talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Lee Tries To Clean Up ‘Worst Briefing’ Comment: ‘Worst’ Was Obama Benghazi Briefing

A day after saying that the Trump administration ’ s briefing on the strike that killed top Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani was the “ worst briefing ” he ’ s seen , Sen. Mike Lee ( R-UT ) attempted to clean up his comments in an interview with Breitbart Thursday .
Lee told Breitbart that he wants to be “ very clear ” that he supports the administration ’ s legal and moral justification for the Trump-authorized strike that killed Soleimani last week .
“ I want to be very clear , my comments yesterday did not take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that occurred , ” Lee said .
“ They were not condemning that ; in fact , I acknowledged upfront that I ’ m willing to concede that they might well have been legally , morally , justifiable and fully constitutional.
” Lee then said that he believes that the worst briefing he ever experienced was the Obama administration ’ s briefing on the Benghazi consulate attack in 2012 .
“ I mentioned yesterday that it was probably the worst briefing I have ever seen on a military issue , ” Lee said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that way is that the worst briefing I ever got in that room was on a slightly different issue back in 2012 right after the Benghazi attack , where we were told repeatedly by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the attack on the Benghazi consulate was based on a reaction to a video , so , fortunately , this was not that.
” Lee also told Breitbart that the Trump administration officials who held the briefing are “ good people , ” “ hard-working ” and “ well-intentioned , ” despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they said was emblematic of Congress ’ s willingness to relinquish its war powers , and that ’ s an issue.
” Earlier Thursday , Lee shared similar sentiments on Fox News .
When asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier for his response to President Trump claiming that the briefing “ was the greatest presentation they ’ d ever had , ” Lee said that he had “ never challenged the attack on Soleimani and that his concern with Wednesday ’ s briefing “ focused primarily on the fact that moving forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next steps with regard to Iran will involve consultation with and authorization from Congress as is required by the Constitution.
” However , unlike what he said in the Breitbart interview , Lee told Baier that the Trump administration officials who held the briefing Wednesday “ didn ’ t share this President ’ s view that has been very respectful towards his commander in chief power ” and that they “ didn ’ t exhibit the same level of respect and deference and restraint that President Trump has shown.
” “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President , ” Lee told Baier .
“ He ’ s been fantastic , he ’ s been unprecedentedly deferential to the American people and restrained in his use of command in chief power more than any other President in my lifetime .
”

A day after saying that the Trump administration’s briefing on the strike that killed top Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani was the “worst briefing” he’s seen, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) attempted to clean up his comments in an interview with Breitbart Thursday.
Lee told Breitbart that he wants to be “very clear” that he supports the administration’s legal and moral justification for the Trump-authorized strike that killed Soleimani last week.
“I want to be very clear, my comments yesterday did not take a position on the appropriateness of the attack that occurred,” Lee said. “They were not condemning that; in fact, I acknowledged upfront that I’m willing to concede that they might well have been legally, morally, justifiable and fully constitutional.”
Lee then said that he believes that the worst briefing he ever experienced was the Obama administration’s briefing on the Benghazi consulate attack in 2012.
“I mentioned yesterday that it was probably the worst briefing I have ever seen on a military issue,” Lee said. “The reason I qualify it that way is that the worst briefing I ever got in that room was on a slightly different issue back in 2012 right after the Benghazi attack, where we were told repeatedly by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the attack on the Benghazi consulate was based on a reaction to a video, so, fortunately, this was not that.”
Lee also told Breitbart that the Trump administration officials who held the briefing are “good people,” “hard-working” and “well-intentioned,” despite how he thinks “some of what they said was emblematic of Congress’s willingness to relinquish its war powers, and that’s an issue.”
Earlier Thursday, Lee shared similar sentiments on Fox News. When asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier for his response to President Trump claiming that the briefing “was the greatest presentation they’d ever had,” Lee said that he had “never challenged the attack on Soleimani and that his concern with Wednesday’s briefing “focused primarily on the fact that moving forward, we were given no indication that the next steps with regard to Iran will involve consultation with and authorization from Congress as is required by the Constitution.”
However, unlike what he said in the Breitbart interview, Lee told Baier that the Trump administration officials who held the briefing Wednesday “didn’t share this President’s view that has been very respectful towards his commander in chief power” and that they “didn’t exhibit the same level of respect and deference and restraint that President Trump has shown.”
“I applaud this President, I support this President,” Lee told Baier. “He’s been fantastic, he’s been unprecedentedly deferential to the American people and restrained in his use of command in chief power more than any other President in my lifetime.”
Watch Lee’s remarks below:
Sen. Mike Lee says he still supports Trump after "worst briefing" on Iran pic.twitter.com/lcb14AaD5d — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 9, 2020
Read Lee’s interview with Breitbart here.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--WaPo: Army Gen. Denies Special Forces Tab For Accused War Criminal Trump Pardoned

An Army general reportedly refused to reinstate an accused war criminal ’ s Special Forces tab , despite President Donald Trump issuing a pardon for the man .
Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn was charged with murder after admitting in a 2016 Fox News interview that he killed a suspected Taliban bomb maker in 2010 .
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette denied Golsteyn ’ s request last month to have his Special Forces tab reinstated .
Golsteyn , who pleaded not guilty , was facing a court martial for murder before Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interventions from Trump — one on behalf of the Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher , who was accused of stabbing to a death a teenage ISIS captive but ultimately only convicted of posing with the captive ’ s corpse , and the other for Clint Lorance , an Army lieutenant found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder in 2013 .
The news about Golsteyn ’ s tab recalled a similar dispute over Gallagher ’ s Trident Pin , which marks one ’ s membership in the SEALs .
Former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Gallagher would keep his pin if the White House did not interfere in a Navy review of the matter .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper was not made aware of that offer , and fired Spencer when he was made aware of it .
Trump tweeted in Gallagher ’ s case that “ The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher ’ s Trident Pin.
” The President ’ s hasn ’ t tweeted similarly with regard to Golsteyn .

An Army general reportedly refused to reinstate an accused war criminal’s Special Forces tab, despite President Donald Trump issuing a pardon for the man.
Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn was charged with murder after admitting in a 2016 Fox News interview that he killed a suspected Taliban bomb maker in 2010.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette denied Golsteyn’s request last month to have his Special Forces tab reinstated.
Golsteyn, who pleaded not guilty, was facing a court martial for murder before Trump’s pardon. That came alongside two more interventions from Trump — one on behalf of the Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was accused of stabbing to a death a teenage ISIS captive but ultimately only convicted of posing with the captive’s corpse, and the other for Clint Lorance, an Army lieutenant found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder in 2013.
The news about Golsteyn’s tab recalled a similar dispute over Gallagher’s Trident Pin, which marks one’s membership in the SEALs.
Former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer reportedly offered the White House a guarantee that Gallagher would keep his pin if the White House did not interfere in a Navy review of the matter. Defense Secretary Mark Esper was not made aware of that offer, and fired Spencer when he was made aware of it.
Trump tweeted in Gallagher’s case that “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin.” The President’s hasn’t tweeted similarly with regard to Golsteyn.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--House Passes War Powers Resolution Curtailing Trump’s Iran Authority

The House passed the War Powers Act Thursday to curtail President Donald Trump ’ s power regarding military action in Iran .
The vote was 224 yeas to 194 nays , a largely party line vote with three defections from the Republicans and eight from the Democrats .
One notable GOP defection was Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) , a stalwart Trump ally , who said that while he supports the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani , getting into another “ forever war ” in the Middle East would be the “ wrong decision.
” He made sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) sent a letter to her colleagues Sunday informing them that she ’ d introduce the resolution , a few days after Trump green-lit the drone strike that killed Soleimani .
“ It reasserts Congress ’ s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken , the Administration ’ s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days , ” she wrote .
Some Republicans , like Rep. Doug Collins ( R-GA ) , vociferously defended Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lacking patriotism for their opposition to his sudden strike .
“ We see that they mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who suffered under Soleimani , ” he said on Fox Business Network .
However , a couple choice Republicans changed their tune Wednesday , after an apparently lackluster Senate briefing .
Sen. Mike Lee ( R-UT ) called it “ probably the worst briefing I ’ ve seen , at least on a military issue , in the nine years I ’ ve served in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he is now backing the war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) in the Senate .
He took particular issue with the guidance not to debate the issue , but to unflinchingly follow the Trump party line .
Sen. Rand Paul ( R-KY ) echoed some of those sentiments , adding the need for “ a debate about separation of powers.
” Another concern about the strike , being raised mostly by Democrats , is that the rationale for the administration ’ s strike against Soleimani is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State Mike Pompeo have been citing an “ imminent threat ” to American lives in the region that called for action .
However , neither he nor any other official has gotten much more explicit than that and lawmakers have emerged from classified briefings dissatisfied with the explanations given .

