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White House holds first press briefing in nearly a month – live updates Congressman reports active shooter at Walter Reed military hospital – live updates
(35 minutes later)
Democrats are emphasizing their opposition to Thomas Farr’s judicial nomination at Chuck Schumer’s weekly press conference.
Kamala Harris and Cory Booker join Schumer & co. at his weekly presser to trash the Thomas Farr judicial nomination, calling him a foe to voting rights and African Americans. pic.twitter.com/mUGmUrRD2x
Donald Trump’s top national security adviser said he had not listened to an audio recording of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, stating he did not speak Arabic and believed there was nothing to learn from listening to the tape firsthand. “People who speak Arabic have listened to the tape and given us the substance of what’s in it,” John Bolton, national security adviser to the president, said during a briefing at the White House on Tuesday.Pressed on why he did not believe it necessary to hear the recording himself, Bolton grew defensive, asking reporters: “How many of you speak Arabic? I guess I should ask you why you think I should [listen]? What do you think I would learn from it?”He added: “I mean, if they were speaking Korean, I wouldn’t learn any more from it, either. I can read a transcript.”The Trump administration has come under widespread criticism over its response to the execution of Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist. Both US and Turkish intelligence authorities have said a tape of the murder and other evidence prove Khashoggi’s killing was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi royal family, was last seen on security footage entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. His murder sparked an international outcry and prompted the Trump administration to levy sanctions against 17 Saudi officials.But the White House has stopped short of confronting Prince Mohammed, with whom the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, shares a close rapport. Trump also defended Prince Mohammed and cast doubt on US intelligence linking the crown prince directly to the Khashoggi murder.“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said in a bizarre statement last week, which included a subheading that read “America First!”CIA director Gina Haspel has reportedly been barred by the White House from briefing members of the US Senate on the matter. Haspel had traveled to Turkey last month and listened to a recording of Khashoggi’s killing.
Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger is at Walter Reed Medical Center where he says there is an active shooter.
I am currently at Walter Reed Medical in Bethesda where we've been told there is an active shooter. I am currently safe in a conference room w/ approx 40 others.
The White House is continuing to discount a government report outlining the extreme consequences of climate change in the US.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the National Climate Assessment released last week is based on the most extreme scenarios possible as greenhouse gases continue to rise. She said “modeling the climate is an extremely complicated science that is never exact.” Trump yesterday said he doesn’t believe the findings.
The report includes many comparisons of what damages the US will suffer if pollution from power plants and cars continues to rise throughout the century in a business-as-usual scenario or if they peak by the middle of the century, which would require significant global effort.
The scientist authors have high confidence in many of the expectations they present about more extreme weather, economic costs and lives that will be lost. And they express certainty in the foundations of climate science, that humans are causing warming that is dangerous on many fronts.
There are now two House districts in the country where turnout was higher in the congressional race than it was for the 2016 presidential election. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, the outgoing Republican conference chair from Eastern Washington, just saw her successful re-election bid join the at-large race in Montana in that category.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R)'s #WA05 just became the 2nd district (other is #MTAL) where 2018 House votes have surpassed 2016 prez votes, at 100.1%.
Top White House aide and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner will be honored by the outgoing president of Mexico later this week.
Jared Kushner will receive the Order of the Aztec — Mexico’s highest honor for foreigners — from Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto this Friday on the sidelines of the G20 in Buenos Aires, per a source familiar
President Donald Trump is expected to have lunch with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tomorrow at the White House.
Trump is expected to have lunch with Gov. Andrew Cuomo tomorrow, per a White House aide.
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who likely be the swing vote on the controversial nomination of Thomas Farr to the federal bench, has made up her mind but won’t say which way she’ll vote.
“I do know,” Murkowski told me when I asked if she knows how she’ll vote on the Farr nomination. But in classic Murkowski fashion, she didn’t say how.
All 49 Democrats and Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona are opposed to Farr’s nomination. However, if all remaining 50 Republicans support Farr, he would be confirmed with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.
