thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-10--Desperate Biden rapidly shifts messages in comeback attempt after Iowa 'gut punch'

MANCHESTER , New Hampshire — Joe Biden 's campaign message has been all over the place the last week as he scrambles to make a comeback before Tuesday 's New Hampshire primary .
After shaking up his staff , attacking his rivals , and leaning on his unique ability to connect with voters over personal tragedy , Biden 's latest pitch rests on his connection to President Barack Obama and the last administration 's economy .
`` If you compare the last three years of the Obama-Biden economy to the first three years of the Donald Trump economy , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Biden said in Gilford , New Hampshire , on Monday .
Biden , 77 , and his team have long said that his path to the Democratic presidential nomination did not require wins in Iowa and New Hampshire .
But his dismal fourth-place finish in last Monday 's Iowa caucuses was not what they had in mind .
He took a tumble in New Hampshire polls , falling from a second-place 17.5 % in the RealClearPolitics average on the day of the caucuses to 11.3 % on Monday , tied with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I ’ m not going to sugarcoat it — we took a gut punch in Iowa .
The whole process took a gut punch , ” Biden conceded Wednesday .
While his rivals continued their pushes across the Granite State , Biden took Thursday off from campaigning in order to meet with his advisers in Delaware and create a new game plan .
On Saturday , Biden debuted a negative ad attacking Pete Buttigieg 's experience as mayor of South Bend , Indiana , compared to his own credentials as Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act , which gave healthcare to 20 million people .
And when parkgoers called on Pete Buttigieg , he installed decorative lights under bridges giving citizens of South Bend colorfully illuminated rivers , '' a narrator in the ad said .
When a reporter pointed out that Biden similarly attacked Obama on his lack of experience in the 2008 Democratic primary , Biden responded , `` This guy 's not a Barack Obama . ''
The swipes fell flat and rolled off Buttigieg 's back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` tired of being reduced to a punchline , '' and while he is not Obama , neither is Biden .
Later in the weekend , Biden leaned into his own personal tragedies that help him connect with voters .
He added lines to his stump speech about his first wife and his 1-year-old daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash , and his son , Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 .
`` I 'll be damned if I ’ m going to stand by and lose my country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unlike previous stops before Iowa , Biden started explicitly asking attendees at his town halls for `` help '' before the New Hampshire primary .
[ Read more : Another 'gut punch ' ?
: Joe Biden says ' I 'll probably take a hit ' in New Hampshire ] Biden did not escape the weekend , though , without a viral `` Biden-ism '' moment .
In response to a question in Hampton on Sunday about how he can be electable after Iowa , Biden jokingly called the questioner a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reference to a John Wayne movie .
On Monday , Biden shifted his message again , reverting to stressing his connection with Obama and casting doubt on Trump 's economy .
`` Guess where he got that good economy from ?
The Obama-Biden administration , '' Biden said .
Biden 's White House hopes rest on his ability to keep his strong support among minority voters in the Feb. 22 Nevada caucuses and Feb. 29 South Carolina primary .
He often says that he views the first four states as a package deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire , where Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the candidate to beat .
A group of young supporters at a campaign stop in Hampton , New Hampshire , on Sunday , attempted to amp Biden up for a comeback by serenading him with a parody of a Backstreet Boys song .

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Joe Biden's campaign message has been all over the place the last week as he scrambles to make a comeback before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
After shaking up his staff, attacking his rivals, and leaning on his unique ability to connect with voters over personal tragedy, Biden's latest pitch rests on his connection to President Barack Obama and the last administration's economy.
"If you compare the last three years of the Obama-Biden economy to the first three years of the Donald Trump economy, Trump does worse on just about every metric," Biden said in Gilford, New Hampshire, on Monday.
Biden, 77, and his team have long said that his path to the Democratic presidential nomination did not require wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. But his dismal fourth-place finish in last Monday's Iowa caucuses was not what they had in mind.
He took a tumble in New Hampshire polls, falling from a second-place 17.5% in the RealClearPolitics average on the day of the caucuses to 11.3% on Monday, tied with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar for fourth place.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it — we took a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch,” Biden conceded Wednesday.
While his rivals continued their pushes across the Granite State, Biden took Thursday off from campaigning in order to meet with his advisers in Delaware and create a new game plan.
On Saturday, Biden debuted a negative ad attacking Pete Buttigieg's experience as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, compared to his own credentials as Obama's vice president.
"Joe Biden helped lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which gave healthcare to 20 million people. And when parkgoers called on Pete Buttigieg, he installed decorative lights under bridges giving citizens of South Bend colorfully illuminated rivers," a narrator in the ad said.
When a reporter pointed out that Biden similarly attacked Obama on his lack of experience in the 2008 Democratic primary, Biden responded, "This guy's not a Barack Obama."
The swipes fell flat and rolled off Buttigieg's back. He countered that small towns are "tired of being reduced to a punchline," and while he is not Obama, neither is Biden.
Later in the weekend, Biden leaned into his own personal tragedies that help him connect with voters. He added lines to his stump speech about his first wife and his 1-year-old daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash, and his son, Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.
"I'll be damned if I’m going to stand by and lose my country, too," he said Sunday.
Unlike previous stops before Iowa, Biden started explicitly asking attendees at his town halls for "help" before the New Hampshire primary.
[Read more: Another 'gut punch'?: Joe Biden says 'I'll probably take a hit' in New Hampshire]
Biden did not escape the weekend, though, without a viral "Biden-ism" moment. In response to a question in Hampton on Sunday about how he can be electable after Iowa, Biden jokingly called the questioner a “lying dog-faced pony soldier," a reference to a John Wayne movie.
On Monday, Biden shifted his message again, reverting to stressing his connection with Obama and casting doubt on Trump's economy.
"Guess where he got that good economy from? The Obama-Biden administration," Biden said.
Biden's White House hopes rest on his ability to keep his strong support among minority voters in the Feb. 22 Nevada caucuses and Feb. 29 South Carolina primary. He often says that he views the first four states as a package deal, downplaying the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire, where Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the candidate to beat.
A group of young supporters at a campaign stop in Hampton, New Hampshire, on Sunday, attempted to amp Biden up for a comeback by serenading him with a parody of a Backstreet Boys song.
"Biden's back, alright!"


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-10--Trump taking his distraction roadshow to New Hampshire and beyond

President Trump promised his New Hampshire campaign rally would “ shake up ” Democrats ahead of their closely watched primary , a tactic he will aggressively deploy as the primary season unfolds .
The appearance Monday is the second in an expected string of rallies designed to keep Trump at the center of the political story , prevent Democrats from stealing the limelight , and reduce the chances of any single candidate breaking out .
High-profile supporters will also fan out across the state on Tuesday , even though the president is a shoo-in for the Republican nomination .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tonight for a big Rally , ” Trump wrote on Twitter .
“ Want to shake up the Dems a little bit — they have a really boring deal going on.
” [ Opinion : Democrats should be very afraid of Trump 's powerful pitch to black voters ] It follows a similarly timed event ahead of the Iowa caucuses .
A `` Keep America Great '' event is already scheduled later this month in Colorado , one of the Super Tuesday states , and more are expected to follow .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester at 7 p.m. on Monday , before polling stations open the following morning .
Not only will the president ’ s presence steal a headline from Democratic candidates , but it will bring a slew of road closures around the venue and along the motorcade ’ s route from the airport .
Those will begin at 7 a.m. , a fact not unnoticed by some campaign aides .
“ The aim is to take the president ’ s message out of Washington , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult for Democrat candidates to get around , well that would be a big shame , ” snickered one .
Trump narrowly lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton in 2016 , and his campaign is targeting the state as a potential win in November 's general election .
Supporters who will be campaigning on Tuesday include the president 's sons , Donald Trump Jr. , and Eric Trump , Sens .
Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul , and Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mark Meadows .
Libby DePiero , 64 , told the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t wait for this one .
He ’ s going to be all pumped up because the impeachment is all over with .
”

President Trump promised his New Hampshire campaign rally would “shake up” Democrats ahead of their closely watched primary, a tactic he will aggressively deploy as the primary season unfolds.
The appearance Monday is the second in an expected string of rallies designed to keep Trump at the center of the political story, prevent Democrats from stealing the limelight, and reduce the chances of any single candidate breaking out.
High-profile supporters will also fan out across the state on Tuesday, even though the president is a shoo-in for the Republican nomination.
“Will be in Manchester, New Hampshire, tonight for a big Rally,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Want to shake up the Dems a little bit — they have a really boring deal going on.”
Will be in Manchester, New Hampshire, tonight for a big Rally. Want to shake up the Dems a little bit - they have a really boring deal going on. Still waiting for the Iowa results, votes were fried. Big crowds in Manchester! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2020
[Opinion: Democrats should be very afraid of Trump's powerful pitch to black voters]
It follows a similarly timed event ahead of the Iowa caucuses. A "Keep America Great" event is already scheduled later this month in Colorado, one of the Super Tuesday states, and more are expected to follow.
Trump is due to address a crowd at the Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester at 7 p.m. on Monday, before polling stations open the following morning.
Not only will the president’s presence steal a headline from Democratic candidates, but it will bring a slew of road closures around the venue and along the motorcade’s route from the airport.
Those will begin at 7 a.m., a fact not unnoticed by some campaign aides.
“The aim is to take the president’s message out of Washington, of course. But if that makes it more difficult for Democrat candidates to get around, well that would be a big shame,” snickered one.
Trump narrowly lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and his campaign is targeting the state as a potential win in November's general election. Supporters who will be campaigning on Tuesday include the president's sons, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, and Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mark Meadows.
Libby DePiero, 64, told the New Hampshire Union Leader: “I can’t wait for this one. He’s going to be all pumped up because the impeachment is all over with.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-10--Voters say Pete Buttigieg suddenly plausible as Democratic nominee