The House passed the War Powers Act Thursday to curtail President Donald Trump’s power regarding military action in Iran.
The vote was 224 yeas to 194 nays, a largely party line vote with three defections from the Republicans and eight from the Democrats.
One notable GOP defection was Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a stalwart Trump ally, who said that while he supports the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, getting into another “forever war” in the Middle East would be the “wrong decision.” He made sure to add that he still ardently supports Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sent a letter to her colleagues Sunday informing them that she’d introduce the resolution, a few days after Trump green-lit the drone strike that killed Soleimani.
“It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days,” she wrote.
Some Republicans, like Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), vociferously defended Trump’s saber rattling and accused Democrats of lacking patriotism for their opposition to his sudden strike.
“We see that they mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who suffered under Soleimani,” he said on Fox Business Network.
However, a couple choice Republicans changed their tune Wednesday, after an apparently lackluster Senate briefing.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) called it “probably the worst briefing I’ve seen, at least on a military issue, in the nine years I’ve served in the United States Senate,” so “demeaning” that he is now backing the war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate.
He took particular issue with the guidance not to debate the issue, but to unflinchingly follow the Trump party line.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) echoed some of those sentiments, adding the need for “a debate about separation of powers.”
Another concern about the strike, being raised mostly by Democrats, is that the rationale for the administration’s strike against Soleimani is still unclear. Administration officials headed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been citing an “imminent threat” to American lives in the region that called for action.
However, neither he nor any other official has gotten much more explicit than that and lawmakers have emerged from classified briefings dissatisfied with the explanations given.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Trudeau Says Intel Indicates Iran Likely Shot Down Ukrainian Plane

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that preliminary intelligence indicated Iran shot down a Ukrainian jet carrying 176 people , including dozens of Iranians and Canadians .
“ We have intelligence from multiple sources , including our allies and our own intelligence , ” Trudeau said in a news conference .
“ The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile .
This may well have been unintentional.
” That matched reports of what unnamed U.S. officials have said about the crash — that Iranian missiles brought down the plane , possibly the result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trudeau hedged multiple times that he was conveying “ preliminary conclusions ” based on available intelligence and evidence .
Several reporters asked the prime minister if the United States bore any responsibility for the tragedy .
The crash came just hours after Iran struck two American bases in Iraq Tuesday night with several missiles — there were no casualties — which Iran said was a response to America ’ s killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani on Friday .
After Tuesday ’ s strike , Iran was braced for a potential American response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crash seemed to be “ the end result of a sequence of events that was sparked by the drone strike ordered by the U.S. president.
” “ The evidence suggests that this is the likely cause , ” Trudeau said , though he later hedged in response to a similar question that it was “ too soon to be drawing conclusions or assigning blame or responsibility .
”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that preliminary intelligence indicated Iran shot down a Ukrainian jet carrying 176 people, including dozens of Iranians and Canadians.
“We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence,” Trudeau said in a press conference. “The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional.”
That matched reports of what unnamed U.S. officials have said about the crash — that Iranian missiles brought down the plane, possibly the result of a mistake by Iranian operators.
Trudeau hedged multiple times that he was conveying “preliminary conclusions” based on available intelligence and evidence.
Several reporters asked the prime minister if the United States bore any responsibility for the tragedy.
The crash came just hours after Iran struck two American bases in Iraq Tuesday night with several missiles — there were no casualties — which Iran said was a response to America’s killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani on Friday. After Tuesday’s strike, Iran was braced for a potential American response.
One reporter said Wednesday’s crash seemed to be “the end result of a sequence of events that was sparked by the drone strike ordered by the U.S. president.”
“The evidence suggests that this is the likely cause,” Trudeau said, though he later hedged in response to a similar question that it was “too soon to be drawing conclusions or assigning blame or responsibility.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Duckworth Rips Into Doug Collins: ‘I Left Parts Of My Body Behind Fighting Terrorists In Iraq’

Sen. Tammy Duckworth ( D-IL ) fired back at Rep. Doug Collins ’ ( R-GA ) assertion that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’ s ( D-CA ) decision to hold a vote on the War Powers resolution shows that Democrats are “ in love with terrorists.
” On Thursday morning , Collins told Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs that Pelosi and the Democrats “ are in love with terrorists ” because “ they mourn [ top Iranian military official Qasem ] Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who suffered under Soleimani.
” During an interview on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a combat veteran of the Iraq War — refused to “ dignify ” Collins ’ remark with a response .
“ I ’ m not going to dignify that with a response , ” Duckworth said .
“ I left parts of my body in Iraq fighting terrorists .
I don ’ t need to justify myself to anyone.
” When asked about her view on Collins ’ argument that Gold Star families have become a pawn in this political discourse , Duckworth said she was “ disgusted ” because she “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families , military men and women or their families as any pawn in any political game.
” Duckworth then said that “ this issue is about America ’ s national security ” and “ is not a partisan political issue.
” “ My concern is : Is America safer today than it was before the President made this rash decision without considering the consequences and having a plan in place to handle the consequences ?
” Duckworth said .
“ And my answer at this point is no.
” Duckworth added that she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is dead , but that “ the poor handling of the White House ” puts American forces “ under greater danger of attacks from Iran and other hostile forces in the Middle East.
” “ I am not sad that this man is dead .
I am glad that he ’ s gone to meet his maker and that he will get his just desserts , ” Duckworth said .
“ But at the end of the day , because of the poor handling of the White House and the consequences of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down .
American forces are now under greater danger of attacks from Iran and other hostile forces in the Middle East.
” Duckworth also argued that because “ now potentially we have innocent civilians who ’ ve been shot down by Russian-made missiles coming out of Iran , ” she doubts that “ this makes us or anywhere else in the world any safer today as a result of this poor decision by the President .
”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) fired back at Rep. Doug Collins’ (R-GA) assertion that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to hold a vote on the War Powers resolution shows that Democrats are “in love with terrorists.”
On Thursday morning, Collins told Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs that Pelosi and the Democrats “are in love with terrorists” because “they mourn [top Iranian military official Qasem] Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who suffered under Soleimani.”
During an interview on CNN Thursday afternoon, Duckworth — who is a combat veteran of the Iraq War — refused to “dignify” Collins’ remark with a response.
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response,” Duckworth said. “I left parts of my body in Iraq fighting terrorists. I don’t need to justify myself to anyone.”
When asked about her view on Collins’ argument that Gold Star families have become a pawn in this political discourse, Duckworth said she was “disgusted” because she “would never, ever use Gold Star families, military men and women or their families as any pawn in any political game.”
Duckworth then said that “this issue is about America’s national security” and “is not a partisan political issue.”
“My concern is: Is America safer today than it was before the President made this rash decision without considering the consequences and having a plan in place to handle the consequences?” Duckworth said. “And my answer at this point is no.”
Duckworth added that she is “not sad” that Soleimani is dead, but that “the poor handling of the White House” puts American forces “under greater danger of attacks from Iran and other hostile forces in the Middle East.”
“I am not sad that this man is dead. I am glad that he’s gone to meet his maker and that he will get his just desserts,” Duckworth said. “But at the end of the day, because of the poor handling of the White House and the consequences of their actions, American troops are now hunkered down. American forces are now under greater danger of attacks from Iran and other hostile forces in the Middle East.”
Duckworth also argued that because “now potentially we have innocent civilians who’ve been shot down by Russian-made missiles coming out of Iran,” she doubts that “this makes us or anywhere else in the world any safer today as a result of this poor decision by the President.”
Watch Duckworth’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--McConnell Expects Impeachment Trial To Start Next Week, GOP Senators Say

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) told his Republican colleagues on Thursday that he anticipates that the Senate @ @ @ @ @ Trump will begin next week .
Sen. Mike Braun ( R-IN ) told Politico McConnell @ @ @ @ @ meeting that he expects House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) to give him the @ @ @ @ @ as Friday .
“ Which means that we ’ d get started next week , @ @ @ @ @ Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) told Politico that while it was unclear whether McConnell knew @ @ @ @ @ receive the articles , “ the gut feeling is that it will come over there @ @ @ @ @ a Monday start.
” However , Sen. John Cornyn ( R-TX ) cautioned that nothing @ @ @ @ @ quite yet .
“ We ’ re all just speculating , ” he told reporters @ @ @ @ @ conference on Thursday , Pelosi said she ’ ll hand over the articles “ when @ @ @ @ @ ” which will “ probably be soon .
”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told his Republican colleagues on Thursday that he anticipates that the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will begin next week.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) told Politico McConnell had said during a lunch meeting that he expects House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to give him the articles of impeachment as early as Friday.
“Which means that we’d get started next week,” Braun said.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told Politico that while it was unclear whether McConnell knew for sure when he would receive the articles, “the gut feeling is that it will come over there tomorrow and set up for a Monday start.”
However, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) cautioned that nothing has been set in stone quite yet.
“We’re all just speculating,” he told reporters.
During her weekly press conference on Thursday, Pelosi said she’ll hand over the articles “when I’m ready,” which will “probably be soon.”
Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Several Republicans May Back Kaine’s War Powers Resolution Checking Trump