Jim Jordan, one of the leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, is mounting a bid to be the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. It would make him the leading adversary of Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman, in investigations of Trump and in any impeachment probe.Jim Jordan, one of the leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, is mounting a bid to be the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. It would make him the leading adversary of Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman, in investigations of Trump and in any impeachment probe.
NEW: Jim JORDAN is running for Judiciary Committee ranking member, and a pressure campaign from Trump allies on and off Capitol Hill is underway. https://t.co/EYh4WAIFpaNEW: Jim JORDAN is running for Judiciary Committee ranking member, and a pressure campaign from Trump allies on and off Capitol Hill is underway. https://t.co/EYh4WAIFpa
Donald Trump’s top economic adviser signaled on Tuesday the president is prepared to escalate his trade war with China, raising the stakes of a planned summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.“President Xi has an opportunity to change the tone and the substance of these talks. It’s a big opportunity,” Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House.“There’s a good possibility that we can make a deal, and he is open to it,” Kudlow added of Trump, while noting the president was “perfectly happy to stand on his tariff policies” should both parties fail to reach a cease-fire.Tensions have escalated between the US and China, two of the world’s largest economies. Trump imposed $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese products earlier this year, citing unfair trade practices on the part of Beijing. Kudlow said Trump was ready to slap another $267 billion in tariffs on China in January absent a breakthrough, while insisting the US would not incur as much damage to its economy as Bejing.“I’m not suggesting that there aren’t winners and losers in that game. It’s a complicated game,” he said. “But I think we are in far better shape to weather this than the Chinese are.”“China should change its practices and come into the community of responsible trading nations.”Trump will convene with Xi over a working dinner on Saturday while attending the two-day G20 leaders’ summit in Buenos Aires. He is also slated to host bilateral meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and German chancellor Angela Merkel.Donald Trump’s top economic adviser signaled on Tuesday the president is prepared to escalate his trade war with China, raising the stakes of a planned summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.“President Xi has an opportunity to change the tone and the substance of these talks. It’s a big opportunity,” Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House.“There’s a good possibility that we can make a deal, and he is open to it,” Kudlow added of Trump, while noting the president was “perfectly happy to stand on his tariff policies” should both parties fail to reach a cease-fire.Tensions have escalated between the US and China, two of the world’s largest economies. Trump imposed $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese products earlier this year, citing unfair trade practices on the part of Beijing. Kudlow said Trump was ready to slap another $267 billion in tariffs on China in January absent a breakthrough, while insisting the US would not incur as much damage to its economy as Bejing.“I’m not suggesting that there aren’t winners and losers in that game. It’s a complicated game,” he said. “But I think we are in far better shape to weather this than the Chinese are.”“China should change its practices and come into the community of responsible trading nations.”Trump will convene with Xi over a working dinner on Saturday while attending the two-day G20 leaders’ summit in Buenos Aires. He is also slated to host bilateral meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating a meeting between former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno in Quito in 2017 and has specifically asked if WikiLeaks or its founder, Julian Assange, were discussed at the session, CNN reports.Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating a meeting between former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno in Quito in 2017 and has specifically asked if WikiLeaks or its founder, Julian Assange, were discussed at the session, CNN reports.
The latest report comes after the Guardian reported earlier Tuesday that Manafort met with Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.The latest report comes after the Guardian reported earlier Tuesday that Manafort met with Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Wikileaks released emails from top Democratic officials allegedly hacked by Russians, part of a Russian campaign to interfere with the 2016 election and sway it in Donald Trump’s favor.Wikileaks released emails from top Democratic officials allegedly hacked by Russians, part of a Russian campaign to interfere with the 2016 election and sway it in Donald Trump’s favor.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has taken the podium for the first such media briefing in almost a month. She has introduced Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, and John Bolton, national security adviser. They are speaking to reporters about the forthcoming G20 summit in Argentina, which Donald Trump will attend.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has taken the podium for the first such media briefing in almost a month. She has introduced Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, and John Bolton, national security adviser. They are speaking to reporters about the forthcoming G20 summit in Argentina, which Donald Trump will attend.
