talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Trump’s Attacks Are ‘Designed To Intimidate And Punish’ Vindman, His Lawyer Says

President Donald Trump ’ s continued attacks against the former National Security Council official he removed are meant to intimidate and punish him , the man ’ s lawyer said Thursday .
Trump removed Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Vindman ’ s twin brother from the NSC on Friday over Vindman ’ s testimony against Trump in the House impeachment probe .
Since then , he ’ s attacked Vindman on Twitter .
In a Thursday interview with Fox News ’ Geraldo Rivera , Trump claimed that “ Vindman was the guy that , when we took him out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Vindman ’ s lawyer said that comment and others were meant to punish Vindman and encourage others to break the law .
“ The continued public attacks by the President of the United States on an active duty officer in the military are designed to intimidate and to punish , ” Vindman ’ s lawyer David Pressman said in a statement , adding : “ By using the power of his office to repeatedly humiliate and punish those following the law , the President is encouraging breaking the law.
” “ LTC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President would have him defy it , ” Pressman said .
“ LTC Vindman told the truth under oath .
The President would have him lie .
”

President Donald Trump’s continued attacks against the former National Security Council official he removed are meant to intimidate and punish him, the man’s lawyer said Thursday.
Trump removed Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Vindman’s twin brother from the NSC on Friday over Vindman’s testimony against Trump in the House impeachment probe. Since then, he’s attacked Vindman on Twitter.
In a Thursday interview with Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera, Trump claimed that “Vindman was the guy that, when we took him out of the building, the building applauded.”
Vindman’s lawyer said that comment and others were meant to punish Vindman and encourage others to break the law.
“The continued public attacks by the President of the United States on an active duty officer in the military are designed to intimidate and to punish,” Vindman’s lawyer David Pressman said in a statement, adding: “By using the power of his office to repeatedly humiliate and punish those following the law, the President is encouraging breaking the law.”
“LTC Vindman complied with a subpoena. The President would have him defy it,” Pressman said. “LTC Vindman told the truth under oath. The President would have him lie.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--New Clues Emerge About Barr’s Investigate The Investigators Jihad

A new report out Thursday offers new clues about the DOJ investigation into the origins of the Russia probe that was ultimately led by special counsel Robert Mueller .
The federal prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr to conduct the investigation appears suspicious of Obama-era intelligence officials ’ hesitancy to share information with other agencies about Russian meddling in the 2016 election , The New York Times reported Thursday .
The Times , citing unnamed people familiar with aspects of the inquiry , reported that the Trump investigators “ appear to be hunting for a basis to accuse Obama-era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysis about Moscow ’ s covert operation , ” in the paper ’ s words .
Last year Barr tasked John Durham , the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut , with investigating the investigators behind the Russia probe .
The probe has widened over time , and Barr himself has gotten involved .
So far , the Times reported , Durham and his investigators ’ questions of various intelligence analysts imply he may be looking at Trump ’ s political enemies , including the former CIA director and Trump critic John Brennan .
Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the C.I.A.
, under its former director John O. Brennan , had a preconceived notion about Russia or was trying to get to a particular result — and was nefariously trying to keep other agencies from seeing the full picture lest they interfere with that goal , the people said .
Durham and his investigators have interviewed analysts at multiple agencies who sought to learn more about Russian meddling in 2016 , including the CIA , FBI , NSA and others .
Those agencies concluded that Russia meddled in the election to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Durham has focused in on a number of instances in which some analysts “ sought access to delicate information from the other agencies and were told — initially , at least — that they could not see it.
” Those episodes included a dispute over a dataset , an NSA request for information about a CIA source within the Kremlin who was extracted to the United States in 2017 , and emails belonging to American officials that had been hacked by Russians .
The motives and rationales behind various disputes can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The analysts could have been engaged in standard bureaucratic behavior like obeying the filtering process or hoarding sensitive information .
Or perhaps they were trying to cover something up .
The questions asked by Mr. Durham and his team suggest they are looking for any potential basis to support making the latter reading , officials said .
In December , Barr said he didn ’ t expect Durham ’ s report to be ready “ for quite a few months .
”

A new report out Thursday offers new clues about the DOJ investigation into the origins of the Russia probe that was ultimately led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The federal prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr to conduct the investigation appears suspicious of Obama-era intelligence officials’ hesitancy to share information with other agencies about Russian meddling in the 2016 election, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The Times, citing unnamed people familiar with aspects of the inquiry, reported that the Trump investigators “appear to be hunting for a basis to accuse Obama-era intelligence officials of hiding evidence or manipulating analysis about Moscow’s covert operation,” in the paper’s words.
Last year Barr tasked John Durham, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, with investigating the investigators behind the Russia probe. The probe has widened over time, and Barr himself has gotten involved.
So far, the Times reported, Durham and his investigators’ questions of various intelligence analysts imply he may be looking at Trump’s political enemies, including the former CIA director and Trump critic John Brennan.
The Times reported:
Mr. Durham appears to be pursuing a theory that the C.I.A., under its former director John O. Brennan, had a preconceived notion about Russia or was trying to get to a particular result — and was nefariously trying to keep other agencies from seeing the full picture lest they interfere with that goal, the people said.
Durham and his investigators have interviewed analysts at multiple agencies who sought to learn more about Russian meddling in 2016, including the CIA, FBI, NSA and others. Those agencies concluded that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win.
Per the Times, Durham has focused in on a number of instances in which some analysts “sought access to delicate information from the other agencies and were told — initially, at least — that they could not see it.”
Those episodes included a dispute over a dataset, an NSA request for information about a CIA source within the Kremlin who was extracted to the United States in 2017, and emails belonging to American officials that had been hacked by Russians.
The motives and rationales behind various disputes can be read multiple ways, the paper caveated:
The analysts could have been engaged in standard bureaucratic behavior like obeying the filtering process or hoarding sensitive information. Or perhaps they were trying to cover something up. The questions asked by Mr. Durham and his team suggest they are looking for any potential basis to support making the latter reading, officials said.
In December, Barr said he didn’t expect Durham’s report to be ready “for quite a few months.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Barr Says Trump Tweets Make It ‘Impossible’ For Him To Do His Job

Attorney General Bill Barr said that President Donald Trump ’ s tweets make it “ impossible ” for him to do his job , but denied that he took his cue to lessen Roger Stone ’ s sentencing recommendation from the President ’ s social media statements .
In an interview with ABC News , Barr said “ I think it ’ s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.
” “ I can not do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me , ” he added .
Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggest that he “ intervened ” in the Stone sentencing matter , Barr said that after he decided independently to recommend a lighter sentence for Stone , Trump sent out his tweet and made the decision seem politically steered .
“ Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet ?
” Barr asked .
“ And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be.
” Barr has become the subject of Democratic outrage over Stone , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement official for “ taking charge ” of the case after the Department of Justice announced that it would lessen its prosecutors ’ original sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison .
That sudden reversal caused the withdrawal of all four DOJ prosecutors from the case .
In his ABC interview , Barr professed his independence , proclaiming that he won ’ t be “ bullied by anybody…whether it ’ s Congress , newspaper editorial boards , or the President.
” Barr said directly that he has “ a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding that it makes it difficult to keep the criminal process “ sacrosanct ” and devoid of any “ political influence.
” But , Barr went on , he ’ s “ happy to say that , in fact the President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.
” When asked if he is prepared for the President ’ s inevitable backlash to his statements , Barr was succinct : “ of course.
” The attorney general said that he makes decisions based on what he thinks is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) issued a statement soon after parts of the interview aired , declaring his “ complete confidence ” in Barr , perhaps to head off Trump ’ s inevitable anger .
“ President Trump , in selecting Bill Barr to be Attorney General , has done a great service to the people serving in the Department of Justice and our nation as a whole , ” he said .
“ He is the right man at the right time to reform the Department and stand up for the Rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31 .
Democrats on the committee have already forewarned Barr that they will ask about his involvement with the Stone sentencing debacle .
Watch some of Barr ’ s interview here :

Attorney General Bill Barr said that President Donald Trump’s tweets make it “impossible” for him to do his job, but denied that he took his cue to lessen Roger Stone’s sentencing recommendation from the President’s social media statements.
In an interview with ABC News, Barr said “I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.”
“I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me,” he added.
Though he called it “preposterous” to suggest that he “intervened” in the Stone sentencing matter, Barr said that after he decided independently to recommend a lighter sentence for Stone, Trump sent out his tweet and made the decision seem politically steered.
“Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet?” Barr asked. “And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be.”
Barr has become the subject of Democratic outrage over Stone, as Trump congratulated the nation’s top law enforcement official for “taking charge” of the case after the Department of Justice announced that it would lessen its prosecutors’ original sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison. That sudden reversal caused the withdrawal of all four DOJ prosecutors from the case.
In his ABC interview, Barr professed his independence, proclaiming that he won’t be “bullied by anybody…whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial boards, or the President.”
Barr said directly that he has “a problem with some of the tweets,” adding that it makes it difficult to keep the criminal process “sacrosanct” and devoid of any “political influence.” But, Barr went on, he’s “happy to say that, in fact the President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.”
When asked if he is prepared for the President’s inevitable backlash to his statements, Barr was succinct: “of course.” The attorney general said that he makes decisions based on what he thinks is “the right thing to do.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a statement soon after parts of the interview aired, declaring his “complete confidence” in Barr, perhaps to head off Trump’s inevitable anger.
“President Trump, in selecting Bill Barr to be Attorney General, has done a great service to the people serving in the Department of Justice and our nation as a whole,” he said. “He is the right man at the right time to reform the Department and stand up for the Rule of Law.”
Barr is slated to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31. Democrats on the committee have already forewarned Barr that they will ask about his involvement with the Stone sentencing debacle.
Watch some of Barr’s interview here:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Trump Claims Without Evidence ‘Many People’ In The WH Applauded After Vindman’s Firing