LONDONDERRY , New Hampshire — This is Pete Buttigieg ’ s moment .
He is riding high on momentum throughout New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 11 Democratic primary : brushing off new attacks from his rivals , bombarding the airwaves , surging in the polls , and drawing large crowds .
Voters who were unsure of his chances before now look to him after his top-placing finish in the Iowa caucuses and think that the 38-year-old gay veteran and former South Bend , Indiana , mayor could be a plausible Democratic presidential nominee .
“ Even though he does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much , [ he ] can probably reach more disaffected Republicans , I ’ m hoping , ” said attorney Andrea Davulis , 37 , at a Buttigieg event in Dover , New Hampshire , on Sunday .
`` I want to be progressive , and I want to be like , Elizabeth Warren — you know ?
Bernie Bro or whatever .
But I think Pete has more electability , and I 'm beyond Biden . ''
Joe Biden , 77 , scrambling after a fourth-place finish in Iowa , unloaded on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday that compared his mere mayoral experience to that of the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator .
The attacks did not resonate with many voters giving Buttigieg a closer look .
“ Not having all that history in Washington is a better thing than having history in Washington , ” said Sara Sokolowski , 30 , a nurse in Derry , New Hampshire , who is undecided but leaning toward Buttigieg .
She added that his prominence now is more impressive .
Joe Sokolowski , who is 36 and works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of ways , it 's more impressive too , ” he said .
“ It 's a lot harder for someone just being a mayor of a small city to be in the position he 's in today.
” Buttigieg , always ready to deliver succinct and measured talking points , has been preparing for a retort to that kind of attack for his whole campaign .
“ I also hear some folks saying , 'What business does a mayor of South Bend , Indiana , have running for president ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hall in Lebanon , New Hampshire , on Saturday .
`` To which I say , that is very much the point .
There are so many communities , rural areas , small towns , industrial cities , and even pockets of our biggest cities who have felt completely left behind by the ways of Washington and who are tired of being reduced to a punchline by Washington politicians . ''
Buttigieg ’ s 13.7 % support in the RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls on Feb. 3 shot to 21.3 % on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont .
Biden dipped from second place with 17.5 % on Feb. 3 to fourth place at 11 % , tied with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren .
The spike in the polls was reflected in increased attention and enthusiasm from many Buttigieg supporters who had not attended a single other candidate 's event this cycle .
When doors opened for attendees in Salem , New Hampshire , some attendees started running to secure a good spot near the stage where Buttigieg spoke .
An event with veterans at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire , on Thursday was so full that dozens of members of the press and attendees were turned away at the door .
In the spin room after the Democratic presidential debate on Friday , a mob of press surrounded Buttigieg as he moved from one television interview to another , at one point knocking over a case of camera equipment with a bang that made security officers in the room perk up for a minute .
Actor stumped for him on Saturday , and on Sunday , Buttigieg appeared on every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four packed town halls in towns on Sunday that , according to the campaign , drew record crowds for the campaign cycle in those towns : 1,800 in Nashua , 1,100 in Dover , 1,250 in Salem , and 900 in Londonderry .
“ I think he would represent the United States very well to the world , even though he does n't have the experience .
But then , what did Trump have ?
” said Dover teacher Pam Lutz , 58 , an undecided voter .
Account manager Lisa Panteli of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buttigieg after seeing his CNN town hall last week , said that it is the former vice president rather than Buttigieg who lacks “ professionalism.
” “ Most experience , perhaps , but even when he was there , he was that kind of jokester , ” Panteli said , referencing that Biden made during one of President Barack Obama ’ s State of the Union addresses .

LONDONDERRY, New Hampshire — This is Pete Buttigieg’s moment.
He is riding high on momentum throughout New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 11 Democratic primary: brushing off new attacks from his rivals, bombarding the airwaves, surging in the polls, and drawing large crowds.
Voters who were unsure of his chances before now look to him after his top-placing finish in the Iowa caucuses and think that the 38-year-old gay veteran and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor could be a plausible Democratic presidential nominee.
“Even though he doesn't have the support of minorities as much, [he] can probably reach more disaffected Republicans, I’m hoping,” said attorney Andrea Davulis, 37, at a Buttigieg event in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sunday. "I want to be progressive, and I want to be like, Elizabeth Warren — you know? Bernie Bro or whatever. But I think Pete has more electability, and I'm beyond Biden."
Joe Biden, 77, scrambling after a fourth-place finish in Iowa, unloaded on Buttigieg with a snarky, negative ad on Saturday that compared his mere mayoral experience to that of the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator.
The attacks did not resonate with many voters giving Buttigieg a closer look.
“Not having all that history in Washington is a better thing than having history in Washington,” said Sara Sokolowski, 30, a nurse in Derry, New Hampshire, who is undecided but leaning toward Buttigieg. She added that his prominence now is more impressive.
Joe Sokolowski, who is 36 and works in defense, agreed. “In a lot of ways, it's more impressive too,” he said. “It's a lot harder for someone just being a mayor of a small city to be in the position he's in today.”
Buttigieg, always ready to deliver succinct and measured talking points, has been preparing for a retort to that kind of attack for his whole campaign.
“I also hear some folks saying, 'What business does a mayor of South Bend, Indiana, have running for president?'" Buttigieg said at a town hall in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on Saturday. "To which I say, that is very much the point. There are so many communities, rural areas, small towns, industrial cities, and even pockets of our biggest cities who have felt completely left behind by the ways of Washington and who are tired of being reduced to a punchline by Washington politicians."
Buttigieg’s 13.7% support in the RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls on Feb. 3 shot to 21.3% on Monday, 7.4 percentage points behind poll leader Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Biden dipped from second place with 17.5% on Feb. 3 to fourth place at 11%, tied with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
The spike in the polls was reflected in increased attention and enthusiasm from many Buttigieg supporters who had not attended a single other candidate's event this cycle.
When doors opened for attendees in Salem, New Hampshire, some attendees started running to secure a good spot near the stage where Buttigieg spoke.
An event with veterans at an American Legion post in Merrimack, New Hampshire, on Thursday was so full that dozens of members of the press and attendees were turned away at the door. In the spin room after the Democratic presidential debate on Friday, a mob of press surrounded Buttigieg as he moved from one television interview to another, at one point knocking over a case of camera equipment with a bang that made security officers in the room perk up for a minute.
Actor Michael J. Fox stumped for him on Saturday, and on Sunday, Buttigieg appeared on every single Sunday political show. He held four packed town halls in towns on Sunday that, according to the campaign, drew record crowds for the campaign cycle in those towns: 1,800 in Nashua, 1,100 in Dover, 1,250 in Salem, and 900 in Londonderry.
“I think he would represent the United States very well to the world, even though he doesn't have the experience. But then, what did Trump have?” said Dover teacher Pam Lutz, 58, an undecided voter.
Account manager Lisa Panteli of Salem, who decided to vote for Buttigieg after seeing his CNN town hall last week, said that it is the former vice president rather than Buttigieg who lacks “professionalism.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-10--Bernie Sanders should drop out if he doesn't want to release his medical records

At 78-years-old , presidential front-runner Bernie Sanders is currently one year older than Ronald Reagan , our oldest president ever , was on his last day in the White House .
Not only would Sanders be a decade older than Reagan on Inauguration Day , but the septuagenarian socialist had a heart attack just four months ago .
Yet , Sanders refuses to release his medical records .
When asked over the weekend by NBC 's Chuck Todd about his health , the Vermont senator claimed he `` released as much documentation ... as any other candidate . ''
Todd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate had a heart attack late last year .
`` I mean , you can start releasing medical records and it never ends , '' Sanders responded .
`` We ’ ve released a substantive part — all of our background .
We have doctors who have cardiologists confirming that I am in good health .
I am in good health . ''
In the immediate aftermath of his heart attack , it was more than fine for Sanders to want a few days to recover and sit on the news before submitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that grace period expired months ago .
He 's long overdue to disclose unredacted versions of his medical records , especially as it pertains to his ejection fraction , a measure of the pumping efficiency of his heart .
If Sanders 's heart muscle was permanently damaged after the heart attack , his records will indicate heart failure .
And the public deserves to know what type of medical risks would be involved with having him as president .
Sanders 's unwillingness to disclose his health records is made even more galling considering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's medical records for the past four years .
Trump may be equally and unfortunately evasive , but he has n't just had a heart attack , either .
For an even more stark comparison , just consider the media meltdown over John McCain 's age and health in 2008 — and that was when he was a half decade younger than Sanders is now .
If Sanders does n't want public demands for health records to `` never end , '' he can simply end them now .
Either release them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the race .