At least two more Republicans say they support the “ intent ” of Sen. Tim Kaine ’ s War Powers resolution , which he is bringing up for a vote after the President Trump-ordered assassination of an Iranian general escalated U.S. tensions with the country .
The Republicans , Sens .
Susan Collins ( R-ME ) and Todd Young ( R-IN ) , did however indicate that they still had some concerns about the current language of Kaine ’ s resolution .
Collins told reporters she ’ s had “ constructive conversations ” with Kaine and gave him some suggestions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agree with his overall intent that Congress should reassert its constitutional authority in this area , ” Collins said .
“ I am concerned about some of the language having consequences that would be unfortunate right now , and I want to make sure that the President retains his ability as commander of chief to respond to imminent threats.
” Earlier Thursday , Young reportedly told reporters his views on the resolution were similar to Collins ’ .
Sen. Jerry Moran ( R-KS ) — who supported a similar amendment that Kaine made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past — is also reportedly undecided on whether to support the newest resolution .
Already , having made some tweaks to the original language , Kaine has secured the votes of Republican Sens .
Mike Lee ( R-UT ) and Rand Paul ( R-KY ) .
Lee and Paul both announced their support while voicing frustration over a Trump administration briefing Wednesday about the strike on General Soleimani .
Lee and Paul have a history of voicing concerns that Congress has shown too much deference to the Executive Branch when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stressed that he believed the Soleimani strike was appropriate , but that he was concerned about future actions the Trump administration might take without Congress ’ permission .
Asked Thursday if the Kaine could pick up enough Republican votes to get the resolution onto Trump ’ s desk , Lee said , “ I think so.
” Among the changes Lee asked Kaine to make to the resolution was to remove language specifically about Trump .
“ I ’ ve agreed to drop those two paragraphs , because they ’ re just not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ and that way , this should be about any president .
It ’ s not just Republican presidents who ’ ve exceeded their reach on this stuff.
” Under 1973 ’ s War Powers Act , Kaine can bring up the resolution for a vote on his own and only a bare majority is required to pass it , meaning that if Kaine can find four total GOP votes , the resolution is likely headed to the President ’ s desk .
Under his resolution , the administration would be required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after 30 days , absent a declaration of war or other congressional approval for the use of force .
The resolution allows the President to use force without Congress ’ approval if he is addressing an “ imminent ” threat .
President Trump would likely veto such a resolution , as he did with a War Powers resolution related to Yemen that both chambers of Congress approved last year .
The Senate was unable to override the Yemen resolution veto .
It ’ s almost guaranteed that Kaine ’ s resolution , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet a similar fate .
However , Kaine on Thursday stressed that even if Congress couldn ’ t override the President ’ s veto , the resolution could have some effect on his administration ’ s conduct .
Bringing up the vetoed Yemen resolution , Kaine said Trump still “ stopped doing what we were complaining of , it had an impact .
They stopped fueling Saudi jets on the way to Yemen.
” The House is considering its own War Powers resolution , which is expected to receive a final vote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive a Senate vote as early as Tuesday .

At least two more Republicans say they support the “intent” of Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers resolution, which he is bringing up for a vote after the President Trump-ordered assassination of an Iranian general escalated U.S. tensions with the country.
The Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Todd Young (R-IN), did however indicate that they still had some concerns about the current language of Kaine’s resolution.
Collins told reporters she’s had “constructive conversations” with Kaine and gave him some suggestions for adjusting his resolution.
“I agree with his overall intent that Congress should reassert its constitutional authority in this area,” Collins said. “I am concerned about some of the language having consequences that would be unfortunate right now, and I want to make sure that the President retains his ability as commander of chief to respond to imminent threats.”
Earlier Thursday, Young reportedly told reporters his views on the resolution were similar to Collins’.
Collins and Young just walked together to votes discussing Kaine’s war powers resolution. “I agree with his intent but I think some of the language is problematic,” Collins tells reporters “It’s exactly where I am,” adds Young W/ Rand & Lee on board, Kaine needs 2 more Rs — Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 9, 2020
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) — who supported a similar amendment that Kaine made to a defense authorization bill in the past — is also reportedly undecided on whether to support the newest resolution.
Already, having made some tweaks to the original language, Kaine has secured the votes of Republican Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY). Lee and Paul both announced their support while voicing frustration over a Trump administration briefing Wednesday about the strike on General Soleimani.
Lee and Paul have a history of voicing concerns that Congress has shown too much deference to the Executive Branch when it comes to matters of military force.
Lee has stressed that he believed the Soleimani strike was appropriate, but that he was concerned about future actions the Trump administration might take without Congress’ permission. Asked Thursday if the Kaine could pick up enough Republican votes to get the resolution onto Trump’s desk, Lee said, “I think so.”
Among the changes Lee asked Kaine to make to the resolution was to remove language specifically about Trump.
“I’ve agreed to drop those two paragraphs, because they’re just not needed,” Kaine said Thursday, “and that way, this should be about any president. It’s not just Republican presidents who’ve exceeded their reach on this stuff.”
Under 1973’s War Powers Act, Kaine can bring up the resolution for a vote on his own and only a bare majority is required to pass it, meaning that if Kaine can find four total GOP votes, the resolution is likely headed to the President’s desk.
Under his resolution, the administration would be required to withdraw U.S. troops from hostilities with Iran after 30 days, absent a declaration of war or other congressional approval for the use of force. The resolution allows the President to use force without Congress’ approval if he is addressing an “imminent” threat.
President Trump would likely veto such a resolution, as he did with a War Powers resolution related to Yemen that both chambers of Congress approved last year. The Senate was unable to override the Yemen resolution veto. It’s almost guaranteed that Kaine’s resolution, if passed initially by the Senate, would meet a similar fate.
However, Kaine on Thursday stressed that even if Congress couldn’t override the President’s veto, the resolution could have some effect on his administration’s conduct.
Bringing up the vetoed Yemen resolution, Kaine said Trump still “stopped doing what we were complaining of, it had an impact. They stopped fueling Saudi jets on the way to Yemen.”
The House is considering its own War Powers resolution, which is expected to receive a final vote on Thursday. Kaine’s resolution could receive a Senate vote as early as Tuesday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Trump Went On A Lot Of Strange Tangents During His Presser On Environmental Policies

So much for staying on message .
During his press conference announcing new environmental regulation policies Thursday , President Trump seemed to be in a particularly bizarre mood , referring to a “ rough neighborhood ” around Tehran and at one point talking about the “ YMCA ” song .
Twitter speculated about the President ’ s appearance while he spoke at length about a variety of topics unrelated to the matter at hand .
When he was asked about what happened to the Ukrainian plane that crashed outside Tehran this week — killing all 176 people on board — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he doesn ’ t buy the belief that the plane suffered a mechanical issue .
“ Well , I have my suspicions , ” he said when asked about the flight , just minutes before multiple credible news outlets reported that American officials believe the flight was downed by an Iranian missile .
“ I don ’ t want to say that , because other people have their suspicions also .
It ’ s a tragic thing when I see that .
It ’ s a tragic thing .
But somebody could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side , could have made a mistake , ” he said .
“ It was flying in — not in our system , it has nothing to do with us .
It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood and somebody could have made a mistake .
Some people say it was mechanical .
I personally don ’ t think that ’ s even a question , personally.
” He then went on a near-incoherent rant about his rationale for renaming various global alliances — NATO and the USMCA — claiming he told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ song to remember the USMCA abbreviation .
“ I actually had a name .
NATO , right ?
And then you have M-E. Middle East .
You ’ d call it NATOME , ” he said .
“ I said , ‘ What a beautiful name.
’ NATOME .
I ’ m good at names , right ?
USMCA .
Like the song YMCA .
Nobody could remember USMCA .
I said , ‘ think of the song YMCA.
’ Now everybody says it.
” Trump eventually got back around to the initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was to announce new environmental regulatory rollbacks , all in line with his ongoing approach to environmental policy — to dismantle protections put in place by the Obama administration .
“ I ’ m a big believer in that word , the environment , ” he said .
“ I ’ m a big believer , but I want clean air and I want clean water , I also want jobs , though .
I don ’ t want to close up our industry because somebody said , you know , ‘ you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ you have to go with something else.
’ It ’ s not going to be able to have the capacity to do what we have to do .
”