Follow live updates from our correspondent David Smith on Twitter:Follow live updates from our correspondent David Smith on Twitter:
At White House press briefing. Larry Kudlow on G20: There's going to be a dinner meeting between President Trump and President Xi and their representatives. In President Trump's view, "there's a good possibility a deal can be made and he's open to that".At White House press briefing. Larry Kudlow on G20: There's going to be a dinner meeting between President Trump and President Xi and their representatives. In President Trump's view, "there's a good possibility a deal can be made and he's open to that".
Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the Guardian’s report that Paul Manafort secretly met with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange “raises serious new questions about Mr. Manafort’s relationship with WikiLeaks” and called on the Ecuadorian government to publicly confirm whether the meetings took place.Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the Guardian’s report that Paul Manafort secretly met with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange “raises serious new questions about Mr. Manafort’s relationship with WikiLeaks” and called on the Ecuadorian government to publicly confirm whether the meetings took place.
“If true, the revelation that Paul Manafort repeatedly met with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London raises serious new questions about Mr. Manafort’s relationship with WikiLeaks. It is essential that Ecuador’s current government publicly and swiftly confirm whether former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and his administration allowed these meetings to take place,” the New Jersey senator said.“If true, the revelation that Paul Manafort repeatedly met with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London raises serious new questions about Mr. Manafort’s relationship with WikiLeaks. It is essential that Ecuador’s current government publicly and swiftly confirm whether former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and his administration allowed these meetings to take place,” the New Jersey senator said.
He added: “Given that Secretary Pompeo met with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Valencia yesterday morning, the State Department and the intelligence community must immediately brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Mr. Manafort’s interaction with Mr. Assange, as well as the Ecuadoran government’s role in any meetings. Similarly, as evidence continues to mount about WikiLeaks’ interference in the 2016 U.S. election, Ecuador’s government must reevaluate the risks of harboring an individual who has damaged democratic processes around the world.”He added: “Given that Secretary Pompeo met with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Valencia yesterday morning, the State Department and the intelligence community must immediately brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Mr. Manafort’s interaction with Mr. Assange, as well as the Ecuadoran government’s role in any meetings. Similarly, as evidence continues to mount about WikiLeaks’ interference in the 2016 U.S. election, Ecuador’s government must reevaluate the risks of harboring an individual who has damaged democratic processes around the world.”
The White House is preventing the CIA director, Gina Haspel, or any other intelligence official from briefing the Senate on the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.The White House is preventing the CIA director, Gina Haspel, or any other intelligence official from briefing the Senate on the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.
The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the defence secretary, James Mattis, are due to give a briefing on US relations with Saudi Arabia to the entire Senate behind closed doors on Wednesday, ahead of a vote that could cut off US support for Riyadh’s military campaign in Yemen.The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the defence secretary, James Mattis, are due to give a briefing on US relations with Saudi Arabia to the entire Senate behind closed doors on Wednesday, ahead of a vote that could cut off US support for Riyadh’s military campaign in Yemen.
As of Tuesday, the Senate had been told not to expect an intelligence official to participate.As of Tuesday, the Senate had been told not to expect an intelligence official to participate.
“There is always an intel person there for a briefing like this,” a Senate staffer told the Guardian. “It is totally unprecedented and should be interpreted as nothing less than the Trump administration trying to silence the intelligence community.”“There is always an intel person there for a briefing like this,” a Senate staffer told the Guardian. “It is totally unprecedented and should be interpreted as nothing less than the Trump administration trying to silence the intelligence community.”
Another one-time opponent has thrown her support behind Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.Another one-time opponent has thrown her support behind Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.
Rep.-elect Jahana Hayes, a former Connecticut teacher elected to Congress, said during her campaign she would not vote for Pelosi but now backs her.Rep.-elect Jahana Hayes, a former Connecticut teacher elected to Congress, said during her campaign she would not vote for Pelosi but now backs her.