President Trump claimed , without any evidence , that “ many people ” in the White House applauded after impeachment probe witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the building last Friday following his ouster from the National Security Council .
A day after Vindman and his twin brother were abruptly fired in an ongoing campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes , Trump piled on in a series of tweets .
On Saturday , Trump tweeted that he didn ’ t know Vindman but claimed he was “ very insubordinate.
” Trump has received backlash from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former White House chief of staff John Kelly since Vindman ’ s ouster .
On Monday , White House counselor Kellyanne Conway shrugged off the firing of the Vindman brothers by telling “ Fox and Friends ” hosts on Monday that “ they didn ’ t get fired , they just got relocated.
” Trump made his latest comments Thursday in a podcast interview with Fox News host Geraldo Rivera , who characterized the vibe in the West Wing being “ a nest of vipers and snitches and backstabbers and rats.
” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrible things ” about his now-infamous July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his impeachment inquiry testimony .
“ First of all , that ’ s very insubordinate , why wouldn ’ t he go to his immediate – he went to Congress or he went to Schiff or he went to somebody , ” Trump said .
Trump then claimed that “ Vindman was the guy that , when we took him out of the building , the building applauded.
” “ I don ’ t know if you heard that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he was unaware of the supposed applause .
“ The whole building , many of the people in the building started applauding.
” Trump added that he ’ s “ not a fan of Vindman ” and denied that he ever met him .
“ Just so you understand , many of these people I ’ ve never met , ” Trump said .
“ But I ’ m not a fan of Vindman , no question about it.
” When TPM asked for comment regarding Trump ’ s claim , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record .
Listen to Trump ’ s remarks on Vindman below starting at the 10:30 mark :

President Trump claimed, without any evidence, that “many people” in the White House applauded after impeachment probe witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the building last Friday following his ouster from the National Security Council.
A day after Vindman and his twin brother were abruptly fired in an ongoing campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes, Trump piled on in a series of tweets. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he didn’t know Vindman but claimed he was “very insubordinate.”
Trump has received backlash from both Vindman’s former supervisor and former White House chief of staff John Kelly since Vindman’s ouster. On Monday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway shrugged off the firing of the Vindman brothers by telling “Fox and Friends” hosts on Monday that “they didn’t get fired, they just got relocated.”
Trump made his latest comments Thursday in a podcast interview with Fox News host Geraldo Rivera, who characterized the vibe in the West Wing being “a nest of vipers and snitches and backstabbers and rats.” Trump then railed against Vindman for saying “terrible things” about his now-infamous July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his impeachment inquiry testimony.
“First of all, that’s very insubordinate, why wouldn’t he go to his immediate – he went to Congress or he went to Schiff or he went to somebody,” Trump said.
Trump then claimed that “Vindman was the guy that, when we took him out of the building, the building applauded.”
“I don’t know if you heard that,” Trump told Rivera, who said he was unaware of the supposed applause. “The whole building, many of the people in the building started applauding.”
Trump added that he’s “not a fan of Vindman” and denied that he ever met him.
“Just so you understand, many of these people I’ve never met,” Trump said. “But I’m not a fan of Vindman, no question about it.”
When TPM asked for comment regarding Trump’s claim, the White House declined to comment on the record.
Listen to Trump’s remarks on Vindman below starting at the 10:30 mark:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Trump Demands NY Drop Its ‘Unnecessary Lawsuits’ As He Freezes Travel Program

It looks like New York is the new Ukraine .
On Thursday , Trump made a veiled threat toward the state of New York , home of multiple lawsuits against him , ahead of his meeting with New York governor Andrew Cuomo ( D ) to discuss the Department of Homeland Security ’ s freeze on its “ Trusted Travelers ” programs for New Yorkers .
The freeze was enacted last week in response to New York ’ s new law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver ’ s licenses and prevents ICE and CBP from accessing New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the decision was made out of political retaliation on Thursday , tweeting that Cuomo “ must understand that National Security far exceeds politics.
” Then he added : “ New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harassment [ sic ] , start cleaning itself up , and lowering taxes.
” The comment appeared to be a threat to force the state to drop the numerous lawsuits New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed against his aggressive anti-immigration policies , including the “ Trusted Travelers ” program freeze .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization and has subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for the President ’ s financial records in her inquiry .
Trump ’ s tweet also echoes how he frequently complains that investigations into his businesses or administration are forms of “ harassment ” against him .
James fired back at Trump , tweeting that her state would cease the lawsuits “ when you stop violating the rights and liberties of all New Yorkers.
” “ Until then , we have a duty and responsibility to defend the Constitution and the rule of law , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lawsuits , not the Governor .
”

It looks like New York is the new Ukraine.
On Thursday, Trump made a veiled threat toward the state of New York, home of multiple lawsuits against him, ahead of his meeting with New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s freeze on its “Trusted Travelers” programs for New Yorkers. The freeze was enacted last week in response to New York’s new law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and prevents ICE and CBP from accessing New York’s DMV records.
Trump denied that the decision was made out of political retaliation on Thursday, tweeting that Cuomo “must understand that National Security far exceeds politics.”
Then he added: “New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harrassment [sic], start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes.”
The comment appeared to be a threat to force the state to drop the numerous lawsuits New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed against his aggressive anti-immigration policies, including the “Trusted Travelers” program freeze. She is also currently investigating the Trump Organization and has subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for the President’s financial records in her inquiry.
Trump’s tweet also echoes how he frequently complains that investigations into his businesses or administration are forms of “harassment” against him.
James fired back at Trump, tweeting that her state would cease the lawsuits “when you stop violating the rights and liberties of all New Yorkers.”
“Until then, we have a duty and responsibility to defend the Constitution and the rule of law,” she wrote. “BTW, I file the lawsuits, not the Governor.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--All The Ways Trump Is Dead Wrong About Juror Bias In Roger Stone Case

President Trump accused the jury foreperson in the trial of GOP provocateur Roger Stone of “ bias ” on Thursday , a claim that shows the President ’ s willingness to intervene in the judicial system on behalf of a political ally and friend .
But the claim also lacks founding in reality , and ignores the numerous chances that Stone and his defense attorneys had to examine all potential jurors in the case .
Besides attacking the independence of the judiciary and , in the words of one former DOJ official , potentially “ chilling ” future jurors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternate universe : one in which Stone and his lawyers were deprived of the opportunity to interview and suss out the backgrounds of the members of the jury that were selected to judge him .
Trump made the accusation in a tweet , apparently inspired by articles in the right-wing media suggesting that the jury foreperson ’ s earlier decision to run for office as a Democrat discredited the jury .
“ What he is doing is attempting to intervene directly in a pending criminal case involving a political ally , ” retired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lecturer at Harvard Law School , told TPM .
“ This is what banana republics do.
” The Jurors Were All Interviewed Multiple attorneys who have practiced federal criminal law for years in various parts of the justice system emphasized to TPM that the jury selection process for a federal trial is explicitly designed to eliminate the complaint at the heart of President Trump ’ s accusation : bias that would prevent a juror from fairly weighing the facts and law of a case .
Defense attorneys and prosecutors submit questions to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jurors designed to suss out aspects of their background , information diet , and views related to the case at hand .
“ The whole process is designed to flag potential bias , ” Timothy Heaphy , a former U.S. Attorney who is now general counsel for the University of Virginia , told TPM .
This occurred in the Stone case .
Defense attorneys were also granted peremptory strikes , which allows jurors to be stricken for any permissible reason .
Mark W. Bennett , a former Iowa federal judge , told TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his allies could raise relevant issues about the jury post-trial : if information showing that the juror initially gave false or incomplete information emerged .
“ The only way it could be a problem post-trial would be if they asked a question and the jury foreperson provided an inaccurate , incomplete , or incorrect answer , ” said Bennett , the former federal judge .
No evidence has been publicly brought forth to suggest that that was the case with respect to the juror that Trump referenced .
In fact , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ juror disclosed her political affiliation and past involvement with Democratic political campaigns during the selection process , as required .
Gertner , another former federal judge , examined the questionnaires used in the Stone trial .
“ It ’ s critical that she disclosed , ” Gertner said , emphasizing that there could only be any further issue if what the foreperson initially said was somehow incomplete .
Stone Got A Fair Shot At Examining Them Trump and his allies ’ claim that the foreperson suffered from bias also mistakes a key pillar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people enter the process with independent backgrounds and political views .
The process , rather , is designed to remove those who can not fairly judge evidence and make decisions on the law before them .
In the Stone case , his defense attorneys reportedly interviewed several of the jurors during selection , and submitted interrogatories for the jury questionnaire .
“ They should have had ample opportunity to ferret out any bias and remove a juror , ” said Bennett .
His attorneys could have appealed any ruling made by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but there ’ s no evidence that they did so .
Once the jury pool was finalized , that was Stone ’ s last opportunity to contest issues like the composition of those set to judge him .
The question now is less Stone ’ s fate and more what affect a week of pressure on both the prosecutorial and judicial branches of government will have on the criminal justice system .
“ As a longtime federal prosecutor , I ’ m shocked and really disappointed in the White House being involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Heaphy , the former U.S. attorney .
“ This is going to chill people from wanting to serve on juries , ” he added .
“ It ’ s going to chill the exercise of the law by line federal prosecutors.
” Gertner , the former federal judge , added that it ran the risk of turning prosecutors “ from professionals into political lackeys.
” “ It ’ s making everyone from one end of the country to the other who are working for the DOJ decide if they can continue in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she added .