At 78-years-old, presidential front-runner Bernie Sanders is currently one year older than Ronald Reagan, our oldest president ever, was on his last day in the White House. Not only would Sanders be a decade older than Reagan on Inauguration Day, but the septuagenarian socialist had a heart attack just four months ago.
Yet, Sanders refuses to release his medical records. When asked over the weekend by NBC's Chuck Todd about his health, the Vermont senator claimed he "released as much documentation ... as any other candidate." Todd pushed back, noting that no other candidate had a heart attack late last year.
"I mean, you can start releasing medical records and it never ends," Sanders responded. "We’ve released a substantive part — all of our background. We have doctors who have cardiologists confirming that I am in good health. I am in good health."
In the immediate aftermath of his heart attack, it was more than fine for Sanders to want a few days to recover and sit on the news before submitting it to the public domain. But that grace period expired months ago. He's long overdue to disclose unredacted versions of his medical records, especially as it pertains to his ejection fraction, a measure of the pumping efficiency of his heart.
If Sanders's heart muscle was permanently damaged after the heart attack, his records will indicate heart failure. And the public deserves to know what type of medical risks would be involved with having him as president.
Sanders's unwillingness to disclose his health records is made even more galling considering the Democratic Party's obsession with President Trump's medical records for the past four years. Trump may be equally and unfortunately evasive, but he hasn't just had a heart attack, either. For an even more stark comparison, just consider the media meltdown over John McCain's age and health in 2008 — and that was when he was a half decade younger than Sanders is now.
If Sanders doesn't want public demands for health records to "never end," he can simply end them now. Either release them with full transparency or drop out of the race.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-10--Biden says he would consider Buttigieg for vice president despite escalating attacks

HUDSON , New Hampshire — In a free-wheeling town hall-style event , Joe Biden dropped most of his attacks on his 2020 Democratic rivals and instead fended off several frustrated voters .
At a presidential campaign stop in Hudson , New Hampshire , Biden , 77 , held court for about 90 minutes , an unusual amount of time for his second question-and-answer format of the day .
Two voters grilled him on his potential vice presidential pick , a question all the Democratic White House candidates have fielded .
Although Biden was reticent to name a running mate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he understood the importance of the question in case `` lightning strikes , '' and he dies in office .
He promised that he would choose someone younger than him , who was still job ready for Day One as long as there was a `` correlation '' between their beliefs , such as his position against Bernie Sanders 's version of `` Medicare for all . ''
Biden , himself a former vice president , hinted he would consider former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , Pete Buttigieg , despite spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including in a negative digital ad , a rally , and a press conference .
`` There are at least four people running that are , in fact , in simpatico with where I am , starting with Indiana , '' he said on Sunday .
`` And do n't read that as ...
I 'm getting in trouble here . ''
Biden 's attacks on Buttigieg were interpreted as a campaign strategy change after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Iowa .
The 36-year Delaware senator tamped down the rhetoric a day later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working-class people and responding to voter concerns at his events , another tactic mix-up .
But he 's running out of time to make an impact ahead of New Hampshire 's primary on Feb. 11 , though he 's already tried to manage expectations for the second contest .
Rather , he 's relying on strong performances in Nevada and South Carolina , more diverse early voting states .

HUDSON, New Hampshire — In a free-wheeling town hall-style event, Joe Biden dropped most of his attacks on his 2020 Democratic rivals and instead fended off several frustrated voters.
At a presidential campaign stop in Hudson, New Hampshire, Biden, 77, held court for about 90 minutes, an unusual amount of time for his second question-and-answer format of the day.
Two voters grilled him on his potential vice presidential pick, a question all the Democratic White House candidates have fielded.
Although Biden was reticent to name a running mate for fear of appearing presumptuous, he said he understood the importance of the question in case "lightning strikes," and he dies in office.
He promised that he would choose someone younger than him, who was still job ready for Day One as long as there was a "correlation" between their beliefs, such as his position against Bernie Sanders's version of "Medicare for all."
Biden, himself a former vice president, hinted he would consider former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, despite spending all of Saturday mocking his inexperience, including in a negative digital ad, a rally, and a press conference.
"There are at least four people running that are, in fact, in simpatico with where I am, starting with Indiana," he said on Sunday. "And don't read that as ... I'm getting in trouble here."
Biden's attacks on Buttigieg were interpreted as a campaign strategy change after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Iowa.
The 36-year Delaware senator tamped down the rhetoric a day later, instead focusing on the struggles of working-class people and responding to voter concerns at his events, another tactic mix-up.
But he's running out of time to make an impact ahead of New Hampshire's primary on Feb. 11, though he's already tried to manage expectations for the second contest. Rather, he's relying on strong performances in Nevada and South Carolina, more diverse early voting states.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Student says it was 'kind of humiliating' when Biden called her a 'lying, dog-faced pony soldier'

The 21-year-old college student whom 2020 Democrat Joe Biden referred to as a “ lying , dog-faced pony soldier ” said the insult was “ kind of humiliating . ''
During a New Hampshire campaign stop on Sunday , Madison Moore , a student at Mercer University , asked the former vice president a question about his underwhelming finish in the Iowa caucuses and got an unusual response .
“ How do you explain the performance in Iowa , and why should voters believe that you can win the national election ?
” she asked .
Biden , 77 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever been to a caucus , and , after Moore nodded , he quipped , “ No , you haven ’ t .
You ’ re a lying , dog-faced pony soldier.
” Although the Biden campaign has said that the strange remark was intended in jest , Moore told the Macon Telegraph on Monday that to wave it off as a joke was “ kind of insulting.
” “ It was kind of humiliating to be called a liar on national TV by the former vice president , ” Moore said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his immediate response was to attempt to invalidate me by exposing my inexperience.
” Moore explained that she was nervous when Biden asked her about attending a caucus .
She also said that it was a perfectly valid question to ask the former front-runner , who finished in fourth during the nation ’ s first 2020 litmus test , adding that whether she has attended a caucus is irrelevant .
“ He has been performing extremely poorly in this race , and the fact that he couldn ’ t just straight answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exacerbates that fact , ” Moore said .
“ I am a 21-year-old college student , like , what the hell do I know ?
Who cares who I am or my experience ?
Just answer the damn question . ''
Symone Sanders , a senior campaign adviser , said the comment was a joke and downplayed the national attention the remark has received .
The campaign has claimed the line , which Biden has used before , is from a John Wayne movie .
“ Many people in the room laughed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it was a line he has actually used frequently , ” Sanders said .
Moore said that when she asked the question , she had no idea the exchange would go viral and become national news .
“ If I had expected that , I would ’ ve worn makeup , ” she said .
“ I would ’ ve looked a lot cuter .
”

The 21-year-old college student whom 2020 Democrat Joe Biden referred to as a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier” said the insult was “kind of humiliating."
During a New Hampshire campaign stop on Sunday, Madison Moore, a student at Mercer University, asked the former vice president a question about his underwhelming finish in the Iowa caucuses and got an unusual response.
“How do you explain the performance in Iowa, and why should voters believe that you can win the national election?” she asked.
Biden, 77, responded by asking her if she had ever been to a caucus, and, after Moore nodded, he quipped, “No, you haven’t. You’re a lying, dog-faced pony soldier.”
Although the Biden campaign has said that the strange remark was intended in jest, Moore told the Macon Telegraph on Monday that to wave it off as a joke was “kind of insulting.”
“It was kind of humiliating to be called a liar on national TV by the former vice president,” Moore said. “Instead of answering that question straightforward, his immediate response was to attempt to invalidate me by exposing my inexperience.”
Moore explained that she was nervous when Biden asked her about attending a caucus. She also said that it was a perfectly valid question to ask the former front-runner, who finished in fourth during the nation’s first 2020 litmus test, adding that whether she has attended a caucus is irrelevant.
“He has been performing extremely poorly in this race, and the fact that he couldn’t just straight answer my question without bullying or intimidating just exacerbates that fact,” Moore said. “I am a 21-year-old college student, like, what the hell do I know? Who cares who I am or my experience? Just answer the damn question."
Symone Sanders, a senior campaign adviser, said the comment was a joke and downplayed the national attention the remark has received. The campaign has claimed the line, which Biden has used before, is from a John Wayne movie.
“Many people in the room laughed. Many people in the room laughed, and it was a line he has actually used frequently,” Sanders said.
Moore said that when she asked the question, she had no idea the exchange would go viral and become national news.
“If I had expected that, I would’ve worn makeup,” she said. “I would’ve looked a lot cuter.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--WATCH: Jill Biden confronts heckler at Joe Biden counter-Trump rally

MANCHESTER , New Hampshire — Jill Biden came to the defense of her husband Joe Biden after a protester tried to disrupt the former vice president 's rally .
Joe Biden , 77 , had just opened his remarks at a Monday rally on the eve of the New Hampshire Democratic primary in Manchester when the heckler began badgering him .
`` I 'll tell you what , '' the former vice president said before the protester , who was holding a cellphone and appeared to be recording the interaction , began to walk toward him .
However , Jill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossed behind the podium where her husband was speaking .
She intercepted the man and helped security and others at the event remove him from the crowd .
The crowd , galvanized against the demonstrator , chanted , `` We want Joe ! ''
in an effort to drown out the heckling .
When asked about the confrontation later , Jill Biden offered a pithy response .
While once considered the Democratic front-runner , Biden has seen a drop in polling , and he underperformed in last week 's Iowa caucuses .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the state with 27 % support , followed by Pete Buttigieg with 19 % .
Both Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren registered 12 % support , falling behind Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who took in 14 % .
A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Biden leading Sanders by a razor-thin 0.2 % margin .