“You can’t beat someone with no one,” she said in a tweet Tuesday, adding that opposing Pelosi was tantamount to supporting a Republican to lead the House.“You can’t beat someone with no one,” she said in a tweet Tuesday, adding that opposing Pelosi was tantamount to supporting a Republican to lead the House.
You can't beat someone with no one, and the fact is that voting against Pelosi on the floor is a vote for the Republican nominee.You can't beat someone with no one, and the fact is that voting against Pelosi on the floor is a vote for the Republican nominee.
Incoming Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who drew attention for unseating a longtime incumbent in a primary, has also backed Pelosi.Incoming Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who drew attention for unseating a longtime incumbent in a primary, has also backed Pelosi.
I am supporting Barbara Lee for Caucus Chair, Katherine Clark for Vice Chair & Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. Who is in a formal leadership role does matter and these women have a strong progressive track record, but this 116th Congress will be defined by more than who holds a title: pic.twitter.com/1f4wRWu5BUI am supporting Barbara Lee for Caucus Chair, Katherine Clark for Vice Chair & Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. Who is in a formal leadership role does matter and these women have a strong progressive track record, but this 116th Congress will be defined by more than who holds a title: pic.twitter.com/1f4wRWu5BU
A political organization backed by Democrat Stacey Abrams filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging the way Georgia’s elections are run, the Associated Press reports.A political organization backed by Democrat Stacey Abrams filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging the way Georgia’s elections are run, the Associated Press reports.
The suit fulfills a pledge Abrams made when she conceded in the race for governor. From AP:The suit fulfills a pledge Abrams made when she conceded in the race for governor. From AP:
The lawsuit was filed in Atlanta by Fair Fight Action against interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden and state election board members. It asks a judge to correct problems with the state’s elections system.The lawsuit was filed in Atlanta by Fair Fight Action against interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden and state election board members. It asks a judge to correct problems with the state’s elections system.
In a fiery speech ending her campaign Nov. 16, Abrams announced that a lawsuit would be filed against Georgia “for the gross mismanagement of this election and to protect future elections from unconstitutional actions.”In a fiery speech ending her campaign Nov. 16, Abrams announced that a lawsuit would be filed against Georgia “for the gross mismanagement of this election and to protect future elections from unconstitutional actions.”
As secretary of state, Abrams’ opponent, Republican Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, was the top elections official until he declared himself the winner and resigned two days after the election. On the campaign trail, Abrams repeatedly called Kemp “an architect of suppression.”As secretary of state, Abrams’ opponent, Republican Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, was the top elections official until he declared himself the winner and resigned two days after the election. On the campaign trail, Abrams repeatedly called Kemp “an architect of suppression.”
Flanked by Democratic state lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol earlier this month, Abrams’ campaign manager who’s now CEO of Fair Fight Action, Lauren Groh-Wargo, said the campaign believed Kemp “mismanaged this election to sway it in his favor.”Flanked by Democratic state lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol earlier this month, Abrams’ campaign manager who’s now CEO of Fair Fight Action, Lauren Groh-Wargo, said the campaign believed Kemp “mismanaged this election to sway it in his favor.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has ruled out running for president in 2020.
.@NYGovCuomo to @BrianLehrer on the potential for a Cuomo 2020 run:“I am ruling it out. I ran for governor, I have a full plate, I have many projects – I’m going to be here doing the job of governor.”
One of the editors of the Trump administration’s dire new climate report hit the administration for releasing it in a way akin to “burning it and burying it in the backyard.”
The report was released the day after Thanksgiving, and Donald Trump has said he does not believe its findings.
“They dropped the report on Black Friday, and you know it’s the press who calls releasing anything on a Friday afternoon ‘taking out the trash’ — this was burning it and burying it in the backyard, so it’s one of the worst possible days you could pick,” Andrew Light, a former climate change advisor under the Obama administration, told the Hill.