President Trump accused the jury foreperson in the trial of GOP provocateur Roger Stone of “bias” on Thursday, a claim that shows the President’s willingness to intervene in the judicial system on behalf of a political ally and friend.
But the claim also lacks founding in reality, and ignores the numerous chances that Stone and his defense attorneys had to examine all potential jurors in the case.
Besides attacking the independence of the judiciary and, in the words of one former DOJ official, potentially “chilling” future jurors, Trump’s claim exists in an alternate universe: one in which Stone and his lawyers were deprived of the opportunity to interview and suss out the backgrounds of the members of the jury that were selected to judge him.
Trump made the accusation in a tweet, apparently inspired by articles in the right-wing media suggesting that the jury foreperson’s earlier decision to run for office as a Democrat discredited the jury.
“What he is doing is attempting to intervene directly in a pending criminal case involving a political ally,” retired federal judge Nancy Gertner, now a lecturer at Harvard Law School, told TPM. “This is what banana republics do.”
The Jurors Were All Interviewed
Multiple attorneys who have practiced federal criminal law for years in various parts of the justice system emphasized to TPM that the jury selection process for a federal trial is explicitly designed to eliminate the complaint at the heart of President Trump’s accusation: bias that would prevent a juror from fairly weighing the facts and law of a case.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors submit questions to the judge, who creates a questionnaire for jurors designed to suss out aspects of their background, information diet, and views related to the case at hand.
“The whole process is designed to flag potential bias,” Timothy Heaphy, a former U.S. Attorney who is now general counsel for the University of Virginia, told TPM.
This occurred in the Stone case. Defense attorneys were also granted peremptory strikes, which allows jurors to be stricken for any permissible reason.
The Juror In Question Revealed Relevant Information
Mark W. Bennett, a former Iowa federal judge, told TPM that there was one way that Stone and his allies could raise relevant issues about the jury post-trial: if information showing that the juror initially gave false or incomplete information emerged.
“The only way it could be a problem post-trial would be if they asked a question and the jury foreperson provided an inaccurate, incomplete, or incorrect answer,” said Bennett, the former federal judge.
No evidence has been publicly brought forth to suggest that that was the case with respect to the juror that Trump referenced.
In fact, the Washington Post reported on Thursday that the juror disclosed her political affiliation and past involvement with Democratic political campaigns during the selection process, as required.
Gertner, another former federal judge, examined the questionnaires used in the Stone trial.
“It’s critical that she disclosed,” Gertner said, emphasizing that there could only be any further issue if what the foreperson initially said was somehow incomplete.
Stone Got A Fair Shot At Examining Them
Trump and his allies’ claim that the foreperson suffered from bias also mistakes a key pillar of the jury system: it accepts that people enter the process with independent backgrounds and political views.
The process, rather, is designed to remove those who cannot fairly judge evidence and make decisions on the law before them.
In the Stone case, his defense attorneys reportedly interviewed several of the jurors during selection, and submitted interrogatories for the jury questionnaire.
“They should have had ample opportunity to ferret out any bias and remove a juror,” said Bennett.
His attorneys could have appealed any ruling made by the judge at that stage of the case, but there’s no evidence that they did so. Once the jury pool was finalized, that was Stone’s last opportunity to contest issues like the composition of those set to judge him.
The question now is less Stone’s fate and more what affect a week of pressure on both the prosecutorial and judicial branches of government will have on the criminal justice system.
“As a longtime federal prosecutor, I’m shocked and really disappointed in the White House being involved in any specific criminal case,” said Heaphy, the former U.S. attorney.
“This is going to chill people from wanting to serve on juries,” he added. “It’s going to chill the exercise of the law by line federal prosecutors.”
Gertner, the former federal judge, added that it ran the risk of turning prosecutors “from professionals into political lackeys.”
“It’s making everyone from one end of the country to the other who are working for the DOJ decide if they can continue in their jobs as independent professionals,” she added.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Above The Neck? The Mudslinging Between Bloomberg And Trump Confusingly Escalates

The feud between President Trump and Mike Bloomberg appears to be escalating .
Trump kicked off Thursday morning with with tweet taking aim at Bloomberg , reminding him of former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle and calling the former New York mayor a “ 5 ’ 4′ mass of dead energy.
” Trump also seemed to take aim at the backlash Bloomberg has recently faced over his controversial “ stop and frisk ” policing policy , despite the President supporting the policy himself .
The latest mudslinging between Bloomberg and Trump comes as Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with his robust campaign spending .
He is expected to qualify for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate next week in Las Vegas ahead of the state ’ s caucuses .
TPM has reached out to Trump and Bloomberg ’ s campaigns .
We will update this post if we hear back .
It didn ’ t take long for Bloomberg to hit back , tweeting within minutes that people who they mutually know in New York call Trump “ a carnival barking clown ” behind his back .
Bloomberg also responded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his height during a campaign event in Greensboro , North Carolina .
“ Somebody said , you know , that he ’ s tall and he calls me little Mike , ” Bloomberg said .
“ And the answer is : Donald , where I come from we measure your height from your neck up.
” This isn ’ t the first Trump has launched attacks against Bloomberg .
Earlier this month , Trump told Fox News during a pre-Super Bowl interview that he thinks “ of little ” upon hearing Bloomberg ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now he wants a box for the debates to stand on .
OK , ” Trump said on Fox News earlier this month .
“ It ’ s OK.
There ’ s nothing wrong .
You can be short .
Why should he get a box to stand on ?
He wants a box for the debates .
Why should he be entitled ?
Does that mean everyone else gets a box ?
” In response , Bloomberg ’ s campaign said that “ the President is lying and that he “ is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : his fake hair , his obesity , and his spray-on tan.
” Correction : This post originally said that Greensboro was in South Carolina .
We regret the error .

The feud between President Trump and Mike Bloomberg appears to be escalating.
Trump kicked off Thursday morning with with tweet taking aim at Bloomberg, reminding him of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle and calling the former New York mayor a “5’4′ mass of dead energy.”
Trump also seemed to take aim at the backlash Bloomberg has recently faced over his controversial “stop and frisk” policing policy, despite the President supporting the policy himself.
Mini Mike Bloomberg is a LOSER who has money but can’t debate and has zero presence, you will see. He reminds me of a tiny version of Jeb “Low Energy” Bush, but Jeb has more political skill and has treated the Black community much better than Mini! https://t.co/qIef5VhjDr — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Mini Mike is a 5’4” mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians. No boxes please. He hates Crazy Bernie and will, with enough money, possibly stop him. Bernie’s people will go nuts! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
The latest mudslinging between Bloomberg and Trump comes as Bloomberg has gained traction in the polls, along with his robust campaign spending. He is expected to qualify for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate next week in Las Vegas ahead of the state’s caucuses.
TPM has reached out to Trump and Bloomberg’s campaigns. We will update this post if we hear back.
It didn’t take long for Bloomberg to hit back, tweeting within minutes that people who they mutually know in New York call Trump “a carnival barking clown” behind his back.
.@realDonaldTrump – we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence. I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg — Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 13, 2020
Bloomberg also responded to Trump’s Thursday morning jabs about his height during a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Somebody said, you know, that he’s tall and he calls me little Mike,” Bloomberg said. “And the answer is: Donald, where I come from we measure your height from your neck up.”
Bloomberg responds to Trump attacks pic.twitter.com/2HAaKqggeL — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 13, 2020
This isn’t the first Trump has launched attacks against Bloomberg. Earlier this month, Trump told Fox News during a pre-Super Bowl interview that he thinks “of little” upon hearing Bloomberg’s name.
“You know, now he wants a box for the debates to stand on. OK,” Trump said on Fox News earlier this month. “It’s OK. There’s nothing wrong. You can be short. Why should he get a box to stand on? He wants a box for the debates. Why should he be entitled? Does that mean everyone else gets a box?”
In response, Bloomberg’s campaign said that “the President is lying and that he “is a pathological liar who lies about everything: his fake hair, his obesity, and his spray-on tan.”
Correction: This post originally said that Greensboro was in South Carolina. We regret the error.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Pelosi Says Barr ‘Deeply Damaged The Rule Of Law,’ But Dismisses Impeaching Him