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Jill Biden came to the defense of her husband Joe Biden after a protester tried to disrupt the former vice president's rally.
Joe Biden, 77, had just opened his remarks at a Monday rally on the eve of the New Hampshire Democratic primary in Manchester when the heckler began badgering him.
"I'll tell you what," the former vice president said before the protester, who was holding a cellphone and appeared to be recording the interaction, began to walk toward him.
However, Jill Biden, 68, swept in and crossed behind the podium where her husband was speaking. She intercepted the man and helped security and others at the event remove him from the crowd.
The crowd, galvanized against the demonstrator, chanted, "We want Joe!" in an effort to drown out the heckling.
WATCH: You dont see this at every @JoeBiden event...@DrBiden literally bounced a heckler out of his event tonight in Manchester. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/KpnMGcKgMB — Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) February 11, 2020
When asked about the confrontation later, Jill Biden offered a pithy response.
“I’m a good Philly girl,” she said.
While once considered the Democratic front-runner, Biden has seen a drop in polling, and he underperformed in last week's Iowa caucuses. A recent poll from New Hampshire had Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the state with 27% support, followed by Pete Buttigieg with 19%. Both Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren registered 12% support, falling behind Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who took in 14%.
A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Biden leading Sanders by a razor-thin 0.2% margin.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--'Gordon was trying to do the right thing': Republican senator confirms he urged White House not to d

'Gordon was trying to do the right thing': Republican senator confirms he urged White House not to dismiss Sondland

Sen. Ron Johnson confirmed he reached out to the White House in attempt to prevent President Trump from ousting U.S .
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland .
The Wisconsin Republican told reporters on Monday that he urged administration officials against recalling Sondland because the diplomat was already planning on leaving his post and that the senator wanted him to “ leave with dignity.
” Johnson , 64 , said he made “ a couple of phone calls ” to officials in the White House but would not say who he spoke with other than that he didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think Gordon was trying to do the right thing , ” he said of Sondland .
“ His heart was in the right place , and , by the way , I have no problem with people in the administration trying to figure out how they can change the president ’ s opinion.
” Johnson added , “ He was going to leave , anyway .
It would have been nice if he could have just left on his terms.
” Reports circulated over the weekend that Johnson was among a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susan Collins of Maine , Thom Tillis of North Carolina , and Martha McSally of Arizona , that warned the White House against the move .
The senators noted that Sondland , 62 , was already planning on leaving the post at the conclusion of Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
Sondland testified during the House impeachment investigation last year that “ everyone was in the loop ” about pressure on Ukraine to open politically expedient investigations .
The president recalled Sondland on Friday , hours after ousting another impeachment witness , Lt. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European affairs at the National Security Council .
Vindman ’ s twin brother Yevgeny Vindman was also removed from the NSC that day .
The Senate acquitted Trump last week for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .

Sen. Ron Johnson confirmed he reached out to the White House in attempt to prevent President Trump from ousting U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland.
The Wisconsin Republican told reporters on Monday that he urged administration officials against recalling Sondland because the diplomat was already planning on leaving his post and that the senator wanted him to “leave with dignity.” Johnson, 64, said he made “a couple of phone calls” to officials in the White House but would not say who he spoke with other than that he didn’t speak directly to Trump.
“I think Gordon was trying to do the right thing,” he said of Sondland. “His heart was in the right place, and, by the way, I have no problem with people in the administration trying to figure out how they can change the president’s opinion.”
Johnson added, “He was going to leave, anyway. It would have been nice if he could have just left on his terms.”
Reports circulated over the weekend that Johnson was among a group of Republicans, which included Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Martha McSally of Arizona, that warned the White House against the move. The senators noted that Sondland, 62, was already planning on leaving the post at the conclusion of Trump’s impeachment trial.
Sondland testified during the House impeachment investigation last year that “everyone was in the loop” about pressure on Ukraine to open politically expedient investigations.
The president recalled Sondland on Friday, hours after ousting another impeachment witness, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who worked on European affairs at the National Security Council. Vindman’s twin brother Yevgeny Vindman was also removed from the NSC that day.
The Senate acquitted Trump last week for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--'Whole-of-society approach': Trump releases plan to fight spies from Russia, China, and other countr

'Whole-of-society approach': Trump releases plan to fight spies from Russia, China, and other countries

The Trump administration released its new National Counterintelligence Strategy on Monday , calling for a “ whole-of-society approach ” to combat threats from Russia , China , Iran , North Korea , and other foreign countries .
“ The nation faces an expanding array of foreign intelligence threats by adversaries who are using increasingly sophisticated methods to harm the United States , ” President Trump said when signing the public strategy in January , naming two countries in particular .
“ Russia remains a significant intelligence threat to United States interests , employing aggressive acts to instigate and exacerbate tensions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including interfering with the security of our elections .
A more powerful and emboldened China is increasingly asserting itself by stealing our technology and intellectual property in an effort to erode United States economic and military superiority.
” Earlier on Monday , Attorney General William Barr announced indictments against Chinese military hackers involved in an Equifax data breach , which stole information from nearly half of all Americans , calling this just one example of “ China ’ s voracious appetite for the personal data of Americans.
” Last week , FBI Director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to engage in malign foreign influence efforts ” using social media disinformation efforts and state-sponsored media and that , “ just like any sophisticated actor , they continue to refine their approach.
” “ The number of actors targeting the United States is growing , ” William Evanina , the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center , said in releasing the 11-page national security blueprint .
“ Other state adversaries such as Cuba , Iran , and North Korea ; nonstate actors such as Lebanese Hezbollah , ISIS , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal organizations and ideologically motivated entities such as hacktivists , leaktivists , and public disclosure organizations also pose significant threats.
” Evanina added that “ foreign nationals with no formal ties to foreign intelligence services steal sensitive data and intellectual property , ” too .
The new strategy focuses on five main areas : protecting the U.S. ’ s critical infrastructure , reducing threats to U.S. supply chains , countering the exploitation of the U.S. economy via corporate espionage and the theft of trade secrets , defending the U.S. against malign foreign influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The strategy for 2020 through 2022 , released through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence , noted that “ countering the wide array of threats and keeping the American public informed is a core obligation of the entire U.S. government ” but that the U.S. `` can not address these national security challenges alone.
” “ It will require a whole-of-society approach that not only relies on coordinated actions by federal , state , local , tribal , and territorial governments but also on the support from allies and partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ active engagement of an informed public , ” the intelligence community strategy report said .
The report said threats from foreign intelligence entities “ are becoming more complex , diverse , and harmful to U.S. interests ” due to “ innovative combinations of traditional spying , economic espionage , and supply chain and cyber operations.
” The U.S. should be most worried about China , Evanina said .
“ Remember that Xi Jinping has one goal : to be the global leader geopolitically , militarily , and economically , and he and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get there , ” Evanina said last week .
Barr said last week that China “ has emerged as the United States ’ s top geopolitical adversary.
” The attorney general highlighted the DOJ ’ s China Initiative , launched in 2018 , which aims to combat both Chinese malign influence , ranging from cyberespionage to technology theft , and scrutinizing China ’ s Thousand Talents Program aimed at stealing research .
He said the annual cost to the U.S. economy from Chinese malfeasance could be as high as $ 600 billion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many in the private sector have too often been willing to countenance China ’ s hardball tactics , and it has been this administration that has finally moved to confront and counteract China ’ s playbook , ” Barr said .
The DOJ has increased its scrutiny of China ’ s activities in recent years , charging more espionage cases , cracking down on China-based hacking schemes , prosecuting Chinese efforts to steal trade secrets , and more .

The Trump administration released its new National Counterintelligence Strategy on Monday, calling for a “whole-of-society approach” to combat threats from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and other foreign countries.
“The nation faces an expanding array of foreign intelligence threats by adversaries who are using increasingly sophisticated methods to harm the United States,” President Trump said when signing the public strategy in January, naming two countries in particular. “Russia remains a significant intelligence threat to United States interests, employing aggressive acts to instigate and exacerbate tensions and instability in the United States, including interfering with the security of our elections. A more powerful and emboldened China is increasingly asserting itself by stealing our technology and intellectual property in an effort to erode United States economic and military superiority.”
Earlier on Monday, Attorney General William Barr announced indictments against Chinese military hackers involved in an Equifax data breach, which stole information from nearly half of all Americans, calling this just one example of “China’s voracious appetite for the personal data of Americans.”
Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that “the Russians continue to engage in malign foreign influence efforts” using social media disinformation efforts and state-sponsored media and that, “just like any sophisticated actor, they continue to refine their approach.”
“The number of actors targeting the United States is growing,” William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said in releasing the 11-page national security blueprint. “Other state adversaries such as Cuba, Iran, and North Korea; nonstate actors such as Lebanese Hezbollah, ISIS, and al Qaeda; as well as transnational criminal organizations and ideologically motivated entities such as hacktivists, leaktivists, and public disclosure organizations also pose significant threats.”
Evanina added that “foreign nationals with no formal ties to foreign intelligence services steal sensitive data and intellectual property,” too.
The new strategy focuses on five main areas: protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure, reducing threats to U.S. supply chains, countering the exploitation of the U.S. economy via corporate espionage and the theft of trade secrets, defending the U.S. against malign foreign influence, and guarding against cyberattacks and hackers.
The strategy for 2020 through 2022, released through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, noted that “countering the wide array of threats and keeping the American public informed is a core obligation of the entire U.S. government” but that the U.S. "cannot address these national security challenges alone.”
“It will require a whole-of-society approach that not only relies on coordinated actions by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments but also on the support from allies and partners, the private sector, and the active engagement of an informed public,” the intelligence community strategy report said.
The report said threats from foreign intelligence entities “are becoming more complex, diverse, and harmful to U.S. interests” due to “innovative combinations of traditional spying, economic espionage, and supply chain and cyber operations.”
The U.S. should be most worried about China, Evanina said.
“Remember that Xi Jinping has one goal: to be the global leader geopolitically, militarily, and economically, and he and his Communist Party will stop at nothing to get there,” Evanina said last week.
Barr said last week that China “has emerged as the United States’s top geopolitical adversary.”
The attorney general highlighted the DOJ’s China Initiative, launched in 2018, which aims to combat both Chinese malign influence, ranging from cyberespionage to technology theft, and scrutinizing China’s Thousand Talents Program aimed at stealing research. He said the annual cost to the U.S. economy from Chinese malfeasance could be as high as $600 billion.
“In the past, prior administrations and many in the private sector have too often been willing to countenance China’s hardball tactics, and it has been this administration that has finally moved to confront and counteract China’s playbook,” Barr said.
The DOJ has increased its scrutiny of China’s activities in recent years, charging more espionage cases, cracking down on China-based hacking schemes, prosecuting Chinese efforts to steal trade secrets, and more.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Judge cancels Michael Flynn’s sentencing amid legal battles about his prior representation