“I’m not going to try to ascribe any kind of motivations to anyone in the administration for this but it’s just not the responsible thing to do when you’ve got a report that’s talking about the welfare of Americans.”
Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Mike Espy said Tuesday he’ll need support from a significant number of white voters in order to prevail.
“If only African Americans come out to vote for me, and even if they come out in record numbers, I won’t win. I know that. I’ve known that all the time, and I’ve known that throughout my career,” he said, according to video of his remarks to reporters aired by CNN.
“So we have to have a good number of crossovers.”
Espy is up against Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a runoff race that has been roiled by racial controversies. The Republican is favored in a deeply red state but has suffered a series of missteps.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday that Donald Trump is not to blame for General Motors’ plan to close four US plants and lay off thousands of workers.
“The president doesn’t run GM. He runs the country’s economy,” Conway said outside the White House. “That’s why the confidence and optimism numbers are up, the growth numbers are up, the unemployment is way down.”
Trump campaigned on the promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, a prospect many economists think is unrealistic.
Conway cited Trump’s comments condemning GM’s move, and insisted laid off workers would fare better with Trump in the White House. “The message to them is that this president has created an economy where their skill sets can thrive,” she said.
Pop star Cher says the United States may never be great again in her lifetime because of the damage done by Donald Trump.
In an interview with the Washington Post published Tuesday, Cher said she is heartened by young people she meets who don’t care about things like race or sexual orientation.
“The more we get mixed, the more we are tolerant. Eventually, it’s going to be great,” she said. “But I don’t know if I’ll see it in my lifetime, because Trump has done so much damage and I’m not sure people really understand how deep the damage goes.”
The musician took note of the popular line that after a nuclear war, the only thing left alive would be “cockroaches and Cher.”
“Not this one. I wouldn’t last through what [Trump] could do. There’s no lasting. Not even me. Not even cockroaches,” she said.
The House Judiciary Committee will investigate the rise of white nationalism in the United States when Democrats take over in January, its incoming chairman said.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat expected to take over the committee, wrote to federal law enforcement officials asking for information about the increasing number of hate crimes, the targeted surveillance of minority communities, and the growing threat of white supremacy and right wing extremism. The questions have been submitted previously by Democrats but answers have not been provided, he said.
The letter went to acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray.
Nadler wrote: “In the next Congress, this Committee will likely examine the causes of racial and religious violence, assess the adequacy of federal hate crimes statutes, and scrutinize targeted domestic surveillance of specific groups. We need to work together to study the disturbingly increasing number of hate crimes, the growing threat of far right and right wing extremism, and the disparate treatment of minority communities in terrorism investigations. The horrific massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the murder of an African-American couple in a Kentucky grocery store and Indian engineers in a Kansas bar, and the package bombs sent to Trump opposition figures are only the most recent reminders of the ever-present threat of extremism in our country.”
Senate Republicans are considering holding a floor vote on a bill to protect the job of special counsel Robert Mueller, the Senate’s number two Republican said Tuesday.
“We’re whipping that to see where people are. I think the leader needs that information to decide how to manage all the competing demands on our time,” said Texas Sen, John Cornyn, the Hill reported.
Arizona Republican Jeff Flake has vowed to block judicial nominees until a vote on the legislation is allowed.
Cornyn said Republicans were willing to hold a vote on the legislation “if that’s what it’s going to take” to move nominees, according to the Hill.
The legislation would require that a special counsel be fired only for cause, and allow a judge to review firings. Only a Senate-confirmed official could fire a special counsel under the bill - which would exclude acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out some of the convictions against two former aides to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal, the Associated Press reported.
From the AP:
Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni were convicted in 2016 in the alleged plot to cause traffic jams to punish a mayor for not endorsing Christie’s re-election bid.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia dismissed a count of civil rights conspiracy for each defendant. It upheld convictions for wire fraud and misapplying property of an organization receiving federal funds.
Baroni and Kelly had sought to have all counts dismissed.
Both are expected to be resentenced. Kelly currently faces an 18-month sentence, while Baroni faces 24 months. They also could request to have the full 3rd Circuit hear the case.