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) threw cold water on the idea of impeaching Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday , saying that she is not going to “ spend all of our time going after every lie the administration henchmen make to the Congress of the United States.
” The lying to Congress charge seems to hail back to an accusation Pelosi made in May 2019 .
Then , she accused Barr of lying to the House Appropriations Committee when he said he had no knowledge of any concerns former Special Counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigators had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the report .
In reality , Mueller had written to Barr personally , conveying his worry that the omissive summary would undermine “ public confidence ” in his findings .
Now , Democrats have renewed calls for Barr ’ s impeachment , this time for his involvement in the Roger Stone sentencing debacle .
After Department of Justice prosecutors told the court that Stone should serve seven to nine years in prison for his crimes , President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday morning that the sentence was overzealous and a “ miscarriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DOJ announced that it would revise the sentencing recommendation .
All four prosecutors withdrew from the case .
In yet another tweet , Trump credited Barr with leading the reversal of course : The exchanges prompted outrage from Democrats , with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on the DOJ inspector general to investigate , and for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing .
“ The president is claiming that rigging the rules is perfectly legitimate , ” Schumer said Wednesday from the Senate floor .
“ He claims an absolute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do whatever he wants .
And the President has as his attorney general an enabler.
” During her press conference , Pelosi added that Barr ’ s actions had “ deeply damaged the rule of law ” and said that the Stone interference , plus Trump ’ s abrupt firing of impeachment witnesses , must be “ investigated.
” “ The American people must have confidence in our nation ’ s system of impartial justice , ” she said , urging Senate Republicans to take action .
That seems unlikely , after Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissed the idea of holding a hearing .
However , Barr has agreed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31 .
Democratic members of the committee sent Barr a letter warning him that his involvement in the Stone matter is a subject they will be eager to ask him about .
For her part , Pelosi applauded the committee ’ s upcoming investigatory efforts , adding only that she “ wished ” the hearing was “ sooner .
”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threw cold water on the idea of impeaching Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday, saying that she is not going to “spend all of our time going after every lie the administration henchmen make to the Congress of the United States.”
The lying to Congress charge seems to hail back to an accusation Pelosi made in May 2019.
Then, she accused Barr of lying to the House Appropriations Committee when he said he had no knowledge of any concerns former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators had about Barr’s now-infamous four-page summary of the report. In reality, Mueller had written to Barr personally, conveying his worry that the omissive summary would undermine “public confidence” in his findings.
Now, Democrats have renewed calls for Barr’s impeachment, this time for his involvement in the Roger Stone sentencing debacle.
After Department of Justice prosecutors told the court that Stone should serve seven to nine years in prison for his crimes, President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday morning that the sentence was overzealous and a “miscarriage of justice.”
Immediately after, the DOJ announced that it would revise the sentencing recommendation. All four prosecutors withdrew from the case.
In yet another tweet, Trump credited Barr with leading the reversal of course:
Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020
The exchanges prompted outrage from Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on the DOJ inspector general to investigate, and for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing.
“The president is claiming that rigging the rules is perfectly legitimate,” Schumer said Wednesday from the Senate floor. “He claims an absolute right to order the Justice Department to do whatever he wants. And the President has as his attorney general an enabler.”
During her press conference, Pelosi added that Barr’s actions had “deeply damaged the rule of law” and said that the Stone interference, plus Trump’s abrupt firing of impeachment witnesses, must be “investigated.”
“The American people must have confidence in our nation’s system of impartial justice,” she said, urging Senate Republicans to take action.
That seems unlikely, after Senate Judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) dismissed the idea of holding a hearing. However, Barr has agreed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31.
Democratic members of the committee sent Barr a letter warning him that his involvement in the Stone matter is a subject they will be eager to ask him about.
For her part, Pelosi applauded the committee’s upcoming investigatory efforts, adding only that she “wished” the hearing was “sooner.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-13--Report: Former U.S. Attorney Liu Resigns After Trump Withdraws Nom For Treasury Post

Jessie Liu , the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia , has resigned from the Treasury Department after having her nomination to a new post in the department withdrawn by the President , CNN reported citing an unnamed administration official .
Liu ’ s resignation punctuates a wild , month-long ride for the former top federal cop in D.C. Trump nominated the prosecutor on Jan. 6 to become Treasury Department ’ s undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes , while she was still serving as the U.S. attorney for an office handling several high-profile political cases including those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then , on Jan. 30 , Attorney General Bill Barr announced that his close adviser Timothy Shea would be taking over as U.S. Attorney on an interim basis , even though Liu had not been confirmed for her new role at the Treasury Department yet .
The move came as prosecutors in Liu ’ s office revised their sentencing recommendation for Flynn , the Trump-allied former national security adviser , telling the court that probation would be sufficient for his offenses .
Several days after Liu ’ s ouster as U.S. Attorney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he spend 7-9 years in prison — which Trump tweeted at 2 a.m. would be a “ miscarriage of justice ” for his confidante and which , within hours , was watered down in a new sentencing recommendation pushed by senior DOJ officials .
Four career prosecutors withdrew from the Stone case , and one resigned from the Justice Department altogether .
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Liu was tapped to a post as senior counselor to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the end of January .
It ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that capacity before her reported resignation Thursday .
Multiple reports linked the Stone sentencing recommendation and other politically sensitive cases to Trump losing faith in Liu as a nominee .

Jessie Liu, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has resigned from the Treasury Department after having her nomination to a new post in the department withdrawn by the President, CNN reported citing an unnamed administration official.
Liu’s resignation punctuates a wild, month-long ride for the former top federal prosecutor in D.C.
Trump nominated the prosecutor on Jan. 6 to become Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, while she was still serving as the U.S. attorney for an office handling several high-profile political cases including those of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.
Then, on Jan. 30, Attorney General Bill Barr announced that his close adviser Timothy Shea would be taking over as U.S. Attorney on an interim basis, even though Liu had not been confirmed for her new role at the Treasury Department yet. The move came as prosecutors in Liu’s office revised their sentencing recommendation for Flynn, the Trump-allied former national security adviser, telling the court that probation would be sufficient for his offenses.
Several days after Liu’s ouster as U.S. Attorney, career prosecutors in the Stone case recommended he spend 7-9 years in prison — which Trump tweeted at 2 a.m. would be a “miscarriage of justice” for his confidante and which, within hours, was watered down in a new sentencing recommendation pushed by senior DOJ officials. Four career prosecutors withdrew from the Stone case, and one resigned from the Justice Department altogether.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Liu was tapped to a post as senior counselor to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the end of January. It’s not clear to what extent Liu served in that capacity before her reported resignation Thursday.
Multiple reports linked the Stone sentencing recommendation and other politically sensitive cases to Trump losing faith in Liu as a nominee.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Roger Stone Requests New Trial Amid Presidential Meddling Scandal

Roger Stone ’ s attorneys have requested a new trial amid fierce criticism in Washington that President Donald Trump exerted political pressure to help his friend and confidante .
The Washington Post reported the news Friday citing a sealed filing in Stone ’ s case .
Stone ’ s legal reasoning for seeking a new trial isn ’ t known .
Trump himself in recent days has smeared the jury foreperson in Stone ’ s case based on her politics , even though Stone ’ s lawyers — like lawyers for every other criminal defendant — had a chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start of his trial .
Stone was convicted by a jury in November of all seven counts against him , including for witness tampering and lying to Congress .
The career prosecutors on his case from the U.S. Attorney ’ s office for the District of Columbia initially recommended a 7–9 year prison sentence in a filing this week .
But after an angry tweet from the President about the suggested sentence , Attorney General Barr had other prosecutors file a new , watered-down proposal .
Following the change , the four career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrew from Stone ’ s case .
One of them resigned entirely from the Justice Department .
Prosecutors were ordered to respond to Stone ’ s motion by Feb. 18 .

Roger Stone’s attorneys have requested a new trial amid fierce criticism in Washington that President Donald Trump exerted political pressure to help his friend and confidante.
The Washington Post reported the news Friday citing a sealed filing in Stone’s case. Stone’s legal reasoning for seeking a new trial isn’t known.
Trump himself in recent days has smeared the jury foreperson in Stone’s case based on her politics, even though Stone’s lawyers — like lawyers for every other criminal defendant — had a chance to vet jurors for potential bias at the start of his trial.
Stone was convicted by a jury in November of all seven counts against him, including for witness tampering and lying to Congress.
The career prosecutors on his case from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia initially recommended a 7–9 year prison sentence in a filing this week. But after an angry tweet from the President about the suggested sentence, Attorney General Barr had other prosecutors file a new, watered-down proposal.
Following the change, the four career prosecutors who made the initial sentencing recommendation withdrew from Stone’s case. One of them resigned entirely from the Justice Department.
Prosecutors were ordered to respond to Stone’s motion by Feb. 18.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--‘I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Be Free Of This President And His Maniacal Rage,’ McCabe Says