The federal judge handling retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn ’ s case canceled his upcoming sentencing hearing as the Justice Department and Flynn ’ s legal team clash over whether the former Trump national security adviser was adequately represented by previous attorneys .
“ The court hereby cancels the sentencing hearing currently scheduled for Feb. 27 , 2020 , until further order of the court , ” Judge Emmet Sullivan of the D.C. District Court wrote in an online docket Monday .
Flynn , 61 , pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council vote .
He was interviewed as one of a handful of people connected to the Trump campaign targeted by the FBI 's counterintelligence investigation , Crossfire Hurricane , which began in July 2016 .
But Flynn said in January that he `` never would have pled guilty '' if his first team of attorneys from the D.C. law firm Covington & Burling had informed him that the FBI agents who interviewed him in January 2017 did not see signs that Flynn was lying to them .
`` In truth , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flynn was previously represented by attorneys from Covington after being swept up in special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation in 2017 .
Through his attorneys , he filed a guilty plea on Dec. 1 , 2017 , for “ willfully and knowingly ” making false statements to the FBI on Jan. 24 , 2017 .
The statement of offense also said he “ made material false statements and omissions ” in Foreign Agents Registration Act filings from March 7 , 2017 , about a project that would ’ ve benefited Turkey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when his sentencing was delayed .
Last summer , Flynn dropped Covington and hired a new defense team led by former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell , who has spent months alleging prosecutorial misconduct and government malfeasance while hinting at inadequate representation by Flynn ’ s former lawyers .
Powell said , “ The case against Mr. Flynn should be dismissed immediately for this egregious abuse of power and trust ” laid out in the December Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse report by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz .
As part of his plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mueller , but Powell argued that “ there never would ’ ve been a plea to begin with ” if Flynn knew how much information the DOJ was allegedly hiding from him .
Flynn filed to withdraw his guilty plea in January after the DOJ asked Sullivan to sentence him to up to six months in prison , a reversal from its previous request that the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency receive probation and no time behind bars .
The DOJ later said it stands by the zero-to-six-months recommendation but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence '' that they wouldn ’ t oppose .
In January , Powell said there were “ multiple instances in which Mr. Flynn ’ s former lawyers ’ conflicts of interest and actions fell completely short of professional norms , thus depriving him of the constitutionally mandated effective assistance of counsel ” and that “ nullified his opportunity to make informed decisions about his own case and grossly prejudiced his defense.
” Robert Kelner , Brian Smith , and Stephen Anthony were the main Covington lawyers who represented Flynn .
“ Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our ability to respond publicly , even to allegations of this nature , absent the client ’ s consent or a court order , ” a spokesman for Covington told the Washington Examiner .
On Sunday , the DOJ filed a motion for a court order “ confirming waiver of the attorney-client privilege with respect to the defendant ’ s ineffective assistance of counsel claims and authorizing the disclosure of information to the government.
” Prosecutors said that “ while Covington has indicated a willingness to comply ” with a request for information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understandably declined to do so in the absence of a court order confirming the waiver of attorney-client privilege.
” The DOJ asked the court to delay Flynn ’ s sentencing and to issue an order allowing Covington “ to disclose to the government counsel all matters related to the defendant ’ s ineffective assistance of counsel claims.
” Flynn ’ s attorneys responded on Sunday that they didn ’ t oppose a stay on the sentencing hearing but emphasized that “ it is imperative that Mr. Flynn have time to brief the issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motion regarding the attorney-client privilege.
” His defense lawyers noted the “ importance and complexity of the issues surrounding the attorney-client privilege ” in asking for more time and said they “ may also request a meaningful opportunity to meet and confer with the government on the issues it has raised in its motion.
” “ In the event that the parties are unable to reach an agreement on the waiver of attorney-client privilege and disclosure of information issues , Mr. Flynn shall file his opposition brief by no later than 12 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government shall file its reply brief by no later than 12 p.m. on March 2 , 2020 , ” Sullivan said on Monday .

The federal judge handling retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s case canceled his upcoming sentencing hearing as the Justice Department and Flynn’s legal team clash over whether the former Trump national security adviser was adequately represented by previous attorneys.
“The court hereby cancels the sentencing hearing currently scheduled for Feb. 27, 2020, until further order of the court,” Judge Emmet Sullivan of the D.C. District Court wrote in an online docket Monday.
Flynn, 61, pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding U.S. sanctions and a United Nations Security Council vote. He was interviewed as one of a handful of people connected to the Trump campaign targeted by the FBI's counterintelligence investigation, Crossfire Hurricane, which began in July 2016.
But Flynn said in January that he "never would have pled guilty" if his first team of attorneys from the D.C. law firm Covington & Burling had informed him that the FBI agents who interviewed him in January 2017 did not see signs that Flynn was lying to them.
"In truth, I never lied,” Flynn said.
Flynn was previously represented by attorneys from Covington after being swept up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in 2017. Through his attorneys, he filed a guilty plea on Dec. 1, 2017, for “willfully and knowingly” making false statements to the FBI on Jan. 24, 2017. The statement of offense also said he “made material false statements and omissions” in Foreign Agents Registration Act filings from March 7, 2017, about a project that would’ve benefited Turkey. Flynn reaffirmed his guilt in December 2018 when his sentencing was delayed.
Last summer, Flynn dropped Covington and hired a new defense team led by former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell, who has spent months alleging prosecutorial misconduct and government malfeasance while hinting at inadequate representation by Flynn’s former lawyers.
Powell said, “The case against Mr. Flynn should be dismissed immediately for this egregious abuse of power and trust” laid out in the December Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse report by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
As part of his plea deal, Flynn agreed to cooperate with Mueller, but Powell argued that “there never would’ve been a plea to begin with” if Flynn knew how much information the DOJ was allegedly hiding from him.
Flynn filed to withdraw his guilty plea in January after the DOJ asked Sullivan to sentence him to up to six months in prison, a reversal from its previous request that the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency receive probation and no time behind bars. The DOJ later said it stands by the zero-to-six-months recommendation but also noted that "probation is a reasonable sentence" that they wouldn’t oppose.
In January, Powell said there were “multiple instances in which Mr. Flynn’s former lawyers’ conflicts of interest and actions fell completely short of professional norms, thus depriving him of the constitutionally mandated effective assistance of counsel” and that “nullified his opportunity to make informed decisions about his own case and grossly prejudiced his defense.”
Robert Kelner, Brian Smith, and Stephen Anthony were the main Covington lawyers who represented Flynn.
“Under the bar rules, we are limited in our ability to respond publicly, even to allegations of this nature, absent the client’s consent or a court order,” a spokesman for Covington told the Washington Examiner.
On Sunday, the DOJ filed a motion for a court order “confirming waiver of the attorney-client privilege with respect to the defendant’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims and authorizing the disclosure of information to the government.” Prosecutors said that “while Covington has indicated a willingness to comply” with a request for information about representing Flynn, “it has understandably declined to do so in the absence of a court order confirming the waiver of attorney-client privilege.”
The DOJ asked the court to delay Flynn’s sentencing and to issue an order allowing Covington “to disclose to the government counsel all matters related to the defendant’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims.”
Flynn’s attorneys responded on Sunday that they didn’t oppose a stay on the sentencing hearing but emphasized that “it is imperative that Mr. Flynn have time to brief the issues raised by the government’s new motion regarding the attorney-client privilege.” His defense lawyers noted the “importance and complexity of the issues surrounding the attorney-client privilege” in asking for more time and said they “may also request a meaningful opportunity to meet and confer with the government on the issues it has raised in its motion.”
“In the event that the parties are unable to reach an agreement on the waiver of attorney-client privilege and disclosure of information issues, Mr. Flynn shall file his opposition brief by no later than 12 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2020, and the government shall file its reply brief by no later than 12 p.m. on March 2, 2020,” Sullivan said on Monday.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Six things to watch in the New Hampshire primary results