So much for staying on message.
During his press conference announcing new environmental regulation policies Thursday, President Trump seemed to be in a particularly bizarre mood, referring to a “rough neighborhood” around Tehran and at one point talking about the “YMCA” song.
Twitter speculated about the President’s appearance while he spoke at length about a variety of topics unrelated to the matter at hand. When he was asked about what happened to the Ukrainian plane that crashed outside Tehran this week — killing all 176 people on board — Trump didn’t hide the fact that he doesn’t buy the belief that the plane suffered a mechanical issue.
“Well, I have my suspicions,” he said when asked about the flight, just minutes before multiple credible news outlets reported that American officials believe the flight was downed by an Iranian missile.
“I don’t want to say that, because other people have their suspicions also. It’s a tragic thing when I see that. It’s a tragic thing. But somebody could have made a mistake on the other side, could have made a mistake,” he said. “It was flying in — not in our system, it has nothing to do with us. It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood and somebody could have made a mistake. Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don’t think that’s even a question, personally.”
Trump speaks on plane that crashed in Iran, reportedly downed by an Iranian missile: It was flying through a "rough neighborhood" pic.twitter.com/ikU1879kP7 — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 9, 2020
He then went on a near-incoherent rant about his rationale for renaming various global alliances — NATO and the USMCA — claiming he told people they should think of the YMCA song to remember the USMCA abbreviation.
“I actually had a name. NATO, right? And then you have M-E. Middle East. You’d call it NATOME,” he said. “I said, ‘What a beautiful name.’ NATOME. I’m good at names, right? USMCA. Like the song YMCA. Nobody could remember USMCA. I said, ‘think of the song YMCA.’ Now everybody says it.”
Trump eventually got back around to the initial point of the press conference, which was to announce new environmental regulatory rollbacks, all in line with his ongoing approach to environmental policy — to dismantle protections put in place by the Obama administration.
“I’m a big believer in that word, the environment,” he said. “I’m a big believer, but I want clean air and I want clean water, I also want jobs, though. I don’t want to close up our industry because somebody said, you know, ‘you have to go with wind’ or ‘you have to go with something else.’ It’s not going to be able to have the capacity to do what we have to do.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Kilmeade: Trump Taking Shots At Obama For Iran Strike ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’

No thanks to Obama .
During a Thursday morning segment on “ Fox & Friends , ” co-host Brian Kilmeade unusually went rogue against President Trump for blaming Iran ’ s missile strike on former President Barack Obama .
Not long after Iran launched its strike against the U.S. military base in neighboring Iraq — which came in the wake of the Trump-authorized strike that killed top Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani — the President blamed the Obama administration for “ the foolish Iran nuclear deal ” that raised Iran ’ s hostilities and argued that “ the missiles fired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration , ” during his White House address .
“ I don ’ t love bringing up the previous administration , ” Kilmeade said .
“ Just like I didn ’ t like when President Obama kept bringing up President Bush.
” After co-host Steve Doocy responded “ but it ’ s true , ” Kilmeade asked , “ how do you know ?
” “ What I ’ m trying to say is with President Bush — you heard that statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kilmeade said .
“ Always a dumb war as people were missing limbs and no longer can see , were missing legs .
And hear it ’ s a dumb war they lost their limbs in.
” When Doocy jumped in to say that it took “ $ 150 billion to buy those weapons , ” Kilmeade went on to argue that it ’ s the President ’ s job “ to bring people together ” and that blaming the Iran strike on Obama “ three and a half years later doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s fine .
Everybody knows that policy but you have got to bring people together as the President , ” Kilmeade said .
“ And to continue to take shots at President Obama three and a half years later doesn ’ t make any sense.
” After Doocy argued that he thinks Trump is “ trying to point out that Barack Obama ’ s policy of essentially what the Republicans call appeasement didn ’ t work ” and co-host Ainsley Earhardt said that the President is “ also trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not as dependent on them for oil and for energy , ” Kilmeade doubled down on not blaming it all on Obama .
“ We all know that it ’ s been 40 years of failed policies , ” Kilmeade said .
“ You could easily say the Iranian deal was not something we are in favor of .
This is where we are at right now as opposed to getting everybody back into their corners to fight it out .
”

No thanks to Obama.
During a Thursday morning segment on “Fox & Friends,” co-host Brian Kilmeade unusually went rogue against President Trump for blaming Iran’s missile strike on former President Barack Obama.
Not long after Iran launched its strike against the U.S. military base in neighboring Iraq — which came in the wake of the Trump-authorized strike that killed top Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani — the President blamed the Obama administration for “the foolish Iran nuclear deal” that raised Iran’s hostilities and argued that “the missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration,” during his White House address.
“I don’t love bringing up the previous administration,” Kilmeade said. “Just like I didn’t like when President Obama kept bringing up President Bush.”
After co-host Steve Doocy responded “but it’s true,” Kilmeade asked, “how do you know?”
“What I’m trying to say is with President Bush — you heard that statement all along for President Obama,” Kilmeade said. “Always a dumb war as people were missing limbs and no longer can see, were missing legs. And hear it’s a dumb war they lost their limbs in.”
When Doocy jumped in to say that it took “$150 billion to buy those weapons,” Kilmeade went on to argue that it’s the President’s job “to bring people together” and that blaming the Iran strike on Obama “three and a half years later doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, that’s fine. Everybody knows that policy but you have got to bring people together as the President,” Kilmeade said. “And to continue to take shots at President Obama three and a half years later doesn’t make any sense.”
After Doocy argued that he thinks Trump is “trying to point out that Barack Obama’s policy of essentially what the Republicans call appeasement didn’t work” and co-host Ainsley Earhardt said that the President is “also trying to point out the fact that we are not as dependent on them for oil and for energy,” Kilmeade doubled down on not blaming it all on Obama.
“We all know that it’s been 40 years of failed policies,” Kilmeade said. “You could easily say the Iranian deal was not something we are in favor of. This is where we are at right now as opposed to getting everybody back into their corners to fight it out.”
Watch Kilmeade’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-09--Reports: US Officials Believe Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Plane Outside Tehran

U.S. officials believe Iran shot down the Ukrainian plane that crashed outside of Tehran Wednesday morning , CBS News and CNN reported Thursday .
According to CBS , U.S. satellites detected two missile launches shortly before the plane exploded .
CNN reported that unnamed U.S. officials believe Iran mistakenly shot down the plane .
CNN called it a “ working theory ” among U.S. brass .
Newsweek also reported on unnamed U.S. officials ’ beliefs that the plane was shot down by a Russian-built anti-missile system .
Several outlets — NBC News , The Wall Street Journal , Reuters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unnamed U.S. officials had evidence that Iran was responsible for the crash .
The Pentagon didn ’ t respond to TPM ’ s request for comment Thursday .
The plane crash , which claimed the lives of all 176 people on board — Iranians , Canadians , Ukrainians and others — was shrouded in mystery and contradictory statements in the hours following the incident .
Flight 752 crashed hours after Iran fired missiles that struck two U.S. bases in Iraq .
That strike resulted in no casualties .
Various aviation experts have expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tehran crash , citing the circumstances of the incident and photographic evidence from the crash site .
Iran ’ s top civil aviation official , Ali Abedzadeh , said Wednesday that the United States would not be given access to the plane ’ s “ black box , ” which likely contains information about the flight ’ s final seconds .
Ukrainian investigators would be involved , Abedzadeh said .
This post has been updated .

U.S. officials believe Iran shot down the Ukrainian plane that crashed outside of Tehran Wednesday morning, CBS News and CNN reported Thursday.
According to CBS, U.S. satellites detected two missile launches shortly before the plane exploded. CNN reported that unnamed U.S. officials believe Iran mistakenly shot down the plane. CNN called it a “working theory” among U.S. brass.
Newsweek also reported on unnamed U.S. officials’ beliefs that the plane was shot down by a Russian-built anti-missile system.
Several outlets — NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and others — subsequently matched the reporting that unnamed U.S. officials had evidence that Iran was responsible for the crash.
The Pentagon didn’t respond to TPM’s request for comment Thursday.
The plane crash, which claimed the lives of all 176 people on board — Iranians, Canadians, Ukrainians and others — was shrouded in mystery and contradictory statements in the hours following the incident. Flight 752 crashed hours after Iran fired missiles that struck two U.S. bases in Iraq. That strike resulted in no casualties.
Various aviation experts have expressed the possibility of foul play with the Tehran crash, citing the circumstances of the incident and photographic evidence from the crash site.
Iran’s top civil aviation official, Ali Abedzadeh, said Wednesday that the United States would not be given access to the plane’s “black box,” which likely contains information about the flight’s final seconds. Ukrainian investigators would be involved, Abedzadeh said.
This post has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--DOJ Doesn’t Want SCOTUS To Hear The Texas Obamacare Case Before The Election