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Friday that , despite federal prosecutors saying he would not face charges on a years-old matter , he felt he would never be free of President Donald Trump ’ s “ maniacal rage.
” “ As long as this President is in the White House and these sorts of narratives are powerful to him , this will go on , ” McCabe told CNN ’ s Brianna Keilar .
( The former FBI deputy is himself a CNN contributor . )
An internal investigation found in 2018 that McCabe , who Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the “ deep state , ” lacked candor with investigators about leaks to the media that he authorized at the the FBI .
The Justice Department ’ s inspector general forwarded the findings for prosecutors , but the months went by with no criminal charges .
Prosecutors finally informed McCabe Friday that none would be filed and the case was officially closed .
“ To have that cloud lifted suddenly , it ’ s really hard to get your mind around it , ” he said .
McCabe also commented on reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others , including former FBI Director James Comey , had enraged Trump .
“ I ’ m not disappointed that the President is angry today about this outcome , ” McCabe said .
Still , McCabe pointed to the news Friday that Attorney General Bill Barr had selected prosecutors to go over the facts surrounding former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn ’ s case ; McCabe arranged FBI interview that led to Flynn pleading guilty to lying to investigators about his Russian contacts .
“ I don ’ t expect to ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that clearly has been reinitiated to some degree today , ” he said , adding later : “ I don ’ t think I ’ ll ever be free of this President and his maniacal rage that he ’ s directed towards me and my wife since October of 2016 for absolutely no reason whatsoever .
”

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Friday that, despite federal prosecutors saying he would not face charges on a years-old matter, he felt he would never be free of President Donald Trump’s “maniacal rage.”
“As long as this President is in the White House and these sorts of narratives are powerful to him, this will go on,” McCabe told CNN’s Brianna Keilar. (The former FBI deputy is himself a CNN contributor.)
An internal investigation found in 2018 that McCabe, who Trump has vilified over the years as a member of the “deep state,” lacked candor with investigators about leaks to the media that he authorized at the the FBI.
The Justice Department’s inspector general forwarded the findings for prosecutors, but the months went by with no criminal charges. Prosecutors finally informed McCabe Friday that none would be filed and the case was officially closed.
“To have that cloud lifted suddenly, it’s really hard to get your mind around it,” he said.
McCabe also commented on reporting that the lack of charges against him and others, including former FBI Director James Comey, had enraged Trump.
“I’m not disappointed that the President is angry today about this outcome,” McCabe said.
Still, McCabe pointed to the news Friday that Attorney General Bill Barr had selected prosecutors to go over the facts surrounding former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s case; McCabe arranged the FBI interview that led to Flynn pleading guilty to lying to investigators about his Russian contacts.
“I don’t expect to ever be free of the mantle of investigation that clearly has been reinitiated to some degree today,” he said, adding later: “I don’t think I’ll ever be free of this President and his maniacal rage that he’s directed towards me and my wife since October of 2016 for absolutely no reason whatsoever.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Pelosi Names First Director For Office Of Whistleblower Ombudsman

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) has named an official director for the newly established House Office of the @ @ @ @ @ director , Shanna Devine , previously worked as an advocate for whistleblower rights at Public @ @ @ @ @ organization in D.C. , according to a statement from Pelosi .
The office was established @ @ @ @ @ convening of the new Congress .
Whistleblower protections have been heavily tested under the Trump @ @ @ @ @ ’ s complaint touched off the inquiry into the Ukraine pressure campaign and led to @ @ @ @ @ .
Some of Trump ’ s allies are still calling for the whistleblower ’ s @ @ @ @ @ “ Whistleblowers shine a bright light on malfeasance in our government and the private sector @ @ @ @ @ “ There has long been a bipartisan commitment to protecting the voices of those who @ @ @ @ @ their livelihoods on the line to root out waste , fraud and abuse .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has named an official director for the newly established House Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman.
The new director, Shanna Devine, previously worked as an advocate for whistleblower rights at Public Citizen, a public interest organization in D.C., according to a statement from Pelosi.
The office was established in early January with the convening of the new Congress. Whistleblower protections have been heavily tested under the Trump administration, after a whistleblower’s complaint touched off the inquiry into the Ukraine pressure campaign and led to the President’s impeachment. Some of Trump’s allies are still calling for the whistleblower’s identity to be publicized.
“Whistleblowers shine a bright light on malfeasance in our government and the private sector,” Pelosi said. “There has long been a bipartisan commitment to protecting the voices of those who speak the truth and put their livelihoods on the line to root out waste, fraud and abuse.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Army Secretary Confirms That Vindman Will Not Be Investigated

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy confirmed that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman will not be investigated for his testimony during the House @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump ’ s nudging .
According to Politico , McCarthy said Friday at a @ @ @ @ @ will be given a “ bridging assignment ” to cover his earlier-than-planned return to the @ @ @ @ @ to a senior service college over the summer .
“ There ’ s no investigation @ @ @ @ @ said .
Vindman ’ s legal representation did not immediately respond to TPM ’ s @ @ @ @ @ unceremoniously ousted Vindman and his brother , Yevgeny , last week .
Yevgeny Vindman was @ @ @ @ @ Security Council and did not testify in the impeachment inquiry .
The President has held @ @ @ @ @ ever since his testimony , and suggested last week that the military would “ take @ @ @ @ @ upon his return .
Trump also fired former Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland @ @ @ @ @ .

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy confirmed that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman will not be investigated for his testimony during the House impeachment inquiry, despite President Donald Trump’s nudging.
According to Politico, McCarthy said Friday at a National Press Luncheon that Vindman will be given a “bridging assignment” to cover his earlier-than-planned return to the Army and will then head to a senior service college over the summer.
“There’s no investigation into him,” McCarthy said.
Vindman’s legal representation did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Trump unceremoniously ousted Vindman and his brother, Yevgeny, last week. Yevgeny Vindman was a lawyer at the National Security Council and did not testify in the impeachment inquiry.
The President has held a grudge against Alexander Vindman ever since his testimony, and suggested last week that the military would “take a look” at Vindman upon his return.
Trump also fired former Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland in the mini-Friday Night Massacre.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Graham Wants To Interview DOJ Officials Involved In Russia Probe, Page FISA Warrant

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) on Friday asked Attorney General Bill Barr to make available for interviews a laundry list of named and unnamed officials related to the Russia probe .
In a letter to Barr , Graham wrote to Barr that his committee was investigating matters related to the Justice Department and FBI ’ s handling of the Russia probe , and more specifically , the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant the FBI was granted to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page .
“ In order to further the Committee ’ s oversight of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the following Department employees available as soon as possible for transcribed interviews , ” he wrote .
Graham , a loyal ally of the President ’ s , recently said he would seek to call witnesses before his committee related to the FISA warrants issued during the Russia probe .
An inspector general ’ s probe released in December found that there was sufficient evidence to launch the the FBI ’ s probe of the Trump campaign ’ s potential ties to Russia , and that there was no political bias behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general did find several significant errors and omissions in the FBI ’ s application to surveil Page .
In addition to the officials Graham requested be made available for interviews , the Judiciary chairman said his committee would be contacting former Department employees and that he would notify the DOJ when those interviews were scheduled .
Graham requested interviews with several unnamed special supervisory agents , case agents , and other officials involved in the Russia probe whose actions were described in the inspector general ’ s report .
Some of his interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show up in the right-wing fever swamps , such as Justice Department official Bruce Ohr , whose wife Nellie Ohr worked for the private firm Fusion GPS , the source of the so-called “ Steele Dossier.
” Dana Boente , also on Graham ’ s list , briefly served as acting attorney general in Trump ’ s first weeks in office , and again briefly oversaw Russia-related investigations between then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions ’ recusal from the Russia probe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ’ s confirmation in April 2017 .
Several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while not as well-known , provide some hint as to his interests .
Gabriel Sanz-Rexach , for example , is named in the IG report as having provided feedback on the FISA application to surveil Page .
Graham also requested a talk with Stephen Laycock , who in 2015 was named chief of the Eurasia section in the FBI ’ s counterintelligence division , as well as with Kieran Ramsey , the FBI ’ s legal attaché in the U.S. embassy in Rome during the 2016 election .
This post has been @ @

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Friday asked Attorney General Bill Barr to make available for interviews a laundry list of named and unnamed officials related to the Russia probe.
In a letter to Barr, Graham wrote to Barr that his committee was investigating matters related to the Justice Department and FBI’s handling of the Russia probe, and more specifically, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant the FBI was granted to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
“In order to further the Committee’s oversight of this important matter, I request that you make the following Department employees available as soon as possible for transcribed interviews,” he wrote.
Graham, a loyal ally of the President’s, recently said he would seek to call witnesses before his committee related to the FISA warrants issued during the Russia probe.
An inspector general’s probe released in December found that there was sufficient evidence to launch the the FBI’s probe of the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia, and that there was no political bias behind the probe.
However, the inspector general did find several significant errors and omissions in the FBI’s application to surveil Page.
In addition to the officials Graham requested be made available for interviews, the Judiciary chairman said his committee would be contacting former Department employees and that he would notify the DOJ when those interviews were scheduled.
Graham requested interviews with several unnamed special supervisory agents, case agents, and other officials involved in the Russia probe whose actions were described in the inspector general’s report.
Some of his interview requests were for people whose names commonly show up in the right-wing fever swamps, such as Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, whose wife Nellie Ohr worked for the private firm Fusion GPS, the source of the so-called “Steele Dossier.”
Dana Boente, also on Graham’s list, briefly served as acting attorney general in Trump’s first weeks in office, and again briefly oversaw Russia-related investigations between then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Russia probe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s confirmation in April 2017.
Several other names on Graham’s list, while not as well-known, provide some hint as to his interests. Gabriel Sanz-Rexach, for example, is named in the IG report as having provided feedback on the FISA application to surveil Page. Graham also requested a talk with Stephen Laycock, who in 2015 was named chief of the Eurasia section in the FBI’s counterintelligence division, as well as with Kieran Ramsey, the FBI’s legal attaché in the U.S. embassy in Rome during the 2016 election.
Read Graham’s letter below:
This post has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Dem Senators Demand Barr Resign ‘Immediately’ After Meddling In Roger Stone Case

