talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Trump Adviser, Impeachment Witness Who Detailed Ukraine Scheme Gets Book Deal

The former Trump administration national security official and impeachment witness Fiona Hill is set to publish a book about American politics .
Hill ’ s book “ There Is Nothing for You Here : Opportunity in an Age of Decline , ” is set to be released in the fall of 2021 .
“ The book will draw on Dr. Hill ’ s deep expertise in the United States and Europe , as well as her personal experience on both continents , to explain how our current , polarized moment is the result of long historical trends — from imperial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long afflicted Russia and the United Kingdom , and which now are beginning to affect the United States , ” Hill ’ s publisher , Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media , told The Associated Press .
“ Hill will describe the origins and growth of deep , geographically concentrated opportunity gaps , and show how they have fueled the rise of populism at home and abroad.
” Hill was a star witness in the impeachment of President Donald Trump , not only employing her deep expertise about Russia and Ukraine but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen as senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council .
Hill left the Trump administration just a few days before the crucial July 25 , 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , in which Trump pressed the Ukrainian leader for dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden .
Internal alarm over Trump ’ s pressure campaign , initially via an anonymous whistleblower ’ s report , developed into the basis for Trump ’ s impeachment .
Hill detailed crucial instances of alarm and pushback over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she recounted in testimony how Gordon Sondland , then the administration ’ s ambassador to the European Union , told a Ukrainian delegation during a key July gathering that “ we have an agreement with the Chief of Staff for a meeting [ between Trump and Zelensky ] if these investigations in the energy sector start.
” The investigations Sondland mentioned , Hill testified , were “ code ” for Burisma , the energy company that employed Hunter Biden .
Hill also described how then-National Security Adviser John Bolton subsequently called Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Trump ’ s dirt-digging operation — a “ hand grenade who ’ s going to blow everybody up.
” Bolton also called Sondland and then-White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney ’ s actions a “ drug deal , ” Hill said .
Sondland and others in the administration bypassed the normal foreign policy channels to assist Giuliani , who was bent on surfacing political dirt for Trump to use against Biden .
During congressional testimony , Hill described it as a “ domestic political errand.
” Sondland , Hill said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — even though he was briefing top administration officials .
“ He was being involved in a domestic political errand , ” Hill said .
“ And we were being involved in national security foreign policy , and those two things had just diverged.
” Hill ’ s successor at the NSC , Tim Morrison , testified that Hill had warned him that “ Ambassador Sondland and President Trump ’ s personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , were trying to get President Zelensky to reopen Ukrainian investigations into Burisma.
” Beyond her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ actions , Hill also took on congressional Republicans that tried to downplay the severity of the Ukraine scheme .
In November testimony , she said that based on testimony and statements she ’ d heard thus far in the congressional investigation of Trump ’ s actions , “ some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country — and that perhaps , somehow , for some reason , Ukraine did.
” Some Republicans — including the President and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had floated the conspiracy theory that Ukraine , not Russia , was responsible for hacking Democrats ’ emails during the 2016 election .
“ This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves , ” Hill said .
“ In the course of this investigation , I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests .
”

The former Trump administration national security official and impeachment witness Fiona Hill is set to publish a book about American politics.
Hill’s book “There Is Nothing for You Here: Opportunity in an Age of Decline,” is set to be released in the fall of 2021.
“The book will draw on Dr. Hill’s deep expertise in the United States and Europe, as well as her personal experience on both continents, to explain how our current, polarized moment is the result of long historical trends — from imperial overreach to postindustrial decline — that have long afflicted Russia and the United Kingdom, and which now are beginning to affect the United States,” Hill’s publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media, told The Associated Press.
“Hill will describe the origins and growth of deep, geographically concentrated opportunity gaps, and show how they have fueled the rise of populism at home and abroad.”
Hill was a star witness in the impeachment of President Donald Trump, not only employing her deep expertise about Russia and Ukraine but also speaking first hand about what she had seen as senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council.
Hill left the Trump administration just a few days before the crucial July 25, 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump pressed the Ukrainian leader for dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden.
Internal alarm over Trump’s pressure campaign, initially via an anonymous whistleblower’s report, developed into the basis for Trump’s impeachment.
Hill detailed crucial instances of alarm and pushback over Trump’s actions.
For example, she recounted in testimony how Gordon Sondland, then the administration’s ambassador to the European Union, told a Ukrainian delegation during a key July gathering that “we have an agreement with the Chief of Staff for a meeting [between Trump and Zelensky] if these investigations in the energy sector start.”
The investigations Sondland mentioned, Hill testified, were “code” for Burisma, the energy company that employed Hunter Biden.
Hill also described how then-National Security Adviser John Bolton subsequently called Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani — a key player in Trump’s dirt-digging operation — a “hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up.” Bolton also called Sondland and then-White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney’s actions a “drug deal,” Hill said.
Sondland and others in the administration bypassed the normal foreign policy channels to assist Giuliani, who was bent on surfacing political dirt for Trump to use against Biden. During congressional testimony, Hill described it as a “domestic political errand.”
Sondland, Hill said, “wasn’t coordinating with us” — even though he was briefing top administration officials.
“He was being involved in a domestic political errand,” Hill said. “And we were being involved in national security foreign policy, and those two things had just diverged.”
This is a critical, critical portion of testimony. pic.twitter.com/aO7gJBG8Ia — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 21, 2019
Hill’s successor at the NSC, Tim Morrison, testified that Hill had warned him that “Ambassador Sondland and President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, were trying to get President Zelensky to reopen Ukrainian investigations into Burisma.”
Beyond her knowledge of key details about various officials’ actions, Hill also took on congressional Republicans that tried to downplay the severity of the Ukraine scheme.
In November testimony, she said that based on testimony and statements she’d heard thus far in the congressional investigation of Trump’s actions, “some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country — and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did.”
Some Republicans — including the President and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) — had floated the conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for hacking Democrats’ emails during the 2016 election.
“This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves,” Hill said. “In the course of this investigation, I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Trump’s New Anti-Immigrant Census Move Could Be Halted Before Count Is Done

A federal judge in New York wants to move quickly in deciding whether the Trump administration can lawfully implement the President ’ s new anti-immigrant census policy .
A briefing schedule laid out by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman at a Wednesday hearing makes it possible for him — if he is convinced by the challengers ’ arguments — to freeze the policy while the 2020 count is still underway .
But that possibility comes with the caveat that the case could soon be kicked to a panel of three judges , who might take a different approach to expediting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The case —a consolidation of two lawsuits that are challenging Trump ’ s effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional apportionment — has major , long lasting consequences for how political power is doled out across the country .
If Trump is allowed to implement the policy , states with immigrant-rich populations will likely be granted fewer House seats after the 2020 census than they would otherwise .
Congressional representation for whiter , less diverse states , meanwhile , will be boosted .
The lawsuits allege such an approach violates the Constitution ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of persons ” be counted for congressional apportionment .
It runs afoul of federal statutes that deal with the census as well , the lawsuits allege .
But the challengers are also arguing that the Trump ’ s announcement of the memo is already harming immigrant communities , by discouraging them from participating in the census right now .
Undercounting those populations will shift political power away from them , regardless of whether Trump was allowed to enact the apportionment policy itself .
Matthew Colangelo , a lawyer in the New York Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his side will show how the President ’ s announcement of the new policy had “ penetrated ” the immigrant community .
It has “ exacerbated ” the lack of trust immigrants have for the government , Colangelo said , making it harder to convince them to participate in the census .
Furman showed some skepticism toward those claims , asking whether that harm could really be “ undone , ” even if he issued a quick decision in the challengers ’ favor .
But he also had tough questions for the attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguing that the case need not be resolved until next year or even later , after the President formally releases the numbers for apportionment in January .
Furman asked the Justice Department : if the challengers do prove that the alleged harm is happening now , does the government still believe that the court should wait to address it until after the President releases the apportionment numbers ?
DOJ attorney Allison Rovner struggled to answer the question , prompting some frustration from the judge .
Furman also noted the case would not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waited until when the 2020 census was well under way to announce the policy .
Furman said it was a “ little bit rich ” for the government to say that the census is almost over in arguing the case not be rushed .
“ Isn ’ t that a problem of the president ’ s own making ?
” Furman said , while also pointing out that , had the president announced the policy sooner , then there would not be a need to speed up the litigation .
Furman previously presided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In that case , a coalition of states led by New York , as well as an immigrant rights group represented by the ACLU , sought to block the Trump administration ’ s move to add a citizenship question to the decennial survey .
The Supreme Court ultimately backed Furman ’ s finding that the administration had not been honest about its reasons for wanting the question added and that ruling effectively prevented the administration from adding it to the census survey .
This current case has attracted a similar set of challengers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hearing with a line about “ bringing the band back together.
” He said that his word was unlikely to be the last one in this case , as well .
However , its path to the Supreme Court could be different than how the citizenship question case made it to the justices .
Because it deals with an apportionment issue , rather than first being decided by a trial judge , the case might need initially to go in front of a three-judge panel .
A request that it take that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While that issue is being dealt with , Furman set a briefing schedule that will allow the challengers to ask him by the end of this week that the new policy be quickly blocked .
Paper briefing on that request , and any request from the government that the lawsuits be dismissed , would wrapped up by the end of August , under Furman ’ s schedule .
That would leave time for a decision ahead of when the Census Bureau wraps up its counting operations by the end of September .