The Justice Department and several red states urged the Supreme Court on Friday not to expedite its consideration of a major anti-Obamacare lawsuit coming out of Texas , as Democratic state attorneys general and the U.S. House requested last week .
The Friday filings argued that the Supreme Court should hold off intervening in the case until an appeals court came to a final decision on whether the Affordable Care Act must be dismantled now that Congress has eliminated the individual mandate ’ s tax penalty .
Last month , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other red states in ruling that the mandate was now unconstitutional due to the 2017 GOP tax law .
However , the appeals court ordered the district court to re-examine its decision on how that effected the rest of the health care law ; U.S. District Judge Reed O ’ Connor , siding with the Justice Department , had previously ruled that the whole law must be go down with the mandate .
The appeals court ruling had the effect of delaying any major blow to Obamacare for at least several more months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Republicans to come up with a replacement before the 2020 election .
The Justice Department ’ s filing Friday essentially told that the Supreme Court it shouldn ’ t do anything to get in the way of that timeline .
After arguing to the lower courts that the Affordable Care Act was unworkable without the mandate ’ s tax penalty , the DOJ on Friday said that there was “ no present , real-world emergency ” created by the appeals court decision , which effectively maintained the Obamacare status quo .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their filing mocked the Democratic petitioners for having previously argued “ that the Affordable Care Act ’ s individual mandate impacts no one in any way.
” “ Yet now , they claim that a decision declaring that mandate unconstitutional is so consequential to the Republic that this Court must upend its rules , rush the briefing and argument , truncate its own consideration of the complex questions presented , and hastily render a decision , ” the GOP attorneys general filing said .
The requests from the House and blue states that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case was filed last Friday , at the same time they filed their broader petition that justices review the 5th Circuit ’ s recent decision .
Their proposals laid out a briefing schedule that would let the Supreme Court hear and decide the case by the end of this term .
It takes only four justices to decide to take up a case , meaning the liberal wing of the Supreme Court , without the support of any conservative justices , could grant review .
However , five votes would be necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the DOJ ’ s and Republican states ’ filings below :

The Justice Department and several red states urged the Supreme Court on Friday not to expedite its consideration of a major anti-Obamacare lawsuit coming out of Texas, as Democratic state attorneys general and the U.S. House requested last week.
The Friday filings argued that the Supreme Court should hold off intervening in the case until an appeals court came to a final decision on whether the Affordable Care Act must be dismantled now that Congress has eliminated the individual mandate’s tax penalty.
Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit side with the Trump administration, Texas and other red states in ruling that the mandate was now unconstitutional due to the 2017 GOP tax law. However, the appeals court ordered the district court to re-examine its decision on how that effected the rest of the health care law; U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, siding with the Justice Department, had previously ruled that the whole law must be go down with the mandate.
The appeals court ruling had the effect of delaying any major blow to Obamacare for at least several more months, taking political pressure off of President Trump and Republicans to come up with a replacement before the 2020 election.
The Justice Department’s filing Friday essentially told that the Supreme Court it shouldn’t do anything to get in the way of that timeline.
After arguing to the lower courts that the Affordable Care Act was unworkable without the mandate’s tax penalty, the DOJ on Friday said that there was “no present, real-world emergency” created by the appeals court decision, which effectively maintained the Obamacare status quo.
The red states, meanwhile, in their filing mocked the Democratic petitioners for having previously argued “that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate impacts no one in any way.”
“Yet now, they claim that a decision declaring that mandate unconstitutional is so consequential to the Republic that this Court must upend its rules, rush the briefing and argument, truncate its own consideration of the complex questions presented, and hastily render a decision,” the GOP attorneys general filing said.
The requests from the House and blue states that the Supreme Court expedite its consideration of the case was filed last Friday, at the same time they filed their broader petition that justices review the 5th Circuit’s recent decision. Their proposals laid out a briefing schedule that would let the Supreme Court hear and decide the case by the end of this term.
It takes only four justices to decide to take up a case, meaning the liberal wing of the Supreme Court, without the support of any conservative justices, could grant review.
However, five votes would be necessary to speed up that review.
Read the DOJ’s and Republican states’ filings below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--The Many, Many Hats Of Jared Kushner

The Many, Many Hats Of Jared Kushner

Jared Kushner , equipped with an amorphous professional title and razor straight hair part , has long had a laughably large portfolio .
He has been assigned chunks of policy as massive as “ Middle East peace ” and “ reforming the criminal justice system.
” Now , per the New York Times , he ’ ll have even more on his plate .
Kushner is taking over the reelection effort from the White House , organizing meetings and making decisions on staff and spending .
He attended meetings with campaign officials in Mar-a-Lago , and made a rare public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There , he announced that he is now a registered Republican .
This means that he ’ ll have less time for some of the other tasks on his to-do list : From the very beginning of President Donald Trump ’ s term , Kushner was charged with brokering a peace deal between Israel and Palestine .
“ If you can ’ t produce peace in the Middle East , nobody can , ” Trump said at a dinner the night before his inauguration .
That plan petered out amid delayed release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turmoil surrounding the Israeli election .
He has also become less involved , in part , due to the arrival of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
Kushner , per the Times , trusts Pompeo more than his predecessors , and has surrounded him with allies like National Security Adviser Robert O ’ Brien .
Kushner was also reportedly not in the Situation Room during the Iranian attacks on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers this week , signaling his shrinking role on the issue area .
Kushner has actually been relatively more successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others tasks .
Kushner , with the unlikely help of Kim Kardashian West , shepherded through prison sentencing reform called the First Step Act .
The effort involved flooding Trump ’ s schedule with briefings from his allies on the issue , steamrolling a reluctant Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) and getting Democrats to hand Trump a bipartisan victory .
Kushner played a big role in ending NAFTA , and became the point person for the U.S. in trade negotiations with China .
The Trump administration is planning phase one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January , per Forbes , and averted a tariff deadline in December .
It is not clear how active a role Kushner plays in the negotiations anymore .
Per the Washington Post , Kushner was chosen to oversee the construction of Trump ’ s border wall in November , and has since held biweekly meetings about its progress .
Kushner has been pushing for progress to be expedited , in order to meet Trump ’ s mileage promise — 400 — by the end of 2020 .
Some officials have criticized Kushner ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project , and haste to obtain private land along the border despite the legal roadblocks .
Kushner attended a summit with leaders in tech in June 2017 to make the case for consolidating and streamlining government records , some of which are stored on antiquated systems .
Per TechCrunch , he did not explain specifics or security measures .
In March 2017 , Trump named Kushner as head of the “ White House Office of American Innovation , ” charged with tackling massive problems like the opioid epidemic and veteran care .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Kushner told the Washington Post then .
“ The government should be run like a great American company .
Our hope is that we can achieve successes and efficiencies for our customers , who are the citizens .
”

Jared Kushner, equipped with an amorphous professional title and razor straight hair part, has long had a laughably large portfolio.
He has been assigned chunks of policy as massive as “Middle East peace” and “reforming the criminal justice system.”
Now, per the New York Times, he’ll have even more on his plate.
Kushner is taking over the reelection effort from the White House, organizing meetings and making decisions on staff and spending. He attended meetings with campaign officials in Mar-a-Lago, and made a rare public appearance at a December campaign press event. There, he announced that he is now a registered Republican.
This means that he’ll have less time for some of the other tasks on his to-do list:
Solving Middle East Peace
From the very beginning of President Donald Trump’s term, Kushner was charged with brokering a peace deal between Israel and Palestine.
“If you can’t produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can,” Trump said at a dinner the night before his inauguration.
That plan petered out amid delayed release dates, distrust from the Palestinians and turmoil surrounding the Israeli election.
He has also become less involved, in part, due to the arrival of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Kushner, per the Times, trusts Pompeo more than his predecessors, and has surrounded him with allies like National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
Kushner was also reportedly not in the Situation Room during the Iranian attacks on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers this week, signaling his shrinking role on the issue area.
Reforming the Criminal Justice System
Kushner has actually been relatively more successful with this job than some of his others tasks. Kushner, with the unlikely help of Kim Kardashian West, shepherded through prison sentencing reform called the First Step Act.
The effort involved flooding Trump’s schedule with briefings from his allies on the issue, steamrolling a reluctant Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and getting Democrats to hand Trump a bipartisan victory.
Negotiating Trade with China
Kushner played a big role in ending NAFTA, and became the point person for the U.S. in trade negotiations with China.
The Trump administration is planning phase one of a trade deal with China for January, per Forbes, and averted a tariff deadline in December. It is not clear how active a role Kushner plays in the negotiations anymore.
Overseeing Mexico Border Wall Construction
Per the Washington Post, Kushner was chosen to oversee the construction of Trump’s border wall in November, and has since held biweekly meetings about its progress. Kushner has been pushing for progress to be expedited, in order to meet Trump’s mileage promise — 400 — by the end of 2020.
Some officials have criticized Kushner’s lack of understanding of a multi-agency project, and haste to obtain private land along the border despite the legal roadblocks.
Modernizing Government Tech
Kushner attended a summit with leaders in tech in June 2017 to make the case for consolidating and streamlining government records, some of which are stored on antiquated systems.
Per TechCrunch, he did not explain specifics or security measures.
Solving the Opioid Crisis
In March 2017, Trump named Kushner as head of the “White House Office of American Innovation,” charged with tackling massive problems like the opioid epidemic and veteran care.
“We should have excellence in government,” Kushner told the Washington Post then. “The government should be run like a great American company. Our hope is that we can achieve successes and efficiencies for our customers, who are the citizens.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Reports: Trump Admin Tried To Assassinate Another Top Iranian Commander

The Trump administration tried to kill another top Iranian commander on the same day of the fatal strike on Qasem @ @ @ @ @ the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday .
Several unnamed U.S. officials told the Post @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump had reportedly authorized a drone strike on Iranian Quds Force leader Abdul Reza @ @ @ @ @ it failed to kill him .
“ If we had killed him , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ that same night , ” one official told the Post .
The sources did not @ @ @ @ @ unsuccessful .
Trump nor any of his senior administration officials have publicly disclosed the second @ @ @ @ @ They have also yet to provide evidence of the “ imminent ” danger from Iran @ @ @ @ @ strike on Soleimani .