Nine Democratic senators called on Attorney General Bill Barr to resign on Friday over his intervention in ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone ’ s criminal case to water down federal prosecutors ’ recommended prison sentence after President Donald Trump complained about it .
Sens .
Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) , Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) , Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) , Edward Markey ( D-MA ) , Patty Murray ( D-WA ) , Jeff Merkley ( D-OR ) , Chris Van Hollen ( D-MD ) , Ron Wyden ( D-OR ) and Mazie Hirono ( D-HI ) sent Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s “ unethical political intervention ” in the case .
“ The interference in this case by you or other senior DOJ officials working under you is a clear violation of your duty to defend fair , impartial , and equal justice for all Americans , ” they wrote .
“ As a result , we call on you to resign immediately.
” The Democrats accused Barr of meddling “ in a clearly political fashion ” to shield Stone on Trump ’ s behalf after the political adviser was found guilty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Counsel Robert Mueller ’ s Russia probe .
“ The shocking actions taken by you or your senior staff to seek special protections for Mr. Stone make a mockery of your responsibilities to seek equal justice under the law and reveal that you are unfit to head the DOJ , ” the senators wrote .
“ A DOJ that abandons the rule of law in order to give sweetheart deals to criminals acting on behalf of the President of the United States is as corrupt as it is unacceptable.
” Shortly after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke that Barr currently has prosecutors questioning the federal lawyers involved in former Trump campaign adviser Michael Flynn ’ s criminal case , another case Trump has repeatedly disparaged .

Nine Democratic senators called on Attorney General Bill Barr to resign on Friday over his intervention in ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone’s criminal case to water down federal prosecutors’ recommended prison sentence after President Donald Trump complained about it.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) sent Barr a scathing letter ripping the Justice Department’s “unethical political intervention” in the case.
“The interference in this case by you or other senior DOJ officials working under you is a clear violation of your duty to defend fair, impartial, and equal justice for all Americans,” they wrote. “As a result, we call on you to resign immediately.”
The Democrats accused Barr of meddling “in a clearly political fashion” to shield Stone on Trump’s behalf after the political adviser was found guilty of obstructing Congress and witness tampering in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
“The shocking actions taken by you or your senior staff to seek special protections for Mr. Stone make a mockery of your responsibilities to seek equal justice under the law and reveal that you are unfit to head the DOJ,” the senators wrote. “A DOJ that abandons the rule of law in order to give sweetheart deals to criminals acting on behalf of the President of the United States is as corrupt as it is unacceptable.”
Shortly after the Democratic lawmakers sent the letter, news broke that Barr currently has prosecutors questioning the federal lawyers involved in former Trump campaign adviser Michael Flynn’s criminal case, another case Trump has repeatedly disparaged.
Read the letter below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Former Missouri Guv Greitens’ Campaign Didn’t Disclose Dark Money Help, Probe Finds

Former Missouri Gov .
Eric Greitens ’ reelection campaign was fined $ 178,000 for failing to report in-kind contributions by two outside groups , according to a consent order released Thursday .
However , if Greitens ’ campaign pays $ 38,000 the rest of the fine would be resolved , the order said .
Greitens is perhaps best known for allegedly blackmailing a woman with nude photos of herself , among other accusations of sexual misconduct , a scandal that resulted in him resigning from the governorship in 2o18 .
But the consent order agreed to by Greitens ’ campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance violations , not blackmail .
An investigation by the commission found no evidence that Greitens had personal knowledge that his campaign failed to disclose two outside groups ’ spending to promote his candidacy .
But , the commission said , “ candidates are ultimately responsible for all reporting requirements.
” In a statement , Greitens claimed to have been “ exonerated ” and “ vindicated.
” Still , the commission established a clear connection between the governor ’ s 2016 campaign and two groups , one of them Greitens ’ own political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 “ was a criminal enterprise from its inception – designed to illegally skirt donation limits and conceal the identities of major donors.
” “ The Commission found reasonable grounds to support the allegations that the Greitens for Missouri committee failed to disclose the receipt of some in-kind contributions received from LG PAC and likewise failed to disclose the receipt of some in-kind contributions received from a New Missouri , Inc. , ” the Missouri Ethics Commission said .
LG PAC ran millions of dollars worth of ads promoting Greitens and knocking down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received all of its funding from Freedom Frontier , a nonprofit that ’ s not required to release its donors .
Greitens ’ campaign manger , Nick Ayers , was paid by both the campaign and Freedom Frontier , the Kansas City Star noted .
( Ayers later served as Mike Pence ’ s chief of staff . )
And , the commission said , its investigation “ confirmed that [ Greitens for Missouri ] fundraisers referred some potential donors to Freedom Freedom Frontier , ” whose policy positions the campaign told donors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greitens.
” The commission did not find that these donor referrals violated the law .
And according to the consent order , there was coordination between the campaign and LG PAC that ought to have been disclosed .
The order spelled out a specific example : “ In late July 16 , the campaign manager and the political consultant spoke by telephone , and the campaign manager expressed a concern about the Springfield market during the conversation.
” Subsequently , LG PAC spent nearly $ 100,000 on advertisements in the Springfield market .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy , “ The campaign manager replied , ‘ Well at least he listened when I told him we were worried about [ Greitens opponent John ] Brunner in Springfield.
” Regarding A New Missouri , the political nonprofit founded by Greitens ’ senior campaign advisers , the consent order stated that for at least part of 2017 , the groups were housed in the same office building and used the same staff for their day-to-day operations .
The bulk of the nonprofit ’ s funds , the order stated , came from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a series of polls the Greitens campaign commissioned from Tarrance Group , a Republican polling firm .
Three of the polls were paid for A New Missouri , which shared the data with the campaign .
“ GFM did not disclose the value of any of the 2017 Tarrance Group polling data paid for by A New Missouri as in-kind contributions on GFM ’ s campaign finance disclosure reports , ” the consent order stated .
Though the state ’ s investigation is over , the Kansas City Star noted that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington has an outstanding complaint against Greitens , which it filed in 2018 with the Federal Elections Commission .
That complaint is still pending .

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ reelection campaign was fined $178,000 for failing to report in-kind contributions by two outside groups, according to a consent order released Thursday.
However, if Greitens’ campaign pays $38,000 the rest of the fine would be resolved, the order said.
Greitens is perhaps best known for allegedly blackmailing a woman with nude photos of herself, among other accusations of sexual misconduct, a scandal that resulted in him resigning from the governorship in 2o18.
But the consent order agreed to by Greitens’ campaign and the Missouri Ethics Commission concerned campaign finance violations, not blackmail.
An investigation by the commission found no evidence that Greitens had personal knowledge that his campaign failed to disclose two outside groups’ spending to promote his candidacy.
But, the commission said, “candidates are ultimately responsible for all reporting requirements.”
In a statement, Greitens claimed to have been “exonerated” and “vindicated.”
Still, the commission established a clear connection between the governor’s 2016 campaign and two groups, one of them Greitens’ own political nonprofit that a Republican legislator said in 2018 “was a criminal enterprise from its inception – designed to illegally skirt donation limits and conceal the identities of major donors.”
“The Commission found reasonable grounds to support the allegations that the Greitens for Missouri committee failed to disclose the receipt of some in-kind contributions received from LG PAC and likewise failed to disclose the receipt of some in-kind contributions received from a New Missouri, Inc.,” the Missouri Ethics Commission said.
LG PAC ran millions of dollars worth of ads promoting Greitens and knocking down his opponents in 2016. The PAC received all of its funding from Freedom Frontier, a nonprofit that’s not required to release its donors.
Greitens’ campaign manger, Nick Ayers, was paid by both the campaign and Freedom Frontier, the Kansas City Star noted. (Ayers later served as Mike Pence’s chief of staff.)
And, the commission said, its investigation “confirmed that [Greitens for Missouri] fundraisers referred some potential donors to Freedom Freedom Frontier,” whose policy positions the campaign told donors were “consistent with those of Eric Greitens.” The commission did not find that these donor referrals violated the law.
And according to the consent order, there was coordination between the campaign and LG PAC that ought to have been disclosed.
The order spelled out a specific example: “In late July 16, the campaign manager and the political consultant spoke by telephone, and the campaign manager expressed a concern about the Springfield market during the conversation.”
Subsequently, LG PAC spent nearly $100,000 on advertisements in the Springfield market.
Upon hearing the news of the ad buy, “The campaign manager replied, ‘Well at least he listened when I told him we were worried about [Greitens opponent John] Brunner in Springfield.”
Regarding A New Missouri, the political nonprofit founded by Greitens’ senior campaign advisers, the consent order stated that for at least part of 2017, the groups were housed in the same office building and used the same staff for their day-to-day operations. The bulk of the nonprofit’s funds, the order stated, came from six people.
The investigation zeroed in on a series of polls the Greitens campaign commissioned from Tarrance Group, a Republican polling firm. Three of the polls were paid for A New Missouri, which shared the data with the campaign.
“GFM did not disclose the value of any of the 2017 Tarrance Group polling data paid for by A New Missouri as in-kind contributions on GFM’s campaign finance disclosure reports,” the consent order stated.
Though the state’s investigation is over, the Kansas City Star noted that the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has an outstanding complaint against Greitens, which it filed in 2018 with the Federal Elections Commission. That complaint is still pending.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Barr Brings In Outside Prosecutors To Review Flynn And Other Sensitive Cases