A federal judge in New York wants to move quickly in deciding whether the Trump administration can lawfully implement the President’s new anti-immigrant census policy.
A briefing schedule laid out by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman at a Wednesday hearing makes it possible for him — if he is convinced by the challengers’ arguments — to freeze the policy while the 2020 count is still underway.
But that possibility comes with the caveat that the case could soon be kicked to a panel of three judges, who might take a different approach to expediting this early phase of the litigation.
The case —a consolidation of two lawsuits that are challenging Trump’s effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional apportionment — has major, long lasting consequences for how political power is doled out across the country.
If Trump is allowed to implement the policy, states with immigrant-rich populations will likely be granted fewer House seats after the 2020 census than they would otherwise. Congressional representation for whiter, less diverse states, meanwhile, will be boosted.
The lawsuits allege such an approach violates the Constitution’s mandate that a “whole number of persons” be counted for congressional apportionment. It runs afoul of federal statutes that deal with the census as well, the lawsuits allege.
But the challengers are also arguing that the Trump’s announcement of the memo is already harming immigrant communities, by discouraging them from participating in the census right now.
Undercounting those populations will shift political power away from them, regardless of whether Trump was allowed to enact the apportionment policy itself.
Matthew Colangelo, a lawyer in the New York Attorney General’s office, said that his side will show how the President’s announcement of the new policy had “penetrated” the immigrant community. It has “exacerbated” the lack of trust immigrants have for the government, Colangelo said, making it harder to convince them to participate in the census.
Furman showed some skepticism toward those claims, asking whether that harm could really be “undone,” even if he issued a quick decision in the challengers’ favor.
But he also had tough questions for the attorney representing the Justice Department, which is arguing that the case need not be resolved until next year or even later, after the President formally releases the numbers for apportionment in January.
Furman asked the Justice Department: if the challengers do prove that the alleged harm is happening now, does the government still believe that the court should wait to address it until after the President releases the apportionment numbers?
DOJ attorney Allison Rovner struggled to answer the question, prompting some frustration from the judge. Furman also noted the case would not have needed to be expedited had Trump not waited until when the 2020 census was well under way to announce the policy.
Furman said it was a “little bit rich” for the government to say that the census is almost over in arguing the case not be rushed.
“Isn’t that a problem of the president’s own making?” Furman said, while also pointing out that, had the president announced the policy sooner, then there would not be a need to speed up the litigation.
Furman previously presided over the census citizenship question case. In that case, a coalition of states led by New York, as well as an immigrant rights group represented by the ACLU, sought to block the Trump administration’s move to add a citizenship question to the decennial survey. The Supreme Court ultimately backed Furman’s finding that the administration had not been honest about its reasons for wanting the question added and that ruling effectively prevented the administration from adding it to the census survey.
This current case has attracted a similar set of challengers, and Furman kicked off Wednesday’s hearing with a line about “bringing the band back together.”
He said that his word was unlikely to be the last one in this case, as well. However, its path to the Supreme Court could be different than how the citizenship question case made it to the justices.
Because it deals with an apportionment issue, rather than first being decided by a trial judge, the case might need initially to go in front of a three-judge panel. A request that it take that route will be filed later Wednesday.
While that issue is being dealt with, Furman set a briefing schedule that will allow the challengers to ask him by the end of this week that the new policy be quickly blocked.
Paper briefing on that request, and any request from the government that the lawsuits be dismissed, would wrapped up by the end of August, under Furman’s schedule. That would leave time for a decision ahead of when the Census Bureau wraps up its counting operations by the end of September.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Joe Biden Will Not Deliver DNC Acceptance Speech In Milwaukee

DUNMORE , PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 09 : The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden walks on to stage as he @ @ @ @ @ July 09 , 2020 in Dunmore , Pennsylvania .
The former vice president , w @ @ @ @ @ JULY 09 : The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden walks on to stage as @ @ @ @ @ on July 09 , 2020 in Dunmore , Pennsylvania .
The former vice president , @ @ @ @ @ Scranton , toured a metal works plant in Dunmore in northeastern Pennsylvania and spoke about @ @ @ @ @ With fewer than four months until the election , polls continue to show Biden leading @ @ @ @ @ battleground state in the race for the presidency .
( Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images @

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will not travel to Milwaukee to accept his party’s nomination due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, sources told the Associate Press on Wednesday.
The move is the latest example of how the coronavirus has upended the 2020 presidential elections, with both parties shrinking their political conventions slated to begin later this month. Democratic convention planners even urged members of Congress not to travel to Milwaukee for the week’s events in a revised gathering that is now set to take place largely online.
President Donald Trump confirmed in a Fox News interview this morning that he is considering delivering his GOP acceptance speech on White House grounds.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Soros Conspiracy Theories And BLM Attacks: 5 Key Moments In Trump’s Fox Interview

President Donald Trump made an appearance on “ Fox and Friends ” on Wednesday morning , during which he peddled a variety of falsehoods and conspiracy theories while also hinting at possibly giving his virtual Republican National Convention ( RNC ) acceptance speech at the White House .
Here are the five standout moments from the interview : Trump peddled the infamously anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Democratic mega-donor George Soros is secretly bankrolling the anti-fascist movement known as “ antifa , ” which has become a political cudgel for conservatives seeking to undermine the recent racial justice protests .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say Soros and they say other people , who knows , but they ’ re funded , ” the President said .
His evidence ?
“ They have signs that were made in a high-class printing shop.
” While claiming that “ nobody has done more for the Black community ” than he has ( the “ one exception ” being Abraham Lincoln ) , Trump attacked the Black Lives Matter activist organization , which has been leading protests against racist police brutality .
“ It ’ s a Marxist group , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s a Marxist group that is not looking for good things for our country.
” Trump also claimed Black Lives Matter began with the chant “ pigs in a blanket , fry ’ em like bacon ” about police officers .
However , that chant did not come from the organization .
He ’ s “ Probably ” Going To Give Renomination Acceptance Speech At White House Trump floated the possibility of using the White House as a backdrop while he accepts his GOP presidential nomination during the virtual Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be unprecedented .
“ Great , great people making speeches , ” he said of his Republican allies slated to speak at the convention .
“ I will probably do mine live from the White House.
” The President argued that it would be the “ easiest , least expensive , ” and “ very beautiful ” location to give his speech .
“ We ’ re thinking about it , ” he said .
The First Debate With Biden Needs To Be Sooner Trump griped about the date of his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic candidate Joe Biden , which is scheduled for September 29 .
“ It ’ s at the end of September , and a lot of ballots will already be cast by that time , ” he said .
“ They want to make the debates as late as possible.
” The President also said he “ wouldn ’ t mind ” more debates but that it ’ s “ more important ” that the first debate be moved up .
It ’ ll Be “ Very Safe ” To Vote In Person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to both downplay the severity of COVID-19 and fight against mail-in voting , Trump claimed that the pandemic will “ go away like things go away ” and that people will be able to vote in person during the November elections .
“ It ’ s going to be very safe , ” he told the “ Fox and Friends ” hosts .
Yet there is no indication that the virus will be under control by then .
In fact , Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) Director Dr. Robert Redfield predicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months “ are probably going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health ” because because of “ the co-occurrence of COVID and influenza .
”

President Donald Trump made an appearance on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning, during which he peddled a variety of falsehoods and conspiracy theories while also hinting at possibly giving his virtual Republican National Convention (RNC) acceptance speech at the White House.
Here are the five standout moments from the interview:
George Soros Is Funding Antifa
Trump peddled the infamously anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Democratic mega-donor George Soros is secretly bankrolling the anti-fascist movement known as “antifa,” which has become a political cudgel for conservatives seeking to undermine the recent racial justice protests.
“You have Democrats funding them. They say Soros and they say other people, who knows, but they’re funded,” the President said.
His evidence? “They have signs that were made in a high-class printing shop.”
Trump peddles far-right conspiracy theory that George Soros is funding antifa. pic.twitter.com/qzzpmFouA6 — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 5, 2020
Black Lives Matter Is A “Marxist” Organization
While claiming that “nobody has done more for the Black community” than he has (the “one exception” being Abraham Lincoln), Trump attacked the Black Lives Matter activist organization, which has been leading protests against racist police brutality.
“It’s a Marxist group,” he told the Fox News hosts. “It’s a Marxist group that is not looking for good things for our country.”
Trump also claimed Black Lives Matter began with the chant “pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon” about police officers. However, that chant did not come from the organization.
Trump calls Black Lives Matter a "Marxist group." pic.twitter.com/NtFlcKLgYt — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 5, 2020
He’s “Probably” Going To Give Renomination Acceptance Speech At White House
Trump floated the possibility of using the White House as a backdrop while he accepts his GOP presidential nomination during the virtual Republican National Convention (RNC), which would be unprecedented.
“Great, great people making speeches,” he said of his Republican allies slated to speak at the convention. “I will probably do mine live from the White House.”
The President argued that it would be the “easiest, least expensive,” and “very beautiful” location to give his speech.
“We’re thinking about it,” he said.
Trump says he's "thinking about" giving his nomination speech at the White House. pic.twitter.com/dugcCMztZU — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 5, 2020
Trump on potentially giving his RNC speech at the White House: "The easiest, least expensive, and I think very beautiful, would be live from the White House." pic.twitter.com/6zkFewDBmW — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 5, 2020
The First Debate With Biden Needs To Be Sooner
Trump griped about the date of his first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio with Democratic candidate Joe Biden, which is scheduled for September 29.
“It’s at the end of September, and a lot of ballots will already be cast by that time,” he said. “They want to make the debates as late as possible.”
The President also said he “wouldn’t mind” more debates but that it’s “more important” that the first debate be moved up.
Trump says the first debate between him and Biden on September 29 needs to be sooner. pic.twitter.com/l8WdPOXJZX — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 5, 2020
It’ll Be “Very Safe” To Vote In Person In November
In line with his attempts to both downplay the severity of COVID-19 and fight against mail-in voting, Trump claimed that the pandemic will “go away like things go away” and that people will be able to vote in person during the November elections.
“It’s going to be very safe,” he told the “Fox and Friends” hosts.
Yet there is no indication that the virus will be under control by then. In fact, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield predicted last week that the fall and winter months “are probably going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health” because because of “the co-occurrence of COVID and influenza.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Newest Acting State Department IG Out After Just Three Months, Deputy Will Take Over

