White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly about the dangers of publicly releasing a memo alleging abuses by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to people briefed on the meeting.

Shortly before the House Intelligence Committee voted to make the document public, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein warned Kelly that the four-page memo prepared by House Republicans could jeopardize classified information and implored the president to reconsider his support for making it public, those people said. Rosenstein was joined in the meeting at the White House by FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. Continue reading “Justice Dept. officials appealed to White House to halt release of memo alleging FBI abuses related to author of Trump dossier”

Polls show ‘no one’ cares about the Russia investigation, White House press secretary said. That’s not true.

The following article by Eugene Scott was posted on the Washington Post website January 29, 2018:

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Jan. 29 said polls have shown that “no one cares about” the issues surrounding the Russia investigation. (Reuters)

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Trump will not address the ongoing investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia because no Americans care about the issue.

At Monday’s White House briefing, Sanders said: “We spend more time on that than we do any other topic despite the fact that time and time again, poll after poll says that frankly no one cares about this issue, and it’s certainly not the thing that keeps people up at night.” Continue reading “Polls show ‘no one’ cares about the Russia investigation, White House press secretary said. That’s not true.”