Attorney General Bill Barr has brought in outside prosecutors to review the decisions made by the DOJ attorneys who have been handling the Michael Flynn case and other politically sensitive matters — some publicly known , some not — coming from within the U.S .
Attorneys office in D.C , the New York Times and NBC News reported Friday .
According to the Times report , line prosecutors — meaning the career DOJ officials who handle prosecutions on a day to day basis — have faced questioning from prosecutors installed by Barr about what steps they have taken in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The questioning started two weeks ago , according to the Times .
Among the outside prosecutors who have been brought to review the D.C. U.S Attorney ’ s office work are Jeff Jensen , the U.S. Attorney in St. Louis , as well as officials working under Jeffrey A. Rosen , Barr ’ s hand-picked Deputy Attorney General .
NBC News reported that Jenson ’ s probe specifically concerned the circumstances surrounding the FBI ’ s January 2017 interview of Flynn , when he allegedly lied about his Russia dealings .
Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was “ ambushed ” in the interview , which led him to commit a falsehood .
The Flynn case is one of several highly politically sensitive matters that have come under scrutiny in recent days due to turmoil at the federal prosecutors ’ office in D.C .
The former U.S. Attorney for D.C. , Jessie Liu , was maneuvered out of her role last month and was replaced by an adviser of Barr ’ s , Timothy Shea , on an interim basis .
Liu had been nominated for a Treasury Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the President last week after a controversy blew up around the Roger Stone case , which is also being prosecuted by the D.C. U.S attorney ’ s office .
In that case , Barr intervened to watered down the sentencing recommendation made by the career prosecutors who had been handling the day to day of the case .
Both the Stone and Flynn cases are relics of special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation .
Liu , who oversaw the cases as U.S. Attorney after Mueller stepped down , left the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrawn .
Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians , though his sentencing has been delayed several times in the ensuing months for various reasons , including a change in legal representation and , in mid-January , the announcement that he sought to withdraw his guilty plea .
In late January — roughly when , per the Times , the prosecutors selected by Barr began reviewing Flynn ’ s case — the former national security adviser accused prosecutors of manipulating and withholding evidence in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it entirely .
On Jan. 29 , prosecutors said that probation would be a “ reasonable ” sentence for Flynn .
That was a step back from an earlier sentencing recommendation memo that recommended prison time .
Subsequently , Flynn ’ s sentencing was delayed again as his dispute with his former legal team escalated .
On Wednesday , prosecutors shot down Flynn ’ s claims of prosecutorial misconduct in the case .

Attorney General Bill Barr has brought in outside prosecutors to review the decisions made by the DOJ attorneys who have been handling the Michael Flynn case and other politically sensitive matters — some publicly known, some not — coming from within the U.S. Attorneys office in D.C, the New York Times and NBC News reported Friday.
According to the Times report, line prosecutors — meaning the career DOJ officials who handle prosecutions on a day to day basis — have faced questioning from prosecutors installed by Barr about what steps they have taken in the cases and why those steps were taken.
The questioning started two weeks ago, according to the Times. Among the outside prosecutors who have been brought to review the D.C. U.S Attorney’s office work are Jeff Jensen, the U.S. Attorney in St. Louis, as well as officials working under Jeffrey A. Rosen, Barr’s hand-picked Deputy Attorney General.
NBC News reported that Jenson’s probe specifically concerned the circumstances surrounding the FBI’s January 2017 interview of Flynn, when he allegedly lied about his Russia dealings. Flynn’s supporters have often claimed that he was “ambushed” in the interview, which led him to commit a falsehood.
The Flynn case is one of several highly politically sensitive matters that have come under scrutiny in recent days due to turmoil at the federal prosecutors’ office in D.C. The former U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jessie Liu, was maneuvered out of her role last month and was replaced by an adviser of Barr’s, Timothy Shea, on an interim basis. Liu had been nominated for a Treasury Department post, but that nomination was pulled by the President last week after a controversy blew up around the Roger Stone case, which is also being prosecuted by the D.C. U.S attorney’s office.
In that case, Barr intervened to watered down the sentencing recommendation made by the career prosecutors who had been handling the day to day of the case. Both the Stone and Flynn cases are relics of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Liu, who oversaw the cases as U.S. Attorney after Mueller stepped down, left the administration this week when her Treasury nomination was withdrawn.
Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians, though his sentencing has been delayed several times in the ensuing months for various reasons, including a change in legal representation and, in mid-January, the announcement that he sought to withdraw his guilty plea.
In late January — roughly when, per the Times, the prosecutors selected by Barr began reviewing Flynn’s case — the former national security adviser accused prosecutors of manipulating and withholding evidence in his case and made a motion to dismiss it entirely.
On Jan. 29, prosecutors said that probation would be a “reasonable” sentence for Flynn. That was a step back from an earlier sentencing recommendation memo that recommended prison time.
Subsequently, Flynn’s sentencing was delayed again as his dispute with his former legal team escalated. On Wednesday, prosecutors shot down Flynn’s claims of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Probe Of Former FBI Deputy Director McCabe, A Trump Foe, Closed Without Charges

The criminal investigation into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has been closed without charges , the Justice Department said Friday .
“ At long last , justice has been done in this matter , ” McCabe ’ s attorneys Michael R. Bromwich and David Schertler said in a statement .
For years , Trump has characterized the former FBI deputy as a representative of the so-called “ deep state ” that supposedly sought to resist his presidency from inside the government .
Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe in March 2018 — just as he prepared to retire after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sued the government claiming his ouster was political retaliation .
In December , he accused the Trump administration of withholding evidence in the suit .
An internal investigation found in 2018 that McCabe “ lacked candor ” regarding a leak to the media .
The inspector general ’ s office forwarded its findings to prosecutors , but in the months that followed charges were never filed against the former James Comey deputy .
McCabe has denied knowingly misleading investigators .
Later in 2018 , reports revealed that prosecutors were using a grand jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In September 2019 , prosecutors were authorized to seek an indictment .
But none came .
McCabe ’ s case was one of several politically sensitive cases being handled by the U.S. Attorney ’ s office for the District of Columbia , which has been under fire in recent days over allegations that its sentencing recommendation for Trump confidante Roger Stone was watered down by the Attorney General Bill Barr under pressure from the President .
Four career prosecutors withdrew from the case amid the change in sentencing recommendation , and one resigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has reportedly raged over the lack of charges against McCabe .

The criminal investigation into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has been closed without charges, the Justice Department said Friday.
“At long last, justice has been done in this matter,” McCabe’s attorneys Michael R. Bromwich and David Schertler said in a statement.
For years, Trump has characterized the former FBI deputy as a representative of the so-called “deep state” that supposedly sought to resist his presidency from inside the government.
Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe in March 2018 — just as he prepared to retire after decades of government service. McCabe then sued the government claiming his ouster was political retaliation.
In December, he accused the Trump administration of withholding evidence in the suit.
An internal investigation found in 2018 that McCabe “lacked candor” regarding a leak to the media. The inspector general’s office forwarded its findings to prosecutors, but in the months that followed charges were never filed against the former James Comey deputy. McCabe has denied knowingly misleading investigators.
Later in 2018, reports revealed that prosecutors were using a grand jury to investigate McCabe’s actions. In September 2019, prosecutors were authorized to seek an indictment. But none came.
McCabe’s case was one of several politically sensitive cases being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, which has been under fire in recent days over allegations that its sentencing recommendation for Trump confidante Roger Stone was watered down by the Attorney General Bill Barr under pressure from the President. Four career prosecutors withdrew from the case amid the change in sentencing recommendation, and one resigned from the Justice Department entirely.
Trump has reportedly raged over the lack of charges against McCabe.
Read the letter to McCabe’s lawyers below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-14--Giuliani Claims Dems Want To ‘Literally Kill’ Him Due To His Ukraine Ramblings

Rudy Giuliani , President Donald Trump ’ s personal lawyer , said Thursday night that Democrats want to “ kill ” him because of supposed insider information he has about Hunter Biden and Burisma .
“ We are going to reveal the whole thing , ” Giuliani promised Fox Business Network host Trish Regan about evidence of unsubstantiated Democratic corruption in Ukraine he ’ s long been promising .
“ It ’ s not just Biden – it ’ s a bunch of Democrats .
That ’ s why they are so crazy on the subject of Ukraine and why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill me.
” Though he insisted he could “ prove ” his conspiracy theories , all he offered up was a document allegedly from the Latvian government to the Ukrainian government suggesting that Hunter Biden was involved in “ a corruption affair.
” Giuliani , along with many of Trump ’ s allies , has routinely accused Joe and Hunter Biden of engaging in corruption in Ukraine to excuse Trump ’ s strong-arming the Ukrainian government into fabricating politically-motivated investigations into them .
The conspiracy theory has been roundly debunked , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Republican-majority Senate acquitted Trump in recent weeks on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his attempt to leverage withheld military aid in exchange a manufactured scandal to smear the Bidens .