Stephen Akard , the acting inspector general at the State Department installed after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor , is resigning this week after less than three months on the job .
A State Department official told TPM that he is returning to the private sector .
Deputy Inspector General Diana Shaw will take over the acting Inspector General role , the official added .
Akard is still listed as the director on the Office of Foreign Missions website , a job he kept while also accepting the acting IG role .
House Democrats took issue with that arrangement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May letter that it will “ chill whistleblower disclosures ” to have the acting inspector general report to Pompeo in another job .
Akard , who had once worked for Vice President Mike Pence , was forced to recuse himself from ongoing probes touching on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife , Susan , after outcry from Democrats .
Trump fired Akard ’ s predecessor , Steve Linick , who was leading an investigation into an emergency declaration made to allow the administration to fast-track a massive arms deal with Saudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ submitted written answers to Linick ’ s questions about that probe .
Per CNN , the State Department and office of the inspector general are in their final negotiations over the report before its release .
On Monday , congressional Democrats sent out a slew of subpoenas to State Department officials to force their testimony on Linick ’ s firing .
Akard was not subpoenaed .
Pompeo abruptly postponed a press availability scheduled for late Wednesday morning after the news of Akard ’ s departure broke .

Stephen Akard, the acting inspector general at the State Department installed after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor, is resigning this week after less than three months on the job.
A State Department official told TPM that he is returning to the private sector. Deputy Inspector General Diana Shaw will take over the acting Inspector General role, the official added.
Akard is still listed as the director on the Office of Foreign Missions website, a job he kept while also accepting the acting IG role. House Democrats took issue with that arrangement at the time, writing in a May letter that it will “chill whistleblower disclosures” to have the acting inspector general report to Pompeo in another job.
Akard, who had once worked for Vice President Mike Pence, was forced to recuse himself from ongoing probes touching on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan, after outcry from Democrats.
Trump fired Akard’s predecessor, Steve Linick, who was leading an investigation into an emergency declaration made to allow the administration to fast-track a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Pompeo admitted that he had submitted written answers to Linick’s questions about that probe. Per CNN, the State Department and office of the inspector general are in their final negotiations over the report before its release.
On Monday, congressional Democrats sent out a slew of subpoenas to State Department officials to force their testimony on Linick’s firing. Akard was not subpoenaed.
Pompeo abruptly postponed a press availability scheduled for late Wednesday morning after the news of Akard’s departure broke.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-05--Trump Campaign Makes Good On Threat To Go After Nevada’s Mail-In Ballot Plan

The Trump campaign on Tuesday sued Nevada over a decision to send mail-in ballots to all of the state ’ s registered voters , delivering on President Donald Trump ’ s promise earlier this week that he would fight the move , which he sees as unfavorable to him .
The lawsuit reinforces a months-long effort by the President to cast doubt on the results of the election if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is declared the winner .
The complaint states that “ the American people must be able to trust that the result is the product of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the claim that Nevada ’ s newly enacted election legislation “ fall short of this standard.
” The complaint challenges a bill that Gov .
Steve Sisolak ( D ) signed into law Monday afternoon , following a party-line vote to approve the bill on Sunday .
The new legislation allows election officials to send absentee ballots to every “ active registered voter ” in the state .
It also extend the deadline for counting mail-in ballots beyond Election Day , so that mailed ballots received by election officials the week after November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit follows a tweet from Trump on Monday whining that the measure would make it “ impossible for Republicans to win the state.
” The tweet represented a moment of unmistakable clarity about why the President has waged war on mail-in ballots : that they may hurt him politically in swing states like Nevada , and that he will make a case for contesting an election result that does not declare him the winner .
Trump had also previously rejected mail-in voting in Florida — another swing state– but strategically pivoted on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s mail-in voting system had been “ cleaned up ” following revelations that Democrats were leading in mail-in ballot enrollment for that state .
On Wednesday , Trump again tweeted , “ Florida , send in your Ballots !
” The Trump campaign lawsuit makes the argument that Nevada ’ s legislation “ effectively postpones and prolongs Nevada ’ s 2020 general election past the Election Day established by Congress ” a move that Trump ’ s campaign states will “ dilute the votes of some Nevada voters , thereby infringing their right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s a special irony to this line of argument given that the President last week floated the idea of postponing the election .
The complaint further argues that Nevada ’ s new election legislation goes against federal law by requiring elections officials to accept and count ballots received after Election Day , baselessly claiming that those ballots “ lack objective evidence that voters cast them on before Election Day.
” The lawsuit , filed by the Trump campaign , the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party , also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest in protecting the ability of Republican voters to cast , and Republican candidates to receive , effective votes in Nevada elections and elsewhere.
” But Sisolak said in a tweet Monday that the new set of laws was about protecting the state ’ s residents and ensuring their ability to “ vote safely.
” “ They ’ re trying to create a scenario here that doesn ’ t exist , ” Sisolak told CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper with regard to the Trump campaign ’ s attack on mail-in voting in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his team were trying to “ raise people ’ s suspicions.
” He added , “ We have never had any problems .
”

The Trump campaign on Tuesday sued Nevada over a decision to send mail-in ballots to all of the state’s registered voters, delivering on President Donald Trump’s promise earlier this week that he would fight the move, which he sees as unfavorable to him.
The lawsuit reinforces a months-long effort by the President to cast doubt on the results of the election if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is declared the winner.
The complaint states that “the American people must be able to trust that the result is the product of a free and fair election” and makes the claim that Nevada’s newly enacted election legislation “fall short of this standard.”
The complaint challenges a bill that Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed into law Monday afternoon, following a party-line vote to approve the bill on Sunday. The new legislation allows election officials to send absentee ballots to every “active registered voter” in the state. It also extend the deadline for counting mail-in ballots beyond Election Day, so that mailed ballots received by election officials the week after November 3 may still be counted.
The suit follows a tweet from Trump on Monday whining that the measure would make it “impossible for Republicans to win the state.” The tweet represented a moment of unmistakable clarity about why the President has waged war on mail-in ballots: that they may hurt him politically in swing states like Nevada, and that he will make a case for contesting an election result that does not declare him the winner.
Trump had also previously rejected mail-in voting in Florida — another swing state– but strategically pivoted on that front Tuesday, tweeting that Florida’s mail-in voting system had been “cleaned up” following revelations that Democrats were leading in mail-in ballot enrollment for that state. On Wednesday, Trump again tweeted, “Florida, send in your Ballots!”
The Trump campaign lawsuit makes the argument that Nevada’s legislation “effectively postpones and prolongs Nevada’s 2020 general election past the Election Day established by Congress” a move that Trump’s campaign states will “dilute the votes of some Nevada voters, thereby infringing their right to vote under the Fourteenth Amendment.”
There’s a special irony to this line of argument given that the President last week floated the idea of postponing the election.
The complaint further argues that Nevada’s new election legislation goes against federal law by requiring elections officials to accept and count ballots received after Election Day, baselessly claiming that those ballots “lack objective evidence that voters cast them on before Election Day.”
The lawsuit, filed by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party, also said that “The RNC has a vital interest in protecting the ability of Republican voters to cast, and Republican candidates to receive, effective votes in Nevada elections and elsewhere.”
But Sisolak said in a tweet Monday that the new set of laws was about protecting the state’s residents and ensuring their ability to “vote safely.”
“They’re trying to create a scenario here that doesn’t exist,” Sisolak told CNN’s Anderson Cooper with regard to the Trump campaign’s attack on mail-in voting in an interview Tuesday night, adding that Trump and his team were trying to “raise people’s suspicions.” He added, “We have never had any problems.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Pence Attacks SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts: ‘A Disappointment To Conservatives’

Vice President Mike Pence publicly slammed conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday over his unexpected ( and pivotal ) role in dealing right-wingers several defeats in key court battles .
“ We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States , but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives , whether it be the Obamacare decision , or whether it be a spate of recent decisions all the way to Calvary Chapel , ” Pence said during an interview on Christian Broadcast .
The vice president asserted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of “ just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court.
” “ We remember the issue back in 2016 , which I believe loomed large in voters ’ decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who would become the president of the United States , ” Pence said .
“ And some people thought it wouldn ’ t be as big an issue these days , but I think that ’ s all changed.
” Last month ’ s Supreme Court decisions saw Robert side with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several blockbuster cases that , by a 5-4 majority , blocked the Trump administration ’ s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census , preserved the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program , and struck down Louisiana ’ s restriction on abortion .