MANCHESTER , New Hampshire — A winner could be declared in the state-run New Hampshire primary as early as 9:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday , according to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner .
That would mean avoiding the Iowa Democratic Party 's disastrous delay in reporting its muddled results from the Feb. 3 caucuses in that state .
Here are six things to watch as the results come in while Democrats vie for momentum in the race for the party 's nomination .
Pete Buttigieg on the heels of Bernie Sanders New Hampshire is widely thought to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose .
Sanders , 78 , beat Hillary Clinton in the state 's 2016 primary by 22 points .
But former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg skyrocketed in state primary polls after he exceeded expectations and won the most delegates in the Iowa caucuses , though some of the results are being challenged .
While he is still 7.3 % behind Sanders in the RealClearPolitics average of presidential primary polls , the race is competitive , and a strong second-place finish could still be spun as a win for Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bust ?
The former vice president has long said that his path to the Democratic presidential nomination does not rest on winning Iowa and New Hampshire , pointing to future contests in Nevada and South Carolina , which have a large proportion of minority voters , as the real testing grounds for candidates .
But , after his dismal fourth-place finish in Iowa , the pressure is on for him to perform better in New Hampshire .
Biden does not expect to win , but the question is , how bad will he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of the month was about half the size of other top-tier candidates .
He rapidly shifted his campaign message over the last week and went negative on Buttigieg and Sanders .
The RealClearPolitics average has him tied for fourth place with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and barely behind Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar .
After Klobuchar won delegates in her fifth-place Iowa finish , the onetime lower-tier candidate is riding a wave of momentum in New Hampshire .
A pair of tracking polls released on Monday put her above Biden .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received editorial board endorsements from the three biggest local papers in the state : the Union Leader , the Seacoast papers , and the Keene Sentinel .
Coming in fourth place or above would be a major win for her centrist campaign .
Iowa Democratic Party officials were prepared for a record-breaking number of people , as many as 300,000 , to caucus last week .
But Iowa 's turnout of 176,400 was on a par with 2016 levels , much lower than 2008 's 240,000 , an indication that voter enthusiasm is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they hope .
It also hurts the strategies of Sanders and Warren to energize first-time and irregular voters .
About 251,000 people cast ballots in the 2016 New Hampshire primary , lower than the record 287,500 votes in 2008 but higher than the 220,000 ballots cast in the 2004 primary .
Common analysis for much of the primary cycle was that Warren had a similar advantage in New Hampshire that Sanders has : being from a neighboring state .
Voters in New Hampshire are familiar with Warren .
But she placed third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has steadily sunk in state primary polls over the last month , and is getting less attention from the press and voters than other top candidates .
Over the last week , Warren has indicated that she expects a long primary fight , but a disappointing showing could change her calculus .
Unlike previous years , no candidates dropped out of the Democratic presidential race following the Iowa caucuses due to the unusual delay in results .
That could change in New Hampshire .
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet , former Massachusetts Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tulsi Gabbard all skipped campaigning in Iowa leading up to the caucuses and put all their resources on New Hampshire , but they barely register in state polls .
There is also a question of how long entrepreneur Andrew Yang , who focuses on a platform of a $ 1,000 per month universal basic income , will stay in the race despite having dedicated fans if he does not win any delegates .

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — A winner could be declared in the state-run New Hampshire primary as early as 9:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, according to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner.
That would mean avoiding the Iowa Democratic Party's disastrous delay in reporting its muddled results from the Feb. 3 caucuses in that state.
Here are six things to watch as the results come in while Democrats vie for momentum in the race for the party's nomination.
Pete Buttigieg on the heels of Bernie Sanders
New Hampshire is widely thought to be the neighboring Vermont senator's race to lose. Sanders, 78, beat Hillary Clinton in the state's 2016 primary by 22 points.
But former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg skyrocketed in state primary polls after he exceeded expectations and won the most delegates in the Iowa caucuses, though some of the results are being challenged. While he is still 7.4 percentage points behind Sanders in the RealClearPolitics average of presidential primary polls, the race is competitive, and a strong second-place finish could still be spun as a win for Buttigieg.
How big is the Joe Biden bust?
The former vice president has long said that his path to the Democratic presidential nomination does not rest on winning Iowa and New Hampshire, pointing to future contests in Nevada and South Carolina, which have a large proportion of minority voters, as the real testing grounds for candidates. But after his dismal fourth-place finish in Iowa, the pressure is on for him to perform better in New Hampshire.
Biden does not expect to win, but the question is, how bad will he lose? His state organizing team at the beginning of the month was about half the size of other top-tier candidates. He rapidly shifted his campaign message over the last week and went negative on Buttigieg and Sanders. The RealClearPolitics average has him tied for fourth place with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and barely behind Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Klo-mentum
After Klobuchar won delegates in her fifth-place Iowa finish, the onetime lower-tier candidate is riding a wave of momentum in New Hampshire.
A pair of tracking polls released on Monday put her above Biden. She is getting bigger crowds, and she received editorial board endorsements from the three biggest local papers in the state: the Union Leader, the Seacoast papers, and the Keene Sentinel.
Coming in fourth place or above would be a major win for her centrist campaign.
Voter turnout
Iowa Democratic Party officials were prepared for a record-breaking number of people, as many as 300,000, to caucus last week. But Iowa's turnout of 176,400 was on a par with 2016 levels, much lower than 2008's 240,000, an indication that voter enthusiasm is not as high for Democrats in 2020 as they hope. It also hurts the strategies of Sanders and Warren to energize first-time and irregular voters.
About 251,000 people cast ballots in the 2016 New Hampshire primary, lower than the record 287,500 votes in 2008 but higher than the 220,000 ballots cast in the 2004 primary.
Warren's last stand?
Common analysis for much of the primary cycle was that Warren had a similar advantage in New Hampshire that Sanders has: being from a neighboring state. Voters in New Hampshire are familiar with Warren.
But she placed third in Iowa despite a large organizing effort, has steadily sunk in state primary polls over the last month, and is getting less attention from the press and voters than other top candidates. Over the last week, Warren has indicated that she expects a long primary fight, but a disappointing showing could change her calculus.
Dropouts imminent
Unlike previous years, no candidates dropped out of the Democratic presidential race following the Iowa caucuses due to the unusual delay in results. That could change in New Hampshire.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard all skipped campaigning in Iowa leading up to the caucuses and put all their resources on New Hampshire, but they barely register in state polls. There is also a question of how long entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who focuses on a platform of a $1,000-per-month universal basic income, will stay in the race despite having dedicated fans if he does not win any delegates.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Trump unsure of weakest Democrat but supporters say Biden and Warren easiest to beat

MANCHESTER , New Hampshire — President Trump joked to his supporters on Monday night that he is trying to figure out who of the Democratic presidential field is the weakest , and he encouraged his supporters to vote for the easiest person to beat in Tuesday ’ s Democratic presidential primary .
“ I hear a lot of Republicans tomorrow will vote for the weakest candidate possible of the Democrats , ” Trump said during a rally on Monday .
Independent voters can cast a ballot in the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday .
`` My only problem is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is their weakest candidate ?
I think they 're all weak , '' Trump said .
Those who attended the rally , though , overwhelmingly mentioned two candidates who they think would be the easiest to beat : Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren .
“ The guy ’ s clueless , and he has very corrupt ties with his son in Ukraine right now , ” said Drew Brissette , 28 , an entrepreneur from Rhode Island .
“ He had eight years to make America great again , and he failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often suggests that he and his family are targeted by Trump and his allies because Trump is afraid to run against Biden .
“ Biden is the weakest one , ” said Manchester aesthetician Raven Ford , 49 .
“ The Indian heritage , things of that nature , plus the fact that she ’ s a far-left socialist , I can ’ t imagine people falling for that , ” said David Ferris , 60 , who lives in Atkins , New Hampshire , and works in cybersecurity .
“ But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of people that do , and that ’ s the only scary part , really.
” “ I ’ d love to see a woman win , but she is not it , ” said Mary Lou Rahn , 52 , who worked in information technology in Hampton .
Southern New Hampshire University student Luke Valdez , 18 , said that Warren ’ s “ mannerisms really bother ” him .
Biden and Warren are foundering in the polls , tied in fourth place at 11 % in the RealClearPolitics New Hampshire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designed to direct attention away from the 10 candidates hoping to win the Democratic primary on Tuesday .
“ Want to shake up the Dems a little bit — they have a really boring deal going on , ” Trump said in a tweet on Monday .
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was frequently mentioned by supporters at the Trump rally as the biggest threat to Trump should she win the nomination , but every supporter that spoke to the Washington Examiner expected that Trump would be reelected no matter who the nominee is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about ?
Despite his ability to spend hundreds of millions of his billion-dollar fortune on his own bid and nationwide ad campaign against Trump , former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not seen as a real threat .
“ He could definitely outspend him , but I don ’ t think that ’ s going to translate and people are going to buy it , ” said Ferris .
“ The American people can see through Michael Bloomberg .
If they can ’ t , they ’ ve just got to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanical engineer Desmond Skilligns , 42 , who wore a “ fake news network ” T-shirt with a logo parodying that of CNN .