The Trump administration tried to kill another top Iranian commander on the same day of the fatal strike on Qasem Soleimani, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Several unnamed U.S. officials told the Post and the Journal that President Donald Trump had reportedly authorized a drone strike on Iranian Quds Force leader Abdul Reza Shahlai in Yemen, but it failed to kill him.
“If we had killed him, we’d be bragging about it that same night,” one official told the Post.
The sources did not explain why the operation was unsuccessful.
Trump nor any of his senior administration officials have publicly disclosed the second assassination effort in Iran. They have also yet to provide evidence of the “imminent” danger from Iran that they claim justified the strike on Soleimani.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Collins Says She And Other GOPers Working On Impeachment Rules To Ensure Witnesses

Senate Susan Collins ( R-ME ) said Friday that she is coordinating with a “ fairly small group ” of Republicans , including senators and party leaders , on an agreement on impeachment trial rules that will allow witnesses to be called , according to the Bangor Daily News .
Collins made the comments to reporters in Maine on Friday , after spending her week on Capitol Hill expressing support for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s proposal to start the trial without an agreement guaranteeing witnesses .
McConnell announced on Tuesday that he had the votes for a trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phases without a decision on witnesses until each side formally presents its case to the Senate .
Many other Senate Republicans have said they see no need whatsoever for new witnesses — a process McConnell is said to prefer as well .
His move to lay out a procedure that doesn ’ t foreclose witnesses entirely suggests he didn ’ t have 51 GOP votes upfront for a witness-less trial .
Democrats , who are also seeking subpoenas for additional documents to be produced , have accused McConnell of trying to do an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that debate .
It ’ s unclear from the report of Collins ’ Friday comments if the deal she is trying to hash out would guarantee whether witnesses be called , or if the rules she is seeking would still allow the Senate GOP to reverse any decision to subpoena witnesses .
Democrats need the support of four Republicans to back any request by the House managers to call witnesses or subpoena documents for the trial .
Collins declined to say exactly how many Republicans were in her working group on the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be completely open to calling witnesses , ” she said , according to the Bangor Daily News .
“ I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president ’ s counsel if they choose to do so , ” she added .

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) said Friday that she is coordinating with a “fairly small group” of Republicans, including senators and party leaders, on an agreement on impeachment trial rules that will allow witnesses to be called, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Collins made the comments to reporters in Maine on Friday, after spending her week on Capitol Hill expressing support for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal to start the trial without an agreement guaranteeing witnesses.
McConnell announced on Tuesday that he had the votes for a trial process that would move through the preliminary phases without a decision on witnesses until each side formally presents its case to the Senate.
Many other Senate Republicans have said they see no need whatsoever for new witnesses — a process McConnell is said to prefer as well. His move to lay out a procedure that doesn’t foreclose witnesses entirely suggests he didn’t have 51 GOP votes upfront for a witness-less trial. Democrats, who are also seeking subpoenas for additional documents to be produced, have accused McConnell of trying to do an end-run on the witness question by delaying that debate.
It’s unclear from the report of Collins’ Friday comments if the deal she is trying to hash out would guarantee whether witnesses be called, or if the rules she is seeking would still allow the Senate GOP to reverse any decision to subpoena witnesses. Democrats need the support of four Republicans to back any request by the House managers to call witnesses or subpoena documents for the trial.
Collins declined to say exactly how many Republicans were in her working group on the issue.
“[W]e should be completely open to calling witnesses,” she said, according to the Bangor Daily News.
“I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the President’s counsel if they choose to do so,” she added.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Report: Intel Agencies, FBI Examining Whether Russia Is Targeting Biden

The U.S. government is investigating whether Russia is targeting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the run-up to the 2020 elections , Bloomberg reports .
The probe reportedly focuses on whether Russia ’ s continuing U.S. disinformation efforts are aimed at damaging Biden ’ s candidacy .
That investigation at least partly focuses on whether the allegations against Biden regarding his work on the Ukraine crisis as vice president were spawned by Russian intelligence .
Many of those allegations have been spurred by President Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani , who traveled to Kyiv in December to speak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bloomberg ’ s report suggests that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are looking into whether the allegations were created and propagated by the Russian government .
The effort to coerce the Ukrainian government into releasing dirt that would support the allegations led to President Trump ’ s impeachment .
He is currently awaiting trial in the Senate .
There have long been suggestions that the allegations against Biden which spurred the third impeachment in U.S. history were the product of Russian intelligence .
Former National Security Council Russia specialist Fiona Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November , while Bob Woodward made a similar claim in his 2018 book Fear : Trump in the White House .
Bloomberg cited director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center William Evanina in the story as saying that Russia plans to ramp up its social media-based disinformation campaign for the 2020 election .
“ In America , they ’ re using social media and many other tools to inflame social divisions , promote conspiracy theories and sow distrust in our democracy and elections , ” Evanina told the outlet in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2020 , one thing I can guarantee is they ’ ll keep up their influence campaigns and utilize new vectors of disinformation .
”

The U.S. government is investigating whether Russia is targeting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the run-up to the 2020 elections, Bloomberg reports.
The probe reportedly focuses on whether Russia’s continuing U.S. disinformation efforts are aimed at damaging Biden’s candidacy. That investigation at least partly focuses on whether the allegations against Biden regarding his work on the Ukraine crisis as vice president were spawned by Russian intelligence.
Many of those allegations have been spurred by President Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who traveled to Kyiv in December to speak with Ukrainians who were propagating the accusations. Bloomberg’s report suggests that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are looking into whether the allegations were created and propagated by the Russian government.
The effort to coerce the Ukrainian government into releasing dirt that would support the allegations led to President Trump’s impeachment. He is currently awaiting trial in the Senate.
There have long been suggestions that the allegations against Biden which spurred the third impeachment in U.S. history were the product of Russian intelligence. Former National Security Council Russia specialist Fiona Hill told lawmakers as much during her deposition in November, while Bob Woodward made a similar claim in his 2018 book Fear: Trump in the White House.
Bloomberg cited director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center William Evanina in the story as saying that Russia plans to ramp up its social media-based disinformation campaign for the 2020 election.
“In America, they’re using social media and many other tools to inflame social divisions, promote conspiracy theories and sow distrust in our democracy and elections,” Evanina told the outlet in a statement. “As we look ahead to 2020, one thing I can guarantee is they’ll keep up their influence campaigns and utilize new vectors of disinformation.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Doug Collins Retracts: ‘I Do Not Believe Democrats Are In Love With Terrorists’

Rep. Doug Collins ( R-GA ) on Friday recanted his bombastic claim that Democrats ’ push for the War Powers Act proves they are “ in love with terrorists.
” “ Let me be clear : I do not believe Democrats are in love with terrorists , and I apologize for what I said earlier this week , ” Collins tweeted , adding that his comment on Thursday was a response to Democrats ’ efforts to rein in President Donald Trump ’ s war powers in Iran after he ordered a drone strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touring in Iraq , he “ witnessed firsthand the brutal death of countless soldiers who were torn to shreds ” by Soleimani .
“ These images will live with me for the rest of my life , but that does not excuse my response on Wednesday evening , ” he tweeted .
Earlier on Friday , Collins defended his comment when Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked if he truly believed Democrats loved terrorists .
“ I think their actions are betraying them at this point , ” the Republican said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No .
I think the issue we have here , though , is the fact that they won ’ t acknowledge that [ Soleimani ] was a terrorist.
” “ They won ’ t acknowledge the fact that this was a good thing for the world , for Soleimani to be taken out , ” he continued .
“ And from my perspective , that needs to be called out.
” Collins ’ accusation was met with shock and anger on Thursday , particularly from Democrats who had fought overseas .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting terrorists , ” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth ( D-IL ) .
“ I don ’ t need to justify myself to anyone .
”

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) on Friday recanted his bombastic claim that Democrats’ push for the War Powers Act proves they are “in love with terrorists.”
“Let me be clear: I do not believe Democrats are in love with terrorists, and I apologize for what I said earlier this week,” Collins tweeted, adding that his comment on Thursday was a response to Democrats’ efforts to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran after he ordered a drone strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
The Republican lawmaker said that while he was touring in Iraq, he “witnessed firsthand the brutal death of countless soldiers who were torn to shreds” by Soleimani.
“These images will live with me for the rest of my life, but that does not excuse my response on Wednesday evening,” he tweeted.
Earlier on Friday, Collins defended his comment when Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked if he truly believed Democrats loved terrorists.
“I think their actions are betraying them at this point,” the Republican said. “Do all of them love terrorists? No. I think the issue we have here, though, is the fact that they won’t acknowledge that [Soleimani] was a terrorist.”
“They won’t acknowledge the fact that this was a good thing for the world, for Soleimani to be taken out,” he continued. “And from my perspective, that needs to be called out.”
Collins’ accusation was met with shock and anger on Thursday, particularly from Democrats who had fought overseas.
“I left parts of my body in Iraq fighting terrorists,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). “I don’t need to justify myself to anyone.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Pelosi Sets Stage To Send Impeachment Case To Senate Next Week

Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) said Friday that the House will vote to appoint impeachment managers next week , setting the stage for the impeachment articles against President Trump to be sent to the Senate soon after .
“ I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate , ” Pelosi said in a letter to her caucus .
“ I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House Democratic Caucus meeting on how we proceed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had unsuccessfully sought for more information from the Senate on how it planned to conduct its trial .
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) said Tuesday that he had enough Republican votes to move forward with the early stages of the proceedings without a bipartisan pre-trial agreement on witnesses , as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) had requested .
Pelosi then suggested she ’ d wait until McConnell unveiled the procedures package the Senate would advance with — another demand that McConnell blew off .
Instead , McConnell reportedly signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal to change the Senate rules to allow impeachment cases to be dismissed by the Senate before the articles were even transmitted by the House .
There was no indication McConnell intended to push forward with that route in the days to come in this current situation .
Nonetheless , Pelosi on Friday bashed McConnell ’ s endorsement of the idea .
“ A dismissal is a cover-up and deprives the American people of the truth , ” she said in Friday ’ s letter .
“ Leader McConnell ’ s tactics are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he and President Trump have regarding the facts of the President ’ s violations for which he was impeached.
” The last few weeks have focused on whether a Senate trial would be fair , including a fierce debate over whether the Senate should bring in additional witnesses and subpoena documents that were withheld by the Trump administration in the House ’ s impeachment inquiry .
The House ’ s impeachment articles charge Trump with abuse of power , for his efforts to force Ukraine to announce investigations into his political rivals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House ’ s stonewalling of the House ’ s investigation .
The push by President Trump ’ s allies for politically-motivated investigations in Ukraine percolated under the surface all summer .
But blowing the scandal open was the emergence of whistleblower complaint in September that connected Trump himself to the effort .
Under pressure from the furor fueled by the complaint , the White House released a rough transcript of a July phone call Trump held with the Ukrainian president , in which Trump requested that Ukraine open investigations into Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election .
Over the course of its multi-month investigation , the House heard witness testimony indicating that several administration officials were aware of or even participated in the pressure campaign .
Most damning was Trump ’ s ordered to freeze congressionally authorized military assistance to Ukraine as he and his proxies reiterated their demands .
Pelosi ’ s letter Friday touted the other revelations that have trickled out about Trump ’ s Ukraine campaign , mostly through news stories and open records litigation , since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For weeks now , Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been engaged in tactics of delay in presenting transparency , disregard for the American people ’ s interest for a fair trial and dismissal of the facts .
Yesterday , he showed his true colors and made his intentions to stonewall a fair trial even clearer by signing on to a resolution that would dismiss the charges .
A dismissal is a cover-up and deprives the American people of the truth .
Leader McConnell ’ s tactics are a clear indication of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have regarding the facts of the President ’ s violations for which he was impeached .
The American people have clearly expressed their view that we should have a fair trial with witnesses and documents , with more than 70 percent of the public stating that the President should allow his top aides to testify .
Clearly , Leader McConnell does not want to present witnesses and documents to Senators and the American people so they can make an independent judgment about the President ’ s actions .
Honoring our Constitution , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – to hold the President accountable for asking a foreign government to interfere in the 2020 elections for his own political and personal gain .
While the House was able to obtain compelling evidence of impeachable conduct , which is enough for removal , new information has emerged , which includes : • • On December 20 , new emails showed that 91 minutes after Trump ’ s phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky , a top Office of Management and Budget ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense to “ hold off ” on sending military aid to Ukraine .
• On December 29 , revelations emerged about OMB Director and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney ’ s role in the delay of aid , the effort by lawyers at the OMB , the Department of Justice and the White House to justify the delay , and the alarm that the delay caused within the Administration .
• On January 2 , newly-unredacted Pentagon emails , which we had subpoenaed and the President had blocked , raised serious concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the President ’ s hold on aid to Ukraine .
• And on January 6 , just this week , former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton announced he would comply with a subpoena compelling his testimony .
His lawyers have stated he has new relevant information .
I am very proud of the courage and patriotism exhibited by our House Democratic Caucus as we support and defend the Constitution .
I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Senate .
I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House Democratic Caucus meeting on how we proceed further .
In an impeachment trial , every Senator takes an oath to “ do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.
” Every Senator now faces a choice : to be loyal to the President or the Constitution .
No one is above the law , not even the President .

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Friday that the House will vote to appoint impeachment managers next week, setting the stage for the impeachment articles against President Trump to be sent to the Senate soon after.
“I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,” Pelosi said in a letter to her caucus. “I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House Democratic Caucus meeting on how we proceed further.”
The announcement comes after Pelosi had unsuccessfully sought for more information from the Senate on how it planned to conduct its trial. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday that he had enough Republican votes to move forward with the early stages of the proceedings without a bipartisan pre-trial agreement on witnesses, as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had requested. Pelosi then
suggested she’d wait until McConnell unveiled the procedures package the Senate would advance with — another demand that McConnell blew off. Instead, McConnell reportedly signed on to another GOP senator’s proposal to change the Senate rules to allow impeachment cases to be dismissed by the Senate before the articles were even transmitted by the House. There was no indication McConnell intended to push forward with that route in the days to come in this current situation.
Nonetheless, Pelosi on Friday bashed McConnell’s endorsement of the idea.
“A dismissal is a cover-up and deprives the American people of the truth,” she said in Friday’s letter. “Leader McConnell’s tactics are a clear indication of the fear that he and President Trump have regarding the facts of the President’s violations for which he was impeached.”
The last few weeks have focused on whether a Senate trial would be fair, including a fierce debate over whether the Senate should bring in additional witnesses and subpoena documents that were withheld by the Trump administration in the House’s impeachment inquiry.
The House’s impeachment articles charge Trump with abuse of power, for his efforts to force Ukraine to announce investigations into his political rivals, and with obstruction of Congress, for the White House’s stonewalling of the House’s investigation.
The push by President Trump’s allies for politically-motivated investigations in Ukraine percolated under the surface all summer. But blowing the scandal open was the emergence of whistleblower complaint in September that connected Trump himself to the effort. Under pressure from the furor fueled by the complaint, the White House released a rough transcript of a July phone call Trump held with the Ukrainian president, in which Trump requested that Ukraine open investigations into Joe Biden and into a theory that Democrats and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Over the course of its multi-month investigation, the House heard witness testimony indicating that several administration officials were aware of or even participated in the pressure campaign. Most damning was Trump’s ordered to freeze congressionally authorized military assistance to Ukraine as he and his proxies reiterated their demands.
Pelosi’s letter Friday touted the other revelations that have trickled out about Trump’s Ukraine campaign, mostly through news stories and open records litigation, since the House vote to approve the articles.
Read her full letter below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Dubious DOJ ‘Review’ Of Clinton That Trump Pushed Ends With A Whimper

A politically-driven DOJ “ review ” of the Clinton Foundation and other warmed-over Clinton-related stories , which President Donald Trump demanded in 2017 as the Mueller probe heated up , has essentially concluded with nothing to show for its work .
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah , John Huber , has finished the probe and found no criminal conduct to pursue , The Washington Post reported Thursday , citing unnamed current and former law enforcement officials .
The review followed an intense public push in 2017 by Trump and his allies in Congress to appoint a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robert Mueller .
The same month that Trump tweeted a push for a probe of Clinton , November 2017 , Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote to Huber , telling him to review existing evidence .
“ Your recommendations should include whether any matters not currently under investigation warrants the opening of an investigation , whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources or further investigation , and whether any matters would merit the appointment of a Special Counsel , ” Sessions said .
The Justice Department claimed no such written directive to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a public records lawsuit by the watchdog group American Oversight .
In addition to other seemingly never-ending probes , like one into Clinton ’ s use of a private email server as secretary of state , Huber pursued the non-scandal surrounding the Canadian mining company called Uranium One .
Uranium One ’ s chairman had donated to the Clinton Foundation , which fueled conservative conspiracy theories that Clinton had meddled in the approval process for the company ’ s acquisition by Russia ’ s nuclear energy agency Rosatom during her time as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t meddle in the deal — an independent board consisting of the the State Department and eight other federal agencies approved it — but it was a useful attack line for Republicans in 2016 and beyond .
Like many anti-Clinton attacks , the Uranium One story began with Peter Schweizer , the Breitbart contributor whose group , Government Accountability Institute , was founded by Steve Bannon , funded by the pro-Trump mega-donor Robert Mercer and chaired by Mercer ’ s daughter Rebekah .
The New York Times was heavily criticized for a 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation that independently built on Schweizer ’ s findings in his then-forthcoming book Clinton Cash , which , similarly was a wellspring of Clinton attacks .
The story spent years in conservative opposition research circles after that , from the then-Hill contributor John Solomon to a U.S.-based uranium company who cited Uranium One to appeal to the Trump administration for limits on foreign uranium imports .
“ We didn ’ t expect much of it , and neither did he , ” one unnamed person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review .
“ And as time went on , a lot of people just forgot about it .
”