Vice President Mike Pence publicly slammed conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday over his unexpected (and pivotal) role in dealing right-wingers several defeats in key court battles.
“We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives, whether it be the Obamacare decision, or whether it be a spate of recent decisions all the way to Calvary Chapel,” Pence said during an interview on Christian Broadcast.
The vice president asserted that Roberts’ decisions are a “reminder” of “just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court.”
“We remember the issue back in 2016, which I believe loomed large in voters’ decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who would become the president of the United States,” Pence said. “And some people thought it wouldn’t be as big an issue these days, but I think that’s all changed.”
Last month’s Supreme Court decisions saw Robert side with the court’s four liberal justices in several blockbuster cases that, by a 5-4 majority, blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, preserved the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and struck down Louisiana’s restriction on abortion.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Nearly 1.2 Million Jobless Claims Filed Last Week As Enhanced Unemployment Benefits Expire

1,186,000 unemployment claims were filed in the week ending on August 1 , the Labor Department reported on Thursday .
@ @ @ @ @ 600 extra weekly unemployment benefits from the federal government ’ s first COVID-19 relief package @ @ @ @ @ over the next stimulus bill have stalled as Democrats propose to extend the $ 600 @ @ @ @ @ to reduce the benefits to $ 200 a week .

1,186,000 unemployment claims were filed in the week ending on August 1, the Labor Department reported on Thursday.
The report came after $600 extra weekly unemployment benefits from the federal government’s first COVID-19 relief package expired last week.
Negotiations over the next stimulus bill have stalled as Democrats propose to extend the $600 weekly payments while Republicans push to reduce the benefits to $200 a week.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Deutsche Bank Provided NY Prosecutors With Trump’s Financial Records

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance successfully subpoenaed Deutsche Bank , President Donald Trump ’ s top lender , last year @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s business dealings , according to a new report .
The New York @ @ @ @ @ that Deutsche Bank provided the financial records Trump had used to obtain loans to the @ @ @ @ @ over the course of several months in 2019 .
The subpoena seemed to be part @ @ @ @ @ the Trump Organization for bank and insurance fraud that state prosecutors hinted at in a @ @ @ @ @ .
Revelations of Deutsche Bank complying with the subpoena come as Trump persistently stonewalls efforts @ @ @ @ @ obtain his tax returns .
Last month , the Supreme Court rejected Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ from state grand jury subpoenas as the President .
However , the ruling left the @ @ @ @ @ keep tangling up the courts with lawsuits against the subpoenas .

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance successfully subpoenaed Deutsche Bank, President Donald Trump’s top lender, last year in his criminal investigation into Trump’s business dealings, according to a new report.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday night that Deutsche Bank provided the financial records Trump had used to obtain loans to the Manhattan DA’s office over the course of several months in 2019.
The subpoena seemed to be part of a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization for bank and insurance fraud that state prosecutors hinted at in a court filing earlier this week.
Revelations of Deutsche Bank complying with the subpoena come as Trump persistently stonewalls efforts by prosecutors and Congress to obtain his tax returns.
Last month, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s claim that he was exempt from state grand jury subpoenas as the President. However, the ruling left the door open for Trump to keep tangling up the courts with lawsuits against the subpoenas.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Rodney Davis Becomes Third Congressman In A Week To Report Positive COVID Test

Rep. Rodney Davis ( R-IL ) on Wednesday became the third congressman in just over one week to announce he has tested positive for coronavirus .
Davis said in a statement that he was prompted to take a test after an unusual temperature reading Wednesday .
The Illinois congressman said that aside from a higher temperature he is “ showing no symptoms at this time ” and that he feels “ fine.
” The congressman pledged to “ serve my constituents virtually from home while I quarantine.
” Davis said that after consulting with the Office of the Attending Physician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his office is contacting to any constituents he had met in person in the past 48 hours .
He also announced that he will postpone his office ’ s public events in the coming days “ until I receive a negative test.
” Davis ’ coronavirus announcement follows the diagnoses of two other members of Congress last week , including Rep. Raúl Grijalva ( D-AZ ) on Saturday and Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-TX ) last Wednesday .
Communications director for Davis , Aaron DeGroot , told CNN that the congressman had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Grijalva .
Following Gohmert ’ s announcement last week , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered a broad mask mandate requiring all House members and staff to wear masks in the House chamber and all House office buildings .
Fifteen other members of Congress had announced positive tests or presumed infections for coronavirus since the pandemic began earlier this year , including eight Republicans and seven Democrats , according to Reuters .
Davis said that his staffers in his office “ take COVID-19 very seriously ” and “ have always followed and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of us must do our part , ” Davis said , encouraging people to wear masks and practice social distancing .
“ That ’ s what it will take to get through this pandemic .
”

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) on Wednesday became the third congressman in just over one week to announce he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Davis said in a statement that he was prompted to take a test after an unusual temperature reading Wednesday.
The Illinois congressman said that aside from a higher temperature he is “showing no symptoms at this time” and that he feels “fine.”
The congressman pledged to “serve my constituents virtually from home while I quarantine.”
Davis said that after consulting with the Office of the Attending Physician of Congress and local county health officials, his office is contacting to any constituents he had met in person in the past 48 hours. He also announced that he will postpone his office’s public events in the coming days “until I receive a negative test.”
Davis’ coronavirus announcement follows the diagnoses of two other members of Congress last week, including Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) on Saturday and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) last Wednesday. Communications director for Davis, Aaron DeGroot, told CNN that the congressman had not been in contact with either Gohmert or Grijalva.
Following Gohmert’s announcement last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered a broad mask mandate requiring all House members and staff to wear masks in the House chamber and all House office buildings.
Fifteen other members of Congress had announced positive tests or presumed infections for coronavirus since the pandemic began earlier this year, including eight Republicans and seven Democrats, according to Reuters.
Davis said that his staffers in his office “take COVID-19 very seriously” and “have always followed and will continue to follow CDC guidelines.”
“All of us must do our part,” Davis said, encouraging people to wear masks and practice social distancing. “That’s what it will take to get through this pandemic.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Lawmakers Up Demands That USPS Reverse Moves That Slowed Mail Amid Pandemic

Congressional Democrats blasted the newly installed United States Postmaster General — a major GOP donor whose appointment was controversial given his lack of prior USPS experience — for implementing operational changes that have slowed postal service in the midst of the pandemic .
“ While it is true that the Postal Service has and continues to face financial challenges , enacting these policies as cost-cutting or efficiency measures as the COVID-19 public health emergency continues is counterproductive and unacceptable , ” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a Tuesday letter to Postmaster General Louis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter was released the day after a meeting they had with DeJoy , which Schumer had previously described as “ heated.
” Earlier Tuesday , several other House members , including some Republicans , sent their own letter to DeJoy calling for the cutbacks in service to be reversed — a demand that Schumer and Pelosi also made .
Since DeJoy took over the postal service in June , it has taken new measures to cut down on overtime , which in turn have have slowed mail service in certain parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail behind if continuing to process it was going to put them behind on their delivery schedules , according to documents obtained by Washington Post and TPM .
USPS has not been particularly forthcoming as to the extent of the operational changes or where they are being implemented .
A key question is whether election mail will be exempted from these cutbacks , particularly as vote by mail surges during the pandemic .
Lawmakers also noted that medicine and other vital deliveries during the outbreak are being delayed .
In a letter sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USPS claimed that the documents outlining the overtime changes were not official policy , while acknowledging that USPS management was taking steps “ to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs.
” In their latest letter to DeJoy , the House lawmakers complained that the postal service still wasn ’ t being transparent about the changes and had kept Congress in the dark about a separate program to adjust operations in some places .
According to Pelosi and Schumer ’ s letter , during their meeting with DeJoy , he “ confirmed that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimizing these changes , the Postal Service recently instituted operational changes shortly after you assumed the position of Postmaster General.
” “ We believe these changes , made during the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic , now threaten the timely delivery of mail — including medicines for seniors , paychecks for workers , and absentee ballots for voters — that is essential to millions of Americans , ” Pelosi and Schumer wrote .
Lawmakers are in the midst of negotiating the latest round of COVID-19 legislation , where USPS could prove to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill , known as the CARES Act , provided USPS a $ 10 billion loan .
The loan was held up when the Treasury Department attached extra strings for USPS to access it , and only last week was a deal announced letting the loan go forward .
The gambit has also attracted criticism from Democrats .
The U.S .
Postal Service has been in a precarious financial situation for some time , in part due to a 2006 law requiring it front 75 years in funding for its pensions .
The pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as businesses pulled back on their use of marketing mail — though those impacts have been mitigated with the spike in package volume the outbreak has brought .