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — President Trump joked to his supporters on Monday night that he is trying to figure out who of the Democratic presidential field is the weakest, and he encouraged his supporters to vote for the easiest person to beat in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary.
“I hear a lot of Republicans tomorrow will vote for the weakest candidate possible of the Democrats,” Trump said during a rally on Monday. Independent voters can cast a ballot in the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday. "My only problem is, I'm trying to figure out, who is their weakest candidate? I think they're all weak," Trump said.
Those who attended the rally, though, overwhelmingly mentioned two candidates who they think would be the easiest to beat: Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.
“The guy’s clueless, and he has very corrupt ties with his son in Ukraine right now,” said Drew Brissette, 28, an entrepreneur from Rhode Island. “He had eight years to make America great again, and he failed with Obama.”
The former vice president often suggests that he and his family are targeted by Trump and his allies because Trump is afraid to run against Biden.
“Biden is the weakest one,” said Manchester aesthetician Raven Ford, 49.
Warren, a Massachusetts senator, was equally scoffed at.
“The Indian heritage, things of that nature, plus the fact that she’s a far-left socialist, I can’t imagine people falling for that,” said David Ferris, 60, who lives in Atkins, New Hampshire, and works in cybersecurity. “But, I know that there’s a lot of people that do, and that’s the only scary part, really.”
“I’d love to see a woman win, but she is not it,” said Mary Lou Rahn, 52, who worked in information technology in Hampton.
Southern New Hampshire University student Luke Valdez, 18, said that Warren’s “mannerisms really bother” him.
Biden and Warren are foundering in the polls, tied in fourth place at 11% in the RealClearPolitics New Hampshire average.
Trump’s rally was designed to direct attention away from the 10 candidates hoping to win the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
“Want to shake up the Dems a little bit — they have a really boring deal going on,” Trump said in a tweet on Monday.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was frequently mentioned by supporters at the Trump rally as the biggest threat to Trump should she win the nomination, but every supporter that spoke to the Washington Examiner expected that Trump would be reelected no matter who the nominee is.
A candidate they are not worried about? Despite his ability to spend hundreds of millions of his billion-dollar fortune on his own bid and nationwide ad campaign against Trump, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not seen as a real threat. “He could definitely outspend him, but I don’t think that’s going to translate and people are going to buy it,” said Ferris.
“The American people can see through Michael Bloomberg. If they can’t, they’ve just got to look at his record,” said mechanical engineer Desmond Skilligns, 42, who wore a “fake news network” T-shirt with a logo parodying that of CNN.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Trump says he 'didn’t speak to' Justice Department about lighter Roger Stone sentence

President Trump said he was not part of the decision by the Justice Department to lower its sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone .
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday , Trump bashed the initial recommendation that Stone receive a sentence of up to nine years in prison .
The president also said he didn ’ t speak to the Justice Department about lowering the sentence , although he said he had the right to do so .
“ I would be able to do it if I wanted , I have the absolute right to do it .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people wouldn ’ t believe .
But I didn ’ t speak to them , ” Trump said .
“ I thought the recommendation was ridiculous .
I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous.
” Stone , 67 , was found guilty on seven charges last November based on his actions during and after the 2016 presidential election .
He was indicted as part of a spinoff trial from former special counsel Robert Muller ’ s investigation into a possible conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia .
Prosecutors on Monday recommended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former Trump accomplice , but then reversed course Tuesday and said that sentence was too harsh .
Three of Mueller ’ s former prosecutors abruptly withdrew from the case on Tuesday after reports emerged of the reversal .
Aaron Zelinsky withdrew first by filing a motion Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia .
He was followed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis and Adam Jed , a special assistant U.S. attorney .
Trump also criticized the Mueller investigation and the prosecutors involved with it during his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I guess , the same Mueller people that put everybody through hell , and I think it ’ s a disgrace , ” Trump said after speaking about the Stone case .

President Trump said he was not part of the decision by the Justice Department to lower its sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump bashed the initial recommendation that Stone receive a sentence of up to nine years in prison. The president also said he didn’t speak to the Justice Department about lowering the sentence, although he said he had the right to do so.
“I would be able to do it if I wanted, I have the absolute right to do it. I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn’t believe. But I didn’t speak to them,” Trump said. “I thought the recommendation was ridiculous. I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous.”
Stone, 67, was found guilty on seven charges last November based on his actions during and after the 2016 presidential election. He was indicted as part of a spinoff trial from former special counsel Robert Muller’s investigation into a possible conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Prosecutors on Monday recommended seven to nine years for Stone, a former Trump accomplice, but then reversed course Tuesday and said that sentence was too harsh. Three of Mueller’s former prosecutors abruptly withdrew from the case on Tuesday after reports emerged of the reversal.
Aaron Zelinsky withdrew first by filing a motion Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was followed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis and Adam Jed, a special assistant U.S. attorney.
Trump also criticized the Mueller investigation and the prosecutors involved with it during his Tuesday comments.
“These are, I guess, the same Mueller people that put everybody through hell, and I think it’s a disgrace,” Trump said after speaking about the Stone case.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--'24/7, 365 days a year threat': Russian information warfare continues in 2020, FBI director says

The FBI 's Director Christopher Wray said that Russian disinformation efforts continue heading into the 2020 elections .
“ It never stopped , ” Wray told the House Judiciary Committee last week .
“ It happened in 2016 , and it ’ s been continuing ever since then .
It may have an uptick during an election cycle , but it ’ s a 24/7 , 365 days a year threat.
” Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island pressed Wray about the bureau ’ s fight against malign foreign influence .
“ This is something that is at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it goes right to the heart of who we are as a country , ” Wray said , pointing to his 2017 creation of the Foreign Influence Taskforce .
The FBI director said that it “ might sound a little counterintuitive at first , but one of the things we know the Russians have attempted to do , in addition to some of the more publicized things , is to try to spin up some of the domestic terrorism type activity that occurs in the country.
” Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interfering in the 2020 elections .
“ I do n't think we ’ ve seen any ongoing efforts to target election infrastructure like we did in 2016 , ” Wray responded .
“ We certainly are seeing — and have never stopped seeing , really , since 2016 — efforts to engage in influence by the Russians.
” Wray added , “ That ’ s not just an election cycle issue , but of course now that we are in election year , it is an effort to influence our public in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ botched response to election meddling from Russia , senators say ] The FBI director declined to confirm or deny whether the Russians are backing any particular candidate , but said “ the efforts to sow discord on both sides of an issue and to generate controversy and to generate distrust in our democratic institutions on our election process , that is very much ongoing.
” Special Counsel Robert Mueller ’ s two-year investigation concluded that Russian military intelligence hacked the Democratic National Committee and provided thousands of stolen emails to WikiLeaks for dissemination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the Trump campaign and the Russians .
Swalwell asked whether any countries besides Russia were capable of carrying out the same sort of election meddling .
“ I don ’ t see if we ’ ve seen other countries trying to do exactly that , ” Wray testified .
“ Certainly other countries like China , for example , have very active malign influence efforts in this country .
Theirs is a little bit different than the efforts I was just describing , but it is still very active and very serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s more geared towards trying to shift our policies and public opinion to be more pro-China on a variety of issues.
” But , the FBI director said , “ We do know that other adversaries besides Russia are looking very closely at what the Russians have done and taking note of it and are giving active consideration to whether that ’ s a playbook that they should adopt.
” The Trump administration ’ s National Counterintelligence Strategy , released on Monday , warned of the “ expanding array of foreign intelligence threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korea , Iran , and others .
Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania asked what the bureau is doing to combat Russia ’ s online disinformation efforts .
“ The things we love about social media , if you apply to this context , it ’ s like injecting steroids into disinformation efforts that have existed for years , ” Wray said .
“ They find an issue Americans feel passionate about and then spin it up to pit us against each other.
” When Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ We are taking a three-prong approach.
” This includes investigations into election infrastructure cyber intrusions , intelligence sharing with state and local officials , and engagement with campaigns to promote better “ cyber hygiene.
” “ I will say that we assess that the Russians continue to engage in malign foreign influence efforts … fake personas , trolls , bots , state-sponsored media , the whole gamut and bag of tricks , ” Wray warned Democratic Rep. Joseph Neguse of Colorado .
“ Also , just like any sophisticated actor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We saw that from 2016 to 2018 .
We see that from 2018 moving forward .
Happily , we ’ re refining our approach too , and we ’ re trying to stay ahead of it .
”