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, said Thursday night that Democrats want to “kill” him because of supposed insider information he has about Hunter Biden and Burisma.
“We are going to reveal the whole thing,” Giuliani promised Fox Business Network host Trish Regan about evidence of unsubstantiated Democratic corruption in Ukraine he’s long been promising. “It’s not just Biden – it’s a bunch of Democrats. That’s why they are so crazy on the subject of Ukraine and why they want to kill me — literally kill me.”
Giuliani claims Democrats want to “kill” him because of his Ukraine conspiracy theories pic.twitter.com/Si9THFH0rJ — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 14, 2020
Though he insisted he could “prove” his conspiracy theories, all he offered up was a document allegedly from the Latvian government to the Ukrainian government suggesting that Hunter Biden was involved in “a corruption affair.”
He triumphantly declared the alleged letter a “smoking gun.”
Giuliani, along with many of Trump’s allies, has routinely accused Joe and Hunter Biden of engaging in corruption in Ukraine to excuse Trump’s strong-arming the Ukrainian government into fabricating politically-motivated investigations into them. The conspiracy theory has been roundly debunked, and the unshakeable proof Giuliani has teased never materialized.
The Republican-majority Senate acquitted Trump in recent weeks on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for his attempt to leverage withheld military aid in exchange a manufactured scandal to smear the Bidens.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-02-16--Here’s How 2020 Dems Spent Their Sunday Piling On Bloomberg

Despite his absence on the Nevada caucuses ballot next week , Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has taken over the discourse surrounding the 2020 presidential election .
From the controversy surrounding his stop-and-frisk policing policy during his mayoral term to allegations that he made stunningly misogynistic remarks toward female employees , Bloomberg ’ s fellow Democratic presidential candidates had plenty to say about the former New York City mayor throughout their appearances on Sunday cable news programs .
Here ’ s how 2020 Dems took aim at Bloomberg Sunday morning : Biden hits Bloomberg for his record on “ Meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden took aim at Bloomberg ’ s vast fortune and argued that “ $ 60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising , but it can ’ t erase your record.
” “ There ’ s a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg .
You all are going to start focusing on him like you have on me — which I ’ m not complaining — like you have on me the last six months , ” Biden said .
“ You ’ re going to focus on him .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African American community , from stop-and-frisk to the way he talked about Obama.
” Buttigieg says on “ Fox News Sunday ” that Bloomberg will “ have to answer ” for sexist remarks When asked by Fox News ’ Chris Wallace about the alleged sexist remarks Bloomberg reportedly made , former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg said that “ he ’ s going to have to answer for that and speak to it.
” “ Obviously there is no comparison to this President and the way that he has treated and talked about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do so to this day , ” Buttigieg said .
“ But we in our party hold ourselves to the highest standard .
And it is going to be critical for us to have a nominee who can authentically lead and who can show growth on these challenges.
” Klobuchar says Bloomberg ’ s stop-and-frisk policy is “ unconstitutional ” on CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” When asked about regrets about her tenure as a prosecutor , Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) took the opportunity to criticize Bloomberg ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As for what Michael Bloomberg did — stop-and-frisk — that is unconstitutional , ” Klobuchar said , before pointing out how she ’ s willing to answer tough questions unlike Bloomberg .
“ Where is he ?
He just keeps running a bunch of ads .
He ’ ll probably have more ads during your show in certain states than I ’ m on answering your questions .
I think he can not hide behind the airwaves and the money .
I think he has to come on the shows .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate stage .
I ’ m never going to beat him on the airwaves , but I can beat him on the debate stage.
” Klobuchar urges Bloomberg to stop “ hiding behind the airwaves ” on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union ” When asked about Bloomberg reportedly making sexist and inappropriate comments toward his female employees , Klobuchar pointed out how he “ has not gone on any Sunday shows since he announced.
” “ I have got to answer questions like I just did on my record , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing .
I don ’ t think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys .
He has to come on these shows , ” Klobuchar said .
“ And I also am an advocate for him coming on the debate stage .
I know I ’ m not going to be able to beat him on the airwaves , but I can beat him on the debate stage , because I believe my argument for my candidacy is so much stronger.
” Klobuchar once again says she can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Meet the Press ” After MSNBC ’ s Chuck Todd told Klobuchar that Bloomberg ’ s fundraising of $ 12 million in a week and $ 300 million overall “ has got to be daunting , ” Klobuchar admitted that it is “ daunting ” but that she has an advantage over him “ because I do things like go on your show , take tough questions.
” “ And then at the same time , he is running more ads on whatever he wants during that same time .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what needs to happen here is that he needs to go on shows like this , which he hasn ’ t done , ” Klobuchar said .
“ He just can ’ t hide behind the airwaves .
He has to answer questions and of course , I think he should be on that debate stage , which eventually he will be , because I can ’ t beat him on the airwaves but I can beat him on the debate stage and I think people of America deserve that to make a @ @ @

‘Tis the season for Bloomberg bashing.
Despite his absence on the Nevada caucuses ballot next week, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has taken over the discourse surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
From the controversy surrounding his stop-and-frisk policing policy during his mayoral term to allegations that he made stunningly misogynistic remarks toward female employees, Bloomberg’s fellow Democratic presidential candidates had plenty to say about the former New York City mayor throughout their appearances on Sunday cable news programs.
Here’s how 2020 Dems took aim at Bloomberg Sunday morning:
Biden hits Bloomberg for his record on “Meet the Press”
Former Vice President Joe Biden took aim at Bloomberg’s vast fortune and argued that “$60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can’t erase your record.”
“There’s a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg. You all are going to start focusing on him like you have on me — which I’m not complaining — like you have on me the last six months,” Biden said. “You’re going to focus on him. His position on — issues relating to the African American community, from stop-and-frisk to the way he talked about Obama.”
Biden: “$60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record pic.twitter.com/WrKya4ShAa — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 16, 2020
Buttigieg says on “Fox News Sunday” that Bloomberg will “have to answer” for sexist remarks
When asked by Fox News’ Chris Wallace about the alleged sexist remarks Bloomberg reportedly made, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg said that “he’s going to have to answer for that and speak to it.”
“Obviously there is no comparison to this President and the way that he has treated and talked about women and people of color and continues to do so to this day,” Buttigieg said. “But we in our party hold ourselves to the highest standard. And it is going to be critical for us to have a nominee who can authentically lead and who can show growth on these challenges.”
ON FOX News Sunday: Pete Buttigieg comments on a series of stories regarding Michael Bloomberg's controversial past regarding stop-and-frisk and sexism: I think he (Bloomberg) is going to have to answer to that and speak to it. #FNS #FoxNews #2020 pic.twitter.com/xEwganISmC — FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) February 16, 2020
Klobuchar says Bloomberg’s stop-and-frisk policy is “unconstitutional” on CBS’ “Face the Nation”
When asked about regrets about her tenure as a prosecutor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) took the opportunity to criticize Bloomberg’s controversial stop-and-frisk policing policy.
“As for what Michael Bloomberg did — stop-and-frisk — that is unconstitutional,” Klobuchar said, before pointing out how she’s willing to answer tough questions unlike Bloomberg. “Where is he? He just keeps running a bunch of ads. He’ll probably have more ads during your show in certain states than I’m on answering your questions. I think he cannot hide behind the airwaves and the money. I think he has to come on the shows. And I personally think he should be on the debate stage. I’m never going to beat him on the airwaves, but I can beat him on the debate stage.”
Klobuchar: "What Michael Bloomberg did — stop-and-frisk — that is unconstitutional." pic.twitter.com/Rw10SBxBUC — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 16, 2020
Klobuchar urges Bloomberg to stop “hiding behind the airwaves” on CNN’s “State of the Union”
When asked about Bloomberg reportedly making sexist and inappropriate comments toward his female employees, Klobuchar pointed out how he “has not gone on any Sunday shows since he announced.”
“I have got to answer questions like I just did on my record, and he has to do the same thing. I don’t think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys. He has to come on these shows,” Klobuchar said. “And I also am an advocate for him coming on the debate stage. I know I’m not going to be able to beat him on the airwaves, but I can beat him on the debate stage, because I believe my argument for my candidacy is so much stronger.”
Klobuchar on Bloomberg: "I don't think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys." pic.twitter.com/pAlfnJnGdl — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 16, 2020
Klobuchar once again says she can beat Bloomberg on the debate stage on “Meet the Press”
After MSNBC’s Chuck Todd told Klobuchar that Bloomberg’s fundraising of $12 million in a week and $300 million overall “has got to be daunting,” Klobuchar admitted that it is “daunting” but that she has an advantage over him “because I do things like go on your show, take tough questions.”
“And then at the same time, he is running more ads on whatever he wants during that same time. That’s what life is and I think what needs to happen here is that he needs to go on shows like this, which he hasn’t done,” Klobuchar said. “He just can’t hide behind the airwaves. He has to answer questions and of course, I think he should be on that debate stage, which eventually he will be, because I can’t beat him on the airwaves but I can beat him on the debate stage and I think people of America deserve that to make a decision.”