Congressional Democrats blasted the newly installed United States Postmaster General — a major GOP donor whose appointment was controversial given his lack of prior USPS experience — for implementing operational changes that have slowed postal service in the midst of the pandemic.
“While it is true that the Postal Service has and continues to face financial challenges, enacting these policies as cost-cutting or efficiency measures as the COVID-19 public health emergency continues is counterproductive and unacceptable,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a Tuesday letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Pelosi and Schumer’s letter was released the day after a meeting they had with DeJoy, which Schumer had previously described as “heated.”
Earlier Tuesday, several other House members, including some Republicans, sent their own letter to DeJoy calling for the cutbacks in service to be reversed — a demand that Schumer and Pelosi also made.
Since DeJoy took over the postal service in June, it has taken new measures to cut down on overtime, which in turn have have slowed mail service in certain parts of the country. Employees were told to leave mail behind if continuing to process it was going to put them behind on their delivery schedules, according to documents obtained by Washington Post and TPM.
USPS has not been particularly forthcoming as to the extent of the operational changes or where they are being implemented.
A key question is whether election mail will be exempted from these cutbacks, particularly as vote by mail surges during the pandemic. Lawmakers also noted that medicine and other vital deliveries during the outbreak are being delayed.
In a letter sent to House lawmakers last month, the USPS claimed that the documents outlining the overtime changes were not official policy, while acknowledging that USPS management was taking steps “to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs.”
In their latest letter to DeJoy, the House lawmakers complained that the postal service still wasn’t being transparent about the changes and had kept Congress in the dark about a separate program to adjust operations in some places.
According to Pelosi and Schumer’s letter, during their meeting with DeJoy, he “confirmed that, contrary to certain prior denials and statements minimizing these changes, the Postal Service recently instituted operational changes shortly after you assumed the position of Postmaster General.”
“We believe these changes, made during the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic, now threaten the timely delivery of mail — including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers, and absentee ballots for voters — that is essential to millions of Americans,” Pelosi and Schumer wrote.
Lawmakers are in the midst of negotiating the latest round of COVID-19 legislation, where USPS could prove to be a flashpoint. The previous coronavirus relief bill, known as the CARES Act, provided USPS a $10 billion loan. The loan was held up when the Treasury Department attached extra strings for USPS to access it, and only last week was a deal announced letting the loan go forward. The gambit has also attracted criticism from Democrats.
The U.S. Postal Service has been in a precarious financial situation for some time, in part due to a 2006 law requiring it front 75 years in funding for its pensions. The pandemic dealt another blow to the agency, as businesses pulled back on their use of marketing mail — though those impacts have been mitigated with the spike in package volume the outbreak has brought.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--DOJ Accuses Ukrainian Oligarch Pushing Biden Disinfo Of Money Laundering Scheme

The Justice Department moved to seize the U.S. assets of a Ukrainian oligarch on Thursday who has sought to fuel the Trump administration ’ s quest for dirt about Joe Biden .
In two separate court filings , the feds accused Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky of stealing billions of dollars from a bank he co-owned and laundering the proceeds into the U.S. Saying that Kolomoisky is “ known for ruthlessness and even violence that inspired loyalty , ” the Justice Department said that the oligarch and his business partner laundered the stolen money into an industrial and real estate empire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Northern District of Ohio has been probing criminal money laundering allegations around Kolomoisky since at least last year , and the civil action comes two days after the FBI raided the offices of Kolomoisky ’ s company as part of that probe .
It also comes after Kolomoisky launched a campaign last year to curry favor with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani by helping spread negative and often false information about Biden .
Associates of Kolomoisky ’ s met with Giuliani in Kyiv in December 2019 , offering the Trump attorney more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama administration as a whole .
Earlier that year , Kolomoisky also texted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas a link to a press release issued by the same Ukrainians who have been hawking recordings of Vice President Joe Biden speaking with Ukraine ’ s president in 2016 .
Parnas forwarded the link to Giuliani .
Since then , Kolomoisky has continued to send out signals .
After the tapes of Biden were first released , the oligarch formally requested that Ukrainian authorities open a criminal investigation based on them .
And like the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bidens , Kolomoisky has a very clear axe to grind : Biden was one of the U.S. officials who pushed the Ukrainian government to nationalize the bank whose money he is accused of stealing via insider loan agreements and laundering into the U.S .
The scale of the December 2016 nationalization was huge at $ 5.5 billion , and threatened to destroy the Ukrainian economy if it went badly .
“ The magnitude of the fraud and theft was so great that [ Ukraine ’ s central bank ] was forced to bail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion in order to stave off economic crisis for the whole country , ” the DOJ filing reads .
Michael J. Sullivan , an attorney for Kolomoisky , told TPM in an email that his client “ denies the claims alleged in the civil complaints filed today by the US Department of Justice.
” The allegations in the court papers are not criminal .
Kolomoisky has publicly dismissed the prospect of investigations into him , but while dropping characteristic hints that the picture might in fact be more complicated .
He said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 that “ If they had wanted to ‘ get ’ me , then they should have done everything the other way — sit quietly , say nothing , and convince me that nothing in the world was going against me , so that I would calmly travel to Europe and then arrest me there without a commotion , like Firtash.
” “ Take such a great country , which all of a sudden cares about such a small , worthless person , like Kolomoisky — what kind of logic is that ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that it ’ s all a conspiracy theory , and that after the change in power in the West , there are no real charges against me .
”

The Justice Department moved to seize the U.S. assets of a Ukrainian oligarch on Thursday who has sought to fuel the Trump administration’s quest for dirt about Joe Biden.
In two separate court filings, the feds accused Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky of stealing billions of dollars from a bank he co-owned and laundering the proceeds into the U.S.
Saying that Kolomoisky is “known for ruthlessness and even violence that inspired loyalty,” the Justice Department said that the oligarch and his business partner laundered the stolen money into an industrial and real estate empire they built.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has been probing criminal money laundering allegations around Kolomoisky since at least last year, and the civil action comes two days after the FBI raided the offices of Kolomoisky’s company as part of that probe.
It also comes after Kolomoisky launched a campaign last year to curry favor with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani by helping spread negative and often false information about Biden.
Associates of Kolomoisky’s met with Giuliani in Kyiv in December 2019, offering the Trump attorney more supposed dirt on the Bidens and the Obama administration as a whole.
Earlier that year, Kolomoisky also texted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas a link to a press release issued by the same Ukrainians who have been hawking recordings of Vice President Joe Biden speaking with Ukraine’s president in 2016. Parnas forwarded the link to Giuliani.
Since then, Kolomoisky has continued to send out signals. After the tapes of Biden were first released, the oligarch formally requested that Ukrainian authorities open a criminal investigation based on them.
And like the other Ukrainians who have spread disinformation about the Bidens, Kolomoisky has a very clear axe to grind: Biden was one of the U.S. officials who pushed the Ukrainian government to nationalize the bank whose money he is accused of stealing via insider loan agreements and laundering into the U.S.
The scale of the December 2016 nationalization was huge at $5.5 billion, and threatened to destroy the Ukrainian economy if it went badly.
“The magnitude of the fraud and theft was so great that [Ukraine’s central bank] was forced to bail out the bank by providing $5.5 billion in order to stave off economic crisis for the whole country,” the DOJ filing reads.
Michael J. Sullivan, an attorney for Kolomoisky, told TPM in an email that his client “denies the claims alleged in the civil complaints filed today by the US Department of Justice.” The allegations in the court papers are not criminal.
Kolomoisky has publicly dismissed the prospect of investigations into him, but while dropping characteristic hints that the picture might in fact be more complicated.
He said in an interview with Ukrainian media in August 2019 that “If they had wanted to ‘get’ me, then they should have done everything the other way — sit quietly, say nothing, and convince me that nothing in the world was going against me, so that I would calmly travel to Europe and then arrest me there without a commotion, like Firtash.”
“Take such a great country, which all of a sudden cares about such a small, worthless person, like Kolomoisky — what kind of logic is that?” Kolomoisky added. “So I think that it’s all a conspiracy theory, and that after the change in power in the West, there are no real charges against me.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--History Is Waving A Big Red Flag As Negotiators Hit Stalemate Over State And Local Funding