The FBI's Director Christopher Wray said that Russian disinformation efforts continue heading into the 2020 elections.
“It never stopped,” Wray told the House Judiciary Committee last week. “It happened in 2016, and it’s been continuing ever since then. It may have an uptick during an election cycle, but it’s a 24/7, 365 days a year threat.”
Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island pressed Wray about the bureau’s fight against malign foreign influence.
“This is something that is at the top of our list as a priority because it goes right to the heart of who we are as a country,” Wray said, pointing to his 2017 creation of the Foreign Influence Taskforce.
The FBI director said that it “might sound a little counterintuitive at first, but one of the things we know the Russians have attempted to do, in addition to some of the more publicized things, is to try to spin up some of the domestic terrorism type activity that occurs in the country.”
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California asked Wray if the Russians were interfering in the 2020 elections.
“I don't think we’ve seen any ongoing efforts to target election infrastructure like we did in 2016,” Wray responded. “We certainly are seeing — and have never stopped seeing, really, since 2016 — efforts to engage in influence by the Russians.”
Wray added, “That’s not just an election cycle issue, but of course now that we are in election year, it is an effort to influence our public in that regard.”
[Related: Obama administration botched response to election meddling from Russia, senators say]
The FBI director declined to confirm or deny whether the Russians are backing any particular candidate, but said “the efforts to sow discord on both sides of an issue and to generate controversy and to generate distrust in our democratic institutions on our election process, that is very much ongoing.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation concluded that Russian military intelligence hacked the Democratic National Committee and provided thousands of stolen emails to WikiLeaks for dissemination but did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
Swalwell asked whether any countries besides Russia were capable of carrying out the same sort of election meddling.
“I don’t see if we’ve seen other countries trying to do exactly that,” Wray testified. “Certainly other countries like China, for example, have very active malign influence efforts in this country. Theirs is a little bit different than the efforts I was just describing, but it is still very active and very serious. In their instance, it’s more geared towards trying to shift our policies and public opinion to be more pro-China on a variety of issues.”
But, the FBI director said, “We do know that other adversaries besides Russia are looking very closely at what the Russians have done and taking note of it and are giving active consideration to whether that’s a playbook that they should adopt.”
The Trump administration’s National Counterintelligence Strategy, released on Monday, warned of the “expanding array of foreign intelligence threats” from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and others.
Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania asked what the bureau is doing to combat Russia’s online disinformation efforts.
“The things we love about social media, if you apply to this context, it’s like injecting steroids into disinformation efforts that have existed for years,” Wray said. “They find an issue Americans feel passionate about and then spin it up to pit us against each other.”
When Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California asked about election security efforts, Wray said, “We are taking a three-prong approach.” This includes investigations into election infrastructure cyber intrusions, intelligence sharing with state and local officials, and engagement with campaigns to promote better “cyber hygiene.”
“I will say that we assess that the Russians continue to engage in malign foreign influence efforts … fake personas, trolls, bots, state-sponsored media, the whole gamut and bag of tricks,” Wray warned Democratic Rep. Joseph Neguse of Colorado. “Also, just like any sophisticated actor, they continue to refine their approach. We saw that from 2016 to 2018. We see that from 2018 moving forward. Happily, we’re refining our approach too, and we’re trying to stay ahead of it.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-02-11--Three Mueller prosecutors abruptly withdraw from Roger Stone case

All four prosecutors in the Roger Stone case withdrew from their roles after the Justice Department reversed course in seeking a lengthy prison sentence for the Republican operative .
The officials , three of whom were members of special counsel Robert Mueller 's team investigating a possible criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia , left after President Trump condemned the original sentencing recommendation of up to nine years in prison .
Addressing reporters Tuesday evening outside the White House , Trump denied that he played a role in the decision by the Justice Department to lower its sentencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to do it if I wanted , I have the absolute right to do it .
I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn ’ t believe .
But I didn ’ t speak to them , ” Trump said .
“ I thought the recommendation was ridiculous .
I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous.
” The exodus began with a brief court filing on Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia , showing Aaron Zelinsky resigned `` effective immediately '' from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney in D.C. working on the Stone case .
Zelinsky is an assistant federal prosecutor from Maryland who was on loan in D.C. with Mueller 's team .
Two other former Mueller prosecutors followed : Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis told the court in a subsequent filing he resigned as an assistant U.S. attorney “ and therefore no longer represents the government in this matter . ''
Adam Jed , a special assistant U.S. attorney , then notified the court that he was withdrawing from the case .
It does not appear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Marando , an assistant U.S. attorney with the D.C. office who was not part of Mueller 's team , also filed a notice of withdrawal from the Stone case .
Prosecutors on Monday filed a motion recommending that Stone , who was found guilty of witness tampering and lying to Congress , be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison .
That recommendation was met with criticism from Trump , who called the situation “ horrible and very unfair ” early Tuesday morning .
Hours later , the Justice Department rebuked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a subsequent filing suggested scaling back the sentencing request to three to four years in prison would be more appropriate .
Timothy Shea , the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia who took over as lead counsel from U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu a couple weeks ago , so far remains on the case , even after signing off on the tougher sentencing recommendation for Stone on Monday .
Liu was nominated by Trump to be the undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes at the Treasury Department , where she will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing this Thursday .
She also led the the Justice Department ’ s prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn until recently .
Stone , a 67-year-old former associate of Trump and self-styled “ dirty trickster , ” was charged and convicted for his actions during and after the 2016 presidential election .
Stone was found guilty of five separate counts of lying to the House Intelligence Committee and two charges of obstructing a congressional investigation and intimidating a witness .
The trial focused on Stone 's claims about his self-declared communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen .
“ This conduct was part of an effort to hide from Congress and to craft a false narrative about Stone ’ s conduct in 2016 , ” prosecutors said on Monday .
“ Stone regularly communicated with senior Trump campaign officials , including deputy campaign chairman Richard Gates and campaign CEO Steve Bannon , about WikiLeaks ’ s plans to release more information that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign .
Both Gates and Bannon believed that Stone was providing them with nonpublic information about WikiLeaks ’ s plans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump campaign ’ s access point to WikiLeaks.
” During the two-week trial , it was never alleged Stone was in communication with anyone from WikiLeaks , and he was never accused by prosecutors of criminally conspiring with Russia or any other foreign actors .
“ In the end , the investigations yielded no evidence of the involvement of any American with the Russian government or any agent operating on its behalf to interfere in the 2016 election , ” Stone ’ s defense team said .
“ It is also undisputed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtaining the compromised emails or providing them to WikiLeaks .
The information that Stone failed to provide to HPSCI was insignificant in the broader context of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
” Judge Amy Jackson , the Obama appointee who presided over Stone ’ s trial , will hand down his sentence on Feb. 20 .

All four prosecutors in the Roger Stone case withdrew from their roles after the Justice Department reversed course in seeking a lengthy prison sentence for the Republican operative.
The officials, three of whom were members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating a possible criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, left after President Trump condemned the original sentencing recommendation of up to nine years in prison.
Addressing reporters Tuesday evening outside the White House, Trump denied that he played a role in the decision by the Justice Department to lower its sentencing recommendation for Stone. “I would be able to do it if I wanted, I have the absolute right to do it. I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn’t believe. But I didn’t speak to them,” Trump said. “I thought the recommendation was ridiculous. I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous.”
The exodus began with a brief court filing on Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, showing Aaron Zelinsky resigned "effective immediately" from his appointment as a special assistant U.S. attorney in D.C. working on the Stone case. Zelinsky is an assistant federal prosecutor from Maryland who was on loan in D.C. with Mueller's team.
Two other former Mueller prosecutors followed: Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis told the court in a subsequent filing he resigned as an assistant U.S. attorney “and therefore no longer represents the government in this matter." Adam Jed, a special assistant U.S. attorney, then notified the court that he was withdrawing from the case. It does not appear that Jed resigned from the Justice Department.
Michael Marando, an assistant U.S. attorney with the D.C. office who was not part of Mueller's team, also filed a notice of withdrawal from the Stone case.
Prosecutors on Monday filed a motion recommending that Stone, who was found guilty of witness tampering and lying to Congress, be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. That recommendation was met with criticism from Trump, who called the situation “horrible and very unfair” early Tuesday morning.
Hours later, the Justice Department rebuked the career prosecutors behind the recommendation and in a subsequent filing suggested scaling back the sentencing request to three to four years in prison would be more appropriate.
Timothy Shea, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia who took over as lead counsel from U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu a couple weeks ago, so far remains on the case, even after signing off on the tougher sentencing recommendation for Stone on Monday.
Liu was nominated by Trump to be the undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes at the Treasury Department, where she will likely now face an unexpectedly newsworthy confirmation hearing this Thursday. She also led the the Justice Department’s prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn until recently.
Stone, a 67-year-old former associate of Trump and self-styled “dirty trickster,” was charged and convicted for his actions during and after the 2016 presidential election. Stone was found guilty of five separate counts of lying to the House Intelligence Committee and two charges of obstructing a congressional investigation and intimidating a witness. The trial focused on Stone's claims about his self-declared communications with WikiLeaks, which apparently did not happen.
“This conduct was part of an effort to hide from Congress and to craft a false narrative about Stone’s conduct in 2016,” prosecutors said on Monday. “Stone regularly communicated with senior Trump campaign officials, including deputy campaign chairman Richard Gates and campaign CEO Steve Bannon, about WikiLeaks’s plans to release more information that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign. Both Gates and Bannon believed that Stone was providing them with nonpublic information about WikiLeaks’s plans. Indeed, Bannon viewed Stone as the Trump campaign’s access point to WikiLeaks.”
During the two-week trial, it was never alleged Stone was in communication with anyone from WikiLeaks, and he was never accused by prosecutors of criminally conspiring with Russia or any other foreign actors.
“In the end, the investigations yielded no evidence of the involvement of any American with the Russian government or any agent operating on its behalf to interfere in the 2016 election,” Stone’s defense team said. “It is also undisputed that Roger Stone had nothing to do with obtaining the compromised emails or providing them to WikiLeaks. The information that Stone failed to provide to HPSCI was insignificant in the broader context of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.”
Judge Amy Jackson, the Obama appointee who presided over Stone’s trial, will hand down his sentence on Feb. 20.
[Related: Democrats say they'll investigate Roger Stone reduced sentence]