Their attorneys didn’t immediately comment on Tuesday’s ruling.
In their court filings, the lawyers for Kelly and Baroni had argued their convictions on the civil rights charges were based on a right to intrastate travel that has not been recognized by the Supreme Court.
Kelly was the author of the infamous “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” email a month before three access lanes to the bridge were reduced to one, without warning to local authorities.
The massive gridlock over four days and part of a fifth in September 2013 mushroomed into a scandal dubbed “Bridgegate” that dragged down Christie’s presidential aspirations and, Christie later conceded, played a role in then-Republican nominee Donald Trump’s decision not to name him as his running mate.
Reactions are pouring in on social media to the Guardian’s report that Paul Manafort secretly met with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange during the 2016 campaign.
Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, called it “more evidence of collusion.”
She said the revelation is “not surprising” in light of “how strategically timed” Wikileaks’ releases of hacked Democratic emails were.
Annoyed by all the “wow” tweets about this story as if it’s surprising. It’s not. It’s serious, & more evidence of collusion, but - if you were paying attention in real time to how strategically timed the Wikileaks were - this news is not surprising. https://t.co/YA8dvESNW6
Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, mocked Donald Trump’s frequent claim that there was “no collusion” between his campaign and Russia. “What campaign chair hasn’t held secret talks with Julian Assange in the Ecuadoran embassy in London?” he said.
What campaign chair hasn’t held secret talks with Julian Assange in the Ecuadoran embassy in London?“NO COLLUSION!” https://t.co/DDOHI9ZMWx
Wikileaks denied the report, saying it is “willing to bet the Guardian a million dollars and its editor’s head that Manafort never met Assange.”
Remember this day when the Guardian permitted a serial fabricator to totally destroy the paper's reputation. @WikiLeaks is willing to bet the Guardian a million dollars and its editor's head that Manafort never met Assange. https://t.co/R2Qn6rLQjn
This is going to be one of the most infamous news disasters since Stern published the "Hitler Diaries".
But many others pointed to the report as a potential indication of collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Russian hacking effort.
🎶It’s beginning to look a lot like collusion... everywhere you go...🎶 https://t.co/rQKMvHjd64
Huge if true: Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy—our report explains the COLLUSION liability that follows: https://t.co/wrVFmmmrvB https://t.co/lG33gZSc6d
Now, what could Manafort have been doing visiting Wikileaks' Julian Assange in Ecaudor in 2016? What possibly could he have been interested in? But "no collusion!" lololololol https://t.co/DezMgKbD9q
So let me get this straight:Manafort joins Trump campaign March 2016Manafort secretly visits Wikileaks Assange in Ecuador, spring 2016Trump elevates Manafort to Campaign Manager June 2016In June and July 2016, Wikileaks releases Democratic emailsBut...no collusion?
WOW: We're learning a lot more about how the #TrumpRussia treason operation worked. Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign.#ProtectMueller #TrumpRussia https://t.co/6WbybAQK70
THREAD: What does today's news that Manafort held a secret meeting with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in spring 2016 tell us?
Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke called for a Confederate plaque to be removed from the Texas state capitol.
“Take it down today,” the Democrat and former Senate candidate said in a tweet Tuesday.
State officials are reviewing procedures that could potentially be used to remove the marker, according to the Dallas News. The plaque features the “Children of the Confederacy Creed,” which expresses the “desire to perpetuate...the heroic deeds of those who enlisted in the Confederate army” and claims that the Civil War “was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery.”
It sits across the hall from the office of state Rep. Eric Johnson, who has pushed for it to be removed. Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion saying that several people have the authority to remove it, according to the Dallas News.
“The AG has spoken. The Capitol curator can unilaterally remove the plaque. No need to politicize this issue or bog down the 86th #TxLege. Remove it and let’s move on,” Johnson tweeted.
O’Rourke retweeted his message with his own endorsement Tuesday, saying, “I’m with Eric on this one.”