As the four lead negotiators prepare for their eighth meeting on a COVID-19 relief package Thursday afternoon , House Leader Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) are projecting confidence .
Despite the seeming impasse on a deal , the two were noticeably fired up at a Thursday morning press conference , seasoning their talking points with impassioned lectern slapping and an anecdote about the high-spirited Democratic leaders singing a song together before the press conference started .
They ’ ve publicly refused to budge on the biggest planks of their plan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concessions from the White House negotiators , Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin .
Those two are facing immense pressure from a fractured Republican caucus , some of whom are desperate to take a deal home to their constituents — and some of whom refuse to spend a dime more in federal aid .
One of the key sticking points that has emerged in negotiations is direct funding to states and municipalities .
Democrats have proposed over $ 1 trillion , about six times as much as was spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boodle would be split into $ 500 billion for states , $ 375 billion for municipalities and counties , $ 20 billion for territories and $ 20 billion for tribes .
They ’ ve also sprinkled additional dollars on top for helping states to fund Medicaid , education and other priorities .
“ I just don ’ t think it ’ s enough , ” Wendy Edelberg of the Brookings Institute ’ s Hamilton Project said of the Republican proposal .
“ Even as the labor market was improving , the one sector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the state and local sector.
” And that ’ s a problem , policy analysts told TPM — one we ’ ve seen before .
“ One of the lessons of the Great Recession is that it affected state and local government very harshly due to property taxes , then unemployment getting very high , then income taxes falling , ” said Stephanie Aaronson , director of economic studies at the Brookings Institute .
“ It ’ s part of the reason that the recovery from the Great Recession was so slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drag on overall spending for almost a decade.
” And states are in a worse place now than they were then .
State budget shortfalls are on track to exceed $ 500 billion this year , according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .
Even calculating in federal aid from the COVID-19 relief packages Congress has passed , plus states dipping into their rainy-day funds , that number still hovers around $ 360 billion — a figure that dwarfs the $ 283 billion they lost after the Great Recession .
Almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a balanced budget , largely a result of bills passed in the last 30 years .
During shortfalls , that means they have to impose austerity measures like raising taxes and slashing spending .
Those measures can have ripple effects — in the aftermath of the Great Recession , for example , one of the results of those strictures was sky-high tuition at state colleges , which contributed to the growing student loan debt crisis .
“ A lesson of the Great Recession is even though we got a lot of great federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local austerity efforts that hurt the recovery , ” Arnab Datta , senior legislative counsel at Employ America , told TPM .
To try to offset that , one of the integral differences in the aid Democrats are proposing for states this time around is that it can be used to make up for revenue shortfalls .
The aid in the last package could only be put toward expenditures related to fighting the pandemic , such as the cost of providing health care .
The funding would also stop the bleeding among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintain , stemming layoffs which would strain unemployment benefits , another tenet of the relief package .
Without the aid , “ states will have to start laying off workers — which they ’ ve been doing but not in huge numbers , ” said Aaronson .
Pelosi is touting the state and local employment piece as the one of the key reasons the funds are needed .
“ Health care workers , first responders , teachers , sanitation and transportation workers are employed by state and local government , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t get the money , many of these people , millions of them , will be unemployed and go on unemployment insurance , so what money is that saving ?
” The Republican proposal , which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) seemingly lacked the support to put up for a vote , omitted any direct state and local aid .
He has denounced the $ 1 trillion Democratic proposal as a “ slush fund.
” So the political dance continues , with the negotiators huddling again Thursday evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report ’ s publication and one day before a jobs report is released that is not expected to be much cheerier .
But if they forget the lessons of the Great Recession , Aaronson warns , the country will pay in the long run .
“ If Congress doesn ’ t do anything to support state and local governments , that is actually going to be catastrophic , ” she said .

As the four lead negotiators prepare for their eighth meeting on a COVID-19 relief package Thursday afternoon, House Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are projecting confidence.
Despite the seeming impasse on a deal, the two were noticeably fired up at a Thursday morning press conference, seasoning their talking points with impassioned lectern slapping and an anecdote about the high-spirited Democratic leaders singing a song together before the press conference started.
They’ve publicly refused to budge on the biggest planks of their plan, reportedly eking out billions of dollars in concessions from the White House negotiators, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Those two are facing immense pressure from a fractured Republican caucus, some of whom are desperate to take a deal home to their constituents — and some of whom refuse to spend a dime more in federal aid.
One of the key sticking points that has emerged in negotiations is direct funding to states and municipalities.
Democrats have proposed over $1 trillion, about six times as much as was spent in the last relief package. That boodle would be split into $500 billion for states, $375 billion for municipalities and counties, $20 billion for territories and $20 billion for tribes. They’ve also sprinkled additional dollars on top for helping states to fund Medicaid, education and other priorities.
Republicans, as Politico reported Wednesday, have counter-offered $150 billion.
“I just don’t think it’s enough,” Wendy Edelberg of the Brookings Institute’s Hamilton Project said of the Republican proposal. “Even as the labor market was improving, the one sector that has repeatedly had negative employment numbers is the state and local sector.”
And that’s a problem, policy analysts told TPM — one we’ve seen before.
“One of the lessons of the Great Recession is that it affected state and local government very harshly due to property taxes, then unemployment getting very high, then income taxes falling,” said Stephanie Aaronson, director of economic studies at the Brookings Institute. “It’s part of the reason that the recovery from the Great Recession was so slow — state and local spending was a drag on overall spending for almost a decade.”
And states are in a worse place now than they were then. State budget shortfalls are on track to exceed $500 billion this year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Even calculating in federal aid from the COVID-19 relief packages Congress has passed, plus states dipping into their rainy-day funds, that number still hovers around $360 billion — a figure that dwarfs the $283 billion they lost after the Great Recession.
Almost all of the states have to maintain a balanced budget, largely a result of bills passed in the last 30 years. During shortfalls, that means they have to impose austerity measures like raising taxes and slashing spending. Those measures can have ripple effects — in the aftermath of the Great Recession, for example, one of the results of those strictures was sky-high tuition at state colleges, which contributed to the growing student loan debt crisis.
“A lesson of the Great Recession is even though we got a lot of great federal stimulus, it was offset by state and local austerity efforts that hurt the recovery,” Arnab Datta, senior legislative counsel at Employ America, told TPM.
To try to offset that, one of the integral differences in the aid Democrats are proposing for states this time around is that it can be used to make up for revenue shortfalls. The aid in the last package could only be put toward expenditures related to fighting the pandemic, such as the cost of providing health care.
The funding would also stop the bleeding among the public-sector jobs state and local governments maintain, stemming layoffs which would strain unemployment benefits, another tenet of the relief package. Without the aid, “states will have to start laying off workers — which they’ve been doing but not in huge numbers,” said Aaronson.
Pelosi is touting the state and local employment piece as the one of the key reasons the funds are needed.
“Health care workers, first responders, teachers, sanitation and transportation workers are employed by state and local government,” she said Thursday on CNBC. “If they don’t get the money, many of these people, millions of them, will be unemployed and go on unemployment insurance, so what money is that saving?”
The Republican proposal, which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) seemingly lacked the support to put up for a vote, omitted any direct state and local aid. He has denounced the $1 trillion Democratic proposal as a “slush fund.”
So the political dance continues, with the negotiators huddling again Thursday evening, a day after a grim hiring report’s publication and one day before a jobs report is released that is not expected to be much cheerier.
But if they forget the lessons of the Great Recession, Aaronson warns, the country will pay in the long run. “If Congress doesn’t do anything to support state and local governments, that is actually going to be catastrophic,” she said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--NRA Looted Its Foundation To Cover Cash Hemorrhage, DC AG Alleges

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine sued the NRA Foundation on Thursday , alleging that its higher-profile sister organization would loot the charity for funds .
Racine filed the suit against the NRA Foundation , a 501 ( c ) 3 charity group , the same day that New York Attorney General Letitia James sought to dissolve the NRA , a non-profit .
“ The Foundation has allowed itself to be run in a manner that best suits the NRA ’ s financial interests rather than the Foundation ’ s charitable purposes , ” Racine wrote in the lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and extravagant spending on its executives , including Ermenegildo Zegna suits and private jet travel , caught up with it , the gun group ’ s executives began to “ raid ” the NRA Foundation to keep the money flowing , Racine alleged .
“ In recent years , the NRA began to experience cash flow problems , ” the lawsuit reads .
“ In order to address its cash flow problems and maintain the lavish expenses of its Executive Director , officers , and ‘ consultants , ’ the NRA used its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation ’ s funds.
” Racine cites a $ 5 million loan that the Foundation gave the NRA in November 2017 , after the gun lobby asked for the cash .
The Foundation stipulated repayment after three months , at an interest rate of seven percent .
Instead , the Foundation agreed to double the repayment term of the loan , with the proviso that the NRA only had to service the interest payments , not the underlying loan amount .
Overseeing all this was the Foundation ’ s investment committee .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people on the investment committee were the same as those managing — and profiting off of — the NRA itself .
“ Notwithstanding the stated purpose , the funds were intermingled into the NRA ’ s general financial accounts and neither the NRA nor the Foundation tracked how the funds were used , ” the lawsuit reads .
“ The Foundation Investment Committee did not establish oversight of the funds nor ensure they were being used for their stated purpose.
” The NRA paid back the first $ 5 million loan in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , asked for another on the same terms , Racine alleged .
The Foundation agreed , but , Racine said , soon learned that an unnamed , “ large national bank ” was holding the NRA in default on an unrelated loan .
To solve this budding Gordian knot of lending , the NRA purportedly demanded that the Foundation give it another year to repay the loan , and also agree that the bank loan should take precedence in repayment .
That decision , Racine argued , “ greatly benefitted the NRA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Racine also alleged that its management structure effectively allowed the NRA to loot the Foundation .
The NRA provided services to run the Foundation ’ s day-to-day affairs , receiving a fee from the Foundation as compensation .
The lawsuit claims that in 2018 , the NRA nearly doubled the fee it charged the Foundation , demanding an immediate “ catch-up fee ” of $ 4 million on top of an increase of $ 5.8 million .
When part of the Foundation ’ s investment committee began to ask questions like “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who the employees were that supposedly worked for the Foundation and what benefit they added to the Foundation , ” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre showed up at the next scheduled committee meeting , in January 2019 .
“ [ LaPierre ] and other NRA members told the Investment Committee that it was not a good time to hire any sort of outside auditor or conduct any of the requested research , ” Racine alleged .
“ After that meeting , the Foundation Board took no formal action to investigate the management @ @ @