A politically-driven DOJ “review” of the Clinton Foundation and other warmed-over Clinton-related stories, which President Donald Trump demanded in 2017 as the Mueller probe heated up, has essentially concluded with nothing to show for its work.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, John Huber, has finished the probe and found no criminal conduct to pursue, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing unnamed current and former law enforcement officials.
The review followed an intense public push in 2017 by Trump and his allies in Congress to appoint a second special counsel — counter-programming for special counsel Robert Mueller.
Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn't looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017
The same month that Trump tweeted a push for a probe of Clinton, November 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote to Huber, telling him to review existing evidence.
“Your recommendations should include whether any matters not currently under investigation warrants the opening of an investigation, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources or further investigation, and whether any matters would merit the appointment of a Special Counsel,” Sessions said.
The Justice Department claimed no such written directive to Huber existed; it was ultimately surfaced through a public records lawsuit by the watchdog group American Oversight.
In addition to other seemingly never-ending probes, like one into Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state, Huber pursued the non-scandal surrounding the Canadian mining company called Uranium One.
Uranium One’s chairman had donated to the Clinton Foundation, which fueled conservative conspiracy theories that Clinton had meddled in the approval process for the company’s acquisition by Russia’s nuclear energy agency Rosatom during her time as secretary of state.
Clinton didn’t meddle in the deal — an independent board consisting of the the State Department and eight other federal agencies approved it — but it was a useful attack line for Republicans in 2016 and beyond.
Like many anti-Clinton attacks, the Uranium One story began with Peter Schweizer, the Breitbart contributor whose group, Government Accountability Institute, was founded by Steve Bannon, funded by the pro-Trump mega-donor Robert Mercer and chaired by Mercer’s daughter Rebekah.
The New York Times was heavily criticized for a 2015 article on Uranium One and the Clinton Foundation that independently built on Schweizer’s findings in his then-forthcoming book Clinton Cash, which, similarly was a wellspring of Clinton attacks.
The story spent years in conservative opposition research circles after that, from the then-Hill contributor John Solomon to a U.S.-based uranium company who cited Uranium One to appeal to the Trump administration for limits on foreign uranium imports.
“We didn’t expect much of it, and neither did he,” one unnamed person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post Thursday, referring to Huber’s review.
“And as time went on, a lot of people just forgot about it.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--Pompeo Waffles On ‘Imminent’ Iran Threat: We Don’t Know ‘Precisely’ Where Or When

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on Thursday night that the alleged threat from Iran “ was real ” even though the Trump administration didn ’ t know when or where the attack was supposed to happen .
During an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham , Pompeo defended President Donald Trump ’ s drone strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani after Democrats and even two Republicans said the administration ’ s briefing to Congress on the strike did not sufficiently explain the reason for Soleimani ’ s assassination .
Pompeo accused the dissenting lawmakers of “ using this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qasem Soleimani , ” he said .
“ And we don ’ t know precisely when and we don ’ t know precisely where , but it was real.
” On Friday morning , Pompeo confirmed he has no idea exactly when Soleimani ’ s “ imminent ” attack was allegedly going to happen .
“ Completely true .
Those are completely consistent thoughts , ” he said when a reporter asked him about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know exactly which minute .
We don ’ t know exactly which day it would have been executed .
When CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins asked the secretary of state what his actual definition of “ imminent ” was , he merely insisted the attack “ was going to happen.
” The administration has refused to provided any evidence of Iran ’ s alleged plans to attack the U.S .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on Thursday night that the alleged threat from Iran “was real” even though the Trump administration didn’t know when or where the attack was supposed to happen.
During an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Pompeo defended President Donald Trump’s drone strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani after Democrats and even two Republicans said the administration’s briefing to Congress on the strike did not sufficiently explain the reason for Soleimani’s assassination.
Pompeo accused the dissenting lawmakers of “using this as a political axe to grind.”
“There is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qasem Soleimani,” he said. “And we don’t know precisely when and we don’t know precisely where, but it was real.”
Pompeo on the alleged “imminent threat” from Iran: “We don’t know precisely when and we don’t know precisely where, but it was real.” pic.twitter.com/oml5oeJgm6 — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 10, 2020
On Friday morning, Pompeo confirmed he has no idea exactly when Soleimani’s “imminent” attack was allegedly going to happen.
“Completely true. Those are completely consistent thoughts,” he said when a reporter asked him about his comments on Fox. “I don’t know exactly which minute. We don’t know exactly which day it would have been executed.
Pompeo confirms he doesn’t actually know when Iran was going to execute the “imminent” attack that the Trump admin claims the country was going to carry out. pic.twitter.com/SkUOzoPxUF — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 10, 2020
When CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins asked the secretary of state what his actual definition of “imminent” was, he merely insisted the attack “was going to happen.”
CNN correspondent asks Pompeo what his definition of "imminent" is after he says he doesn't know when Iran's "imminent" attack was supposed to happen. pic.twitter.com/W69YMqsuEp — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 10, 2020
The administration has refused to provided any evidence of Iran’s alleged plans to attack the U.S.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-01-10--State Department Rejects Iraqi PM’s Formal Request To Begin US Troop Withdrawal

Insisting that the U.S. “ is a force for good in the Middle East , ” the State Department on Friday shot down Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ’ s request that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo send delegates to devise a plan for the safe withdrawal of American forces from Iraq .
“ We have been unambiguous regarding how crucial our D-ISIS mission is in Iraq , ” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement .
“ At this time , any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but our right , appropriate force posture in the Middle East.
” Ortagus ’ response also seemed to hint at President Donald Trump ’ s threat to impose sanctions on Iraq and force it to “ pay us back ” for the American air base stationed there if the Middle Eastern country expels American forces .
“ There does , however , need to be a conversation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments not just regarding security , but about our financial , economic , and diplomatic partnership , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he had spoken to Pompeo over the phone on Thursday , during which he asked that the U.S. respect the Iraqi parliament ’ s resolution approving the expulsion of foreign forces from the country .
The past week has seen a major rise in hostilities with Iran thanks to President Donald Trump ’ s strike on a top Iranian military leader , and the chaos has been further complicated by the Trump administration ’ s fumbling response to Iraq ’ s decision to have foreign troops removed .
After Iraqi parliament passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump threatened to slap Iraq with “ very big sanctions.
” But the next day , the Pentagon sent a letter to Iraq ’ s Ministry of Defense saying the U.S. would leave Iraq — then Defense Department leaders walked back the letter and told the media there was “ no decision whatsoever ” to leave the country .
However , the Iraqi officials said on Tuesday that they expect the U.S. to follow through with its notice anyway .
“ As a state , we deal with the official letters that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accordance with this letter , ” an official told the Washington Post .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper stood firm on the Pentagon ’ s retraction of the letter .
“ We are not leaving Iraq , and a draft , unsigned letter does not constitute a policy change , ” he said during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon .

Insisting that the U.S. “is a force for good in the Middle East,” the State Department on Friday shot down Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s request that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo send delegates to devise a plan for the safe withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
“We have been unambiguous regarding how crucial our D-ISIS mission is in Iraq,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. “At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership—not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East.”
Ortagus’ response also seemed to hint at President Donald Trump’s threat to impose sanctions on Iraq and force it to “pay us back” for the American air base stationed there if the Middle Eastern country expels American forces.
“There does, however, need to be a conversation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments not just regarding security, but about our financial, economic, and diplomatic partnership,” she said.
Mahdi announced in a Facebook post that he had spoken to Pompeo over the phone on Thursday, during which he asked that the U.S. respect the Iraqi parliament’s resolution approving the expulsion of foreign forces from the country.
The past week has seen a major rise in hostilities with Iran thanks to President Donald Trump’s strike on a top Iranian military leader, and the chaos has been further complicated by the Trump administration’s fumbling response to Iraq’s decision to have foreign troops removed.
After Iraqi parliament passed its resolution on Sunday, President Donald Trump threatened to slap Iraq with “very big sanctions.”
But the next day, the Pentagon sent a letter to Iraq’s Ministry of Defense saying the U.S. would leave Iraq — then Defense Department leaders walked back the letter and told the media there was “no decision whatsoever” to leave the country.
However, the Iraqi officials said on Tuesday that they expect the U.S. to follow through with its notice anyway.
“As a state, we deal with the official letters that we receive, and we will act in accordance with this letter,” an official told the Washington Post.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper stood firm on the Pentagon’s retraction of the letter.
“We are not leaving Iraq, and a draft, unsigned letter does not constitute a policy change,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.