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine sued the NRA Foundation on Thursday, alleging that its higher-profile sister organization would loot the charity for funds.
Racine filed the suit against the NRA Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity group, the same day that New York Attorney General Letitia James sought to dissolve the NRA, a non-profit.
“The Foundation has allowed itself to be run in a manner that best suits the NRA’s financial interests rather than the Foundation’s charitable purposes,” Racine wrote in the lawsuit.
When the NRA’s well-documented and extravagant spending on its executives, including Ermenegildo Zegna suits and private jet travel, caught up with it, the gun group’s executives began to “raid” the NRA Foundation to keep the money flowing, Racine alleged.
“In recent years, the NRA began to experience cash flow problems,” the lawsuit reads. “In order to address its cash flow problems and maintain the lavish expenses of its Executive Director, officers, and ‘consultants,’ the NRA used its control over the Foundation to raid the Foundation’s funds.”
Racine cites a $5 million loan that the Foundation gave the NRA in November 2017, after the gun lobby asked for the cash.
The Foundation stipulated repayment after three months, at an interest rate of seven percent.
But that didn’t happen, Racine alleged.
Instead, the Foundation agreed to double the repayment term of the loan, with the proviso that the NRA only had to service the interest payments, not the underlying loan amount.
Overseeing all this was the Foundation’s investment committee. But, Racine alleged, many of the people on the investment committee were the same as those managing — and profiting off of — the NRA itself.
“Notwithstanding the stated purpose, the funds were intermingled into the NRA’s general financial accounts and neither the NRA nor the Foundation tracked how the funds were used,” the lawsuit reads. “The Foundation Investment Committee did not establish oversight of the funds nor ensure they were being used for their stated purpose.”
The NRA paid back the first $5 million loan in March 2018, but, three months later, asked for another on the same terms, Racine alleged.
The Foundation agreed, but, Racine said, soon learned that an unnamed, “large national bank” was holding the NRA in default on an unrelated loan.
To solve this budding Gordian knot of lending, the NRA purportedly demanded that the Foundation give it another year to repay the loan, and also agree that the bank loan should take precedence in repayment.
That decision, Racine argued, “greatly benefitted the NRA, with no ascertainable benefit to the Foundation.”
Racine also alleged that its management structure effectively allowed the NRA to loot the Foundation.
The NRA provided services to run the Foundation’s day-to-day affairs, receiving a fee from the Foundation as compensation.
The lawsuit claims that in 2018, the NRA nearly doubled the fee it charged the Foundation, demanding an immediate “catch-up fee” of $4 million on top of an increase of $5.8 million.
When part of the Foundation’s investment committee began to ask questions like “how the fees were determined, including who the employees were that supposedly worked for the Foundation and what benefit they added to the Foundation,” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre showed up at the next scheduled committee meeting, in January 2019.
“[LaPierre] and other NRA members told the Investment Committee that it was not a good time to hire any sort of outside auditor or conduct any of the requested research,” Racine alleged. “After that meeting, the Foundation Board took no formal action to investigate the management fees.”
Read the filing:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--GOPers Keep Falsely Implying A Protester Killed A Federal Officer In Oakland

Trump administration officials and Republicans in Congress have for weeks played a rhetorical shell game with the American public .
The Black Lives Matter protests that have rocked the country for months , they ’ ve implied , are deadly : Just look at the federal officer who was murdered during a Black Lives Matter Protest on May 29 .
But the murder of Federal Protective Service Officer Dave Patrick Underwood , who was 53 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting , was not committed by a violent protester or rioter , according to authorities .
The alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reference to the “ boogaloo ” movement in blood at the scene of his eventual arrest and reportedly voiced support of a libertarian presidential candidate online .
But he did not join the Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland on the night of Underwood ’ s death .
“ There is no evidence that these men had any intention to join the demonstration in Oakland , ” said John Bennet , the agent in charge of the FBI ’ s San Francisco division , referring to Carrillo and the man charged with driving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They came to Oakland to kill cops.
” And yet , for months , Republicans and administration officials have lumped Carrillo in with the nationwide protest movement .
Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) , chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , opened a hearing Thursday with the false implication that Carrillo was participating in a protest .
Underwood , Johnson said , was killed while guarding a federal building “ during a protest.
” “ News reports said the protest involving approximately 8,000 people turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ windows , looted stores , and broke into a bank a few blocks from where Officer Underwood was on duty.
” After incorrectly saying that Carrillo had killed a sheriff ’ s deputy “ a few days before ” — Carrillo ’ s second alleged killing , of Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Sgt .
Damon Gutzwiller , was actually a few days later on June 6 — Johnson said that the suspect ’ s “ anti-police views drew him to Oakland , where he saw the anti-police protest as an opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documented what they allege are Carrillo anti-police views , Johnson ’ s implications that Carrillo was tied to the protest are misleading .
Though a protest did take place nearby the shooting , a security camera still taken seconds beforehand , and cited in the federal criminal complaint against Carrillo , shows the near-empty street where the attack actually took place : In Facebook posts that the feds allege Carrillo wrote before the shooting , he laid out his plans to hijack the protest and use it for his own ends .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own cause , ” he allegedly wrote .
“ Show them the real targets .
Use their anger to fuel our fire .
Think outside the box .
We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage.
” That follows a pattern for boogaloo supporters .
The term refers to armed conflict with the government — internet slang for a second Civil War — and boogalooers have frequented protests of all stripes , from Black Lives Matter marches to anti-mask demonstrations .
Three Nevada men , for example , were charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Molotov cocktails at a Black Lives Matter protest in an attempt to encourage an anti-government uprising .
But before that , according to prosecutors , they ’ d considered isolated government buildings as potential targets and recruited people at a protest against COVID-19 orders .
But Republicans have frequently blurred the lines between the boogaloo supporters and the racial justice protests .
Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) pulled a similar rhetorical maneuver to Johnson ’ s at a hearing Wednesday on “ The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble : Protecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a video montage at the start of the hearing , Cruz put a news clip describing Underwood ’ s murder next to other clips of protest coverage , implying a connection .
Later , Cruz pointed out that Sen. Mazie Hirono ( D-HI ) didn ’ t condemn the violence against law enforcement from “ rioters.
” “ Not a word was said about the murder of federal law enforcement officer Patrick Underwood , ” he said immediately afterward .
The administration has also muddied the waters around Underwood ’ s killing — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent Black Lives Matter protester — for weeks .
At Cruz ’ s hearing , Acting Deputy DHS secretary Ken Cuccinelli said that Underwood was killed “ in the violence following George Floyd ’ s tragic death.
” Cuccinelli then appeared to use Underwood ’ s death to attack Democrats , saying that he was disappointed “ that select federal , state and local leaders prefer to demonize law enforcement while kowtowing to violent criminals who set fire to our cities , destroy local businesses and target law enforcement officers for harm or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a June 26 op-ed , Cuccinelli wrote that while the nation was “ appalled ” by George Floyd ’ s death in Minneapolis , “ The mayhem that ensued , however , can not be excused or justified , particularly when it causes the death of another.
” “ How do we prevent the death of another Patrick Underwood ?
We don ’ t allow lawlessness in our streets , ” Cuccinelli wrote .
And during a July 21 press conference largely focused on Portland , the deputy director of the Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a contractor — explicitly tied his death to protests .
“ On May 29 , at a federal facility at Oakland , California , during a pretty violent demonstration , two of our protective security officers were shot in a drive-by shooting , ” FPS Deputy Director Richard Cline said .
“ One of those Protective Service officers , Pat Underwood , died of his injuries.
” At best , the administration has sought to equalize the boogaloo movement with “ antifa , ” a shorthand for anti-fascist demonstrators , which it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent anti-government extremism .
In late June , in a memo announcing the “ Task Force on Violent Anti-Government Extremists , ” Attorney General Bill Barr wrote that “ We have evidence that anti-government violent extremists — including those who support the ‘ Boogaloo , ’ who self-identify as Antifa , and others — will pose continuing threats of lawlessness.
” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox , who ’ s leading that task force , opened her testimony Wednesday by recounting a shooting at a Dallas courthouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-government motives.
” But the gunman , Brian Isaac Clyde , made his views more explicit than that in online posts before the shooting .
On his Facebook page , he described one of his weapons as “ a modern gladius to defend the modern Republic ” and made his antipathy toward left-wing concerns about things like racism and transphobia clear .
In April 2019 , two months before the shooting in which he was ultimately killed by law enforcement , Clyde shared a meme referring to an alliance between Libertarians and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the battlefield during the Boogaloo .
”

Trump administration officials and Republicans in Congress have for weeks played a rhetorical shell game with the American public.
The Black Lives Matter protests that have rocked the country for months, they’ve implied, are deadly: Just look at the federal officer who was murdered during a Black Lives Matter Protest on May 29.
But the murder of Federal Protective Service Officer Dave Patrick Underwood, who was 53 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting, was not committed by a violent protester or rioter, according to authorities.
The alleged killer, Steven Carrillo, wrote a reference to the “boogaloo” movement in blood at the scene of his eventual arrest and reportedly voiced support of a libertarian presidential candidate online. But he did not join the Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland on the night of Underwood’s death.
“There is no evidence that these men had any intention to join the demonstration in Oakland,” said John Bennet, the agent in charge of the FBI’s San Francisco division, referring to Carrillo and the man charged with driving the van used in the drive-by shooting. “They came to Oakland to kill cops.”
And yet, for months, Republicans and administration officials have lumped Carrillo in with the nationwide protest movement.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, opened a hearing Thursday with the false implication that Carrillo was participating in a protest.
Underwood, Johnson said, was killed while guarding a federal building “during a protest.”
“News reports said the protest involving approximately 8,000 people turned chaotic and violent, as demonstrators smashed windows, looted stores, and broke into a bank a few blocks from where Officer Underwood was on duty.”
After incorrectly saying that Carrillo had killed a sheriff’s deputy “a few days before” — Carrillo’s second alleged killing, of Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, was actually a few days later on June 6 — Johnson said that the suspect’s “anti-police views drew him to Oakland, where he saw the anti-police protest as an opportunity for more bloodshed.”
While authorities have documented what they allege are Carrillo anti-police views, Johnson’s implications that Carrillo was tied to the protest are misleading. Though a protest did take place nearby the shooting, a security camera still taken seconds beforehand, and cited in the federal criminal complaint against Carrillo, shows the near-empty street where the attack actually took place:
In Facebook posts that the feds allege Carrillo wrote before the shooting, he laid out his plans to hijack the protest and use it for his own ends.
“Go to the riots and support our own cause,” he allegedly wrote. “Show them the real targets. Use their anger to fuel our fire. Think outside the box. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage.”
‘Stopping Anarchist Violence’
That follows a pattern for boogaloo supporters. The term refers to armed conflict with the government — internet slang for a second Civil War — and boogalooers have frequented protests of all stripes, from Black Lives Matter marches to anti-mask demonstrations.
Three Nevada men, for example, were charged in June for allegedly planning to use Molotov cocktails at a Black Lives Matter protest in an attempt to encourage an anti-government uprising. But before that, according to prosecutors, they’d considered isolated government buildings as potential targets and recruited people at a protest against COVID-19 orders.
But Republicans have frequently blurred the lines between the boogaloo supporters and the racial justice protests. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pulled a similar rhetorical maneuver to Johnson’s at a hearing Wednesday on “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.”
In a video montage at the start of the hearing, Cruz put a news clip describing Underwood’s murder next to other clips of protest coverage, implying a connection. Later, Cruz pointed out that Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) didn’t condemn the violence against law enforcement from “rioters.”
“Not a word was said about the murder of federal law enforcement officer Patrick Underwood,” he said immediately afterward.
‘During A Pretty Violent Demonstration’
The administration has also muddied the waters around Underwood’s killing — seemingly seeking to characterize Carrillo as a violent Black Lives Matter protester — for weeks.
At Cruz’s hearing, Acting Deputy DHS secretary Ken Cuccinelli said that Underwood was killed “in the violence following George Floyd’s tragic death.”
Cuccinelli then appeared to use Underwood’s death to attack Democrats, saying that he was disappointed “that select federal, state and local leaders prefer to demonize law enforcement while kowtowing to violent criminals who set fire to our cities, destroy local businesses and target law enforcement officers for harm or even death.”
Six weeks earlier, in a June 26 op-ed, Cuccinelli wrote that while the nation was “appalled” by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, “The mayhem that ensued, however, cannot be excused or justified, particularly when it causes the death of another.”
“How do we prevent the death of another Patrick Underwood? We don’t allow lawlessness in our streets,” Cuccinelli wrote.
And during a July 21 press conference largely focused on Portland, the deputy director of the Federal Protective Service — for which Underwood worked as a contractor — explicitly tied his death to protests.
“On May 29, at a federal facility at Oakland, California, during a pretty violent demonstration, two of our protective security officers were shot in a drive-by shooting,” FPS Deputy Director Richard Cline said. “One of those Protective Service officers, Pat Underwood, died of his injuries.”
At best, the administration has sought to equalize the boogaloo movement with “antifa,” a shorthand for anti-fascist demonstrators, which it has lumped together under the banner of violent anti-government extremism.
In late June, in a memo announcing the “Task Force on Violent Anti-Government Extremists,” Attorney General Bill Barr wrote that “We have evidence that anti-government violent extremists — including those who support the ‘Boogaloo,’ who self-identify as Antifa, and others — will pose continuing threats of lawlessness.”
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox, who’s leading that task force, opened her testimony Wednesday by recounting a shooting at a Dallas courthouse last year by a gunman with “anti-government motives.” But the gunman, Brian Isaac Clyde, made his views more explicit than that in online posts before the shooting.
On his Facebook page, he described one of his weapons as “a modern gladius to defend the modern Republic” and made his antipathy toward left-wing concerns about things like racism and transphobia clear.
In April 2019, two months before the shooting in which he was ultimately killed by law enforcement, Clyde shared a meme referring to an alliance between Libertarians and “NatSocs,” or Nazis — “on the battlefield during the Boogaloo.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Trump: My Nov. Timeline For COVID Vaccine Isn’t About Reelection But It ‘Wouldn’t Hurt’

No , President Donald Trump isn ’ t trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine approved “ right around ” Election Day to rescue his chances of surviving his race against Democratic challenger Joe Biden , who ’ s been steamrolling him in the polls .
Why do you ask ?
During a press gaggle on the White House lawn on Thursday , Trump said he was “ optimistic ” the vaccine would be out around November 3 .
“ Will that help you in the election ?
” a reporter asked .
“ But I ’ m doing it not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I want it fast because I want to save a lot of lives.
” Earlier in the morning , the President told radio host Geraldo Rivera that the crucial vaccine would be approved “ sooner than the end of the year , ” “ right around ” November 3 , though he did not offer evidence for his prediction .
In fact , health experts ’ assessments of the vaccine development indicate that Trump ’ s timeline is unrealistic .
But as the Trump administration prepares to “ overwhelm ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall , vaccine experts are becoming concerned that the White House could barrel through the process of approving the vaccine without properly vetting it for political reasons .
Dr. Paul Offit , a member of the Food and Drug Administration ’ s ( FDA ) vaccine advisory panel , told TPM this week that he fears exactly that .

No, President Donald Trump isn’t trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine approved “right around” Election Day to rescue his chances of surviving his race against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who’s been steamrolling him in the polls. Why do you ask?
During a press gaggle on the White House lawn on Thursday, Trump said he was “optimistic” the vaccine would be out around November 3.
“Will that help you in the election?” a reporter asked.
“It wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t hurt,” Trump replied.
“But I’m doing it not for the election,” he added. “I want it fast because I want to save a lot of lives.”
Earlier in the morning, the President told radio host Geraldo Rivera that the crucial vaccine would be approved “sooner than the end of the year,” “right around” November 3, though he did not offer evidence for his prediction.
In fact, health experts’ assessments of the vaccine development indicate that Trump’s timeline is unrealistic.
But as the Trump administration prepares to “overwhelm” the airwaves to promote the vaccine in the fall, vaccine experts are becoming concerned that the White House could barrel through the process of approving the vaccine without properly vetting it for political reasons.
Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine advisory panel, told TPM this week that he fears exactly that.
Watch Trump below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Trump Calls Lawsuit To Dissolve NRA ‘A Very Terrible Thing’

President Donald Trump on Thursday called a lawsuit that seeks to dissolve the National Rifle Association filed earlier in the day “ a very terrible thing.
” As he was leaving the White House en route to Ohio , Trump responded to a reporter question regarding a lawsuit filed in state court by New York Attorney General Tish James against the NRA , saying that the state ’ s legal efforts against the NRA have “ absolutely decimated ” the gun advocacy group with its costs .
At a press conference announcing the lawsuit earlier on Thursday , James said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-gun group had “ contributed to the loss of more than $ 64 million.
” The complaint cites extensive allegations of fraud and self-dealing and named executive vice president Wayne LaPierre as the “ central figure ” behind the alleged scheme , while also listing three other executives as defendants .
The complaint also asks the court to order LaPierre and others to pay back unlawful profits .
“ I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life , ” Trump told reporters before departing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them that for a long time .
“

President Donald Trump on Thursday called a lawsuit that seeks to dissolve the National Rifle Association filed earlier in the day “a very terrible thing.”
As he was leaving the White House en route to Ohio, Trump responded to a reporter question regarding a lawsuit filed in state court by New York Attorney General Tish James against the NRA, saying that the state’s legal efforts against the NRA have “absolutely decimated” the gun advocacy group with its costs.
“It’s very sad,” Trump said.
At a press conference announcing the lawsuit earlier on Thursday, James said that a history of law-breaking by the pro-gun group had “contributed to the loss of more than $64 million.”
The complaint cites extensive allegations of fraud and self-dealing and named executive vice president Wayne LaPierre as the “central figure” behind the alleged scheme, while also listing three other executives as defendants. The complaint also asks the court to order LaPierre and others to pay back unlawful profits.
“I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life,” Trump told reporters before departing for Ohio. “I’ve told them that for a long time. “


talkingpointsmemo--2020-08-06--Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine has tested positive for coronavirus , his office announced Thursday .
The Republican governor is @ @ @ @ @ office , and plans to quarantine at home for 14 days .
DeWine was tested @ @ @ @ @ s trip to Ohio on Thursday , and the governor was set to meet Trump @ @ @ @ @ appears to be the second governor to test positive for COVID-19 .
Oklahoma Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ month .
Back in May , DeWine , urged Ohioans to wear masks out of @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think that ’ s the message , that you ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ yourself as you are wearing it for that person that you ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ ” the governor told CNN at the time .

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has tested positive for coronavirus, his office announced Thursday.
The Republican governor is asymptomatic, according to his office, and plans to quarantine at home for 14 days.
DeWine was tested ahead of President Trump’s trip to Ohio on Thursday, and the governor was set to meet Trump on the tarmac.
DeWine appears to be the second governor to test positive for COVID-19. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tested positive last month.
Back in May, DeWine, urged Ohioans to wear masks out of respect for their fellow citizens. “I think that’s the message, that you’re not wearing it so much for yourself as you are wearing it for that person that you’re going to come in contact with,” the governor told CNN at the time.