The Commentariat -- April 13, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Do-Do-Di-Do, Just Another Day in the Lives of All the Best People

Rebecca Ruiz & Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times: "A major donor with close ties to the White House resigned on Friday as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after the revelation that he had agreed to pay $1.6 million to a former Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair. The deal was arranged by President Trump's personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen. Under the terms of the deal, the Republican donor, Elliott Broidy, would pay the woman in installments over the course of two years, and in return, she would agree to stay silent about their relationship, two people with knowledge of the arrangement told The New York Times.... The lawyer for the woman, Keith M. Davidson, also represented two women who were paid during the presidential campaign for their silence about alleged affairs with Mr. Trump -- a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who sold the rights to her story to American Media Inc., and Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic actress known as Stormy Daniels, who received a payment of $130,000 that Mr. Cohen said came out of his own pocket." Thanks to MAG for the link. ...

... Kevin Drum: "Broidy says the whole thing was totally above board. He paid for the woman's abortion and then tossed in an extra $1.599 million because he wanted to 'help her financially during this difficult period.' As long as she kept her big mouth shut, that is. Helluva guy, isn't he? Who says Republicans have a mean streak? I'll give Laura Rozen the last word: 'It's like RNC finance committee is a street gang where you have to sleep with a playmate & pay hush money to join'."

... Matt Apuzzo, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump phoned his longtime confidant, Michael D. Cohen, to 'check in' on Friday as lawyers for the two men went to court to block the Justice Department from reading seized documents related to Mr. Cohen's decade of work for Mr. Trump, according to two people familiar with the call. It is not clear what else they discussed in a call that came days after a series of F.B.I. raids. Depending on what was said, the call could be problematic for both men, as defense lawyers often advise their clients not to talk to each other during investigations. Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen still were trying to determine what exactly was seized. The raids were even broader than have been previously reported.... The court papers also disclosed that prosecutors -- before the raids on Monday -- had already obtained secret search warrants for several of Mr. Cohen's email accounts as part of what they said was a grand jury investigation." ...

... Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "Michael Cohen ... has been 'under criminal investigation' for months in New York because of his business dealings, the Justice Department said Friday. The revelation comes amid a courtroom drama that unfolded Friday, as Cohen's attorneys and Trump's attorneys began a fight hours before with the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan over a massive raid of Cohen's records. Cohen's attorneys have filed a temporary restraining order in the matter, asking the court to stop federal prosecutors from using some of the records they seized. Cohen did not appear in court Friday morning and has not been charged with a crime.... In [the court filings, prosecutors say] they found that Cohen had done 'little to no legal work, and that zero emails were exchanged with President Trump.'... The prosecutors noted Cohen had personally not turned over any documents to Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation.... In a footnote in its filing, the prosecutors expressed doubt that any communications between Trump and Cohen regarding a payoff to [Stormy] Daniels before the election would be covered under attorney-client privilege. They cited the President's own comments." ...

... Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Friday to block the Justice Department from reading documents related to his decade-long legal representation of Mr. Trump and that were taken in a recent F.B.I. raid.... The breadth of the search warrant shocked Mr. Trump and his advisers, who are still not sure exactly what records Mr. Cohen kept and what they could mean for Mr. Trump. A lawyer representing Mr. Trump's interest in the case also appeared, and asked a judge to order the Justice Department to temporarily delay looking at the files until the matter could be litigated."

Excerpts of George Stephanopolous's interview of Jim Comey:

     ... The interview begins 54 seconds in.

Laura Jarrett of CNN: "Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein continues to oversee special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation after consulting with a career ethics adviser at the Justice Department about his ability to oversee the Russia probe, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. For nearly a year, legal experts and journalists have questioned why Rosenstein has not stepped aside from overseeing Mueller's investigation given that he was part of the dramatic firing of FBI Director James Comey. That fact has more recently served as ammunition to attack Rosenstein's credibility by allies of ... Donald Trump. But CNN has now learned that Rosenstein has consulted with the ethics adviser over the course of the investigation on whether he needs to recuse himself, and he has followed that individual's advice.... To date, Rosenstein has offered little by way of explanation publicly, but he made clear last year that if he were to become a subject of Mueller's investigation, he would recuse himself." ...

... Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "One source who spoke to [Rod] Rosenstein said he seemed fully aware he may soon lose his job and was at peace with the possibility, confident he had done his job with integrity. Rosenstein has said in recent private conversations that history will prove he did the right thing by firing Comey in May 2017, claiming that the American people do not have all the facts about what led to his decision to write the memo that led to Comey's dismissal, the sources said."

John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump issued a pardon Friday to Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, offering forgiveness to a former chief of staff to Vice President Richard B. Cheney who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the leak of a CIA officer's identity.... Libby was convicted of four felonies in 2007 -- for perjury before a grand jury, lying to FBI investigators and obstruction of justice during an investigation into the disclosure of the work of Valerie Plame Wilson, a former covert CIA agent and the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000, but his sentence was commuted by then-President George W. Bush. Although spared prison time, Libby was not pardoned.... 'On the day the President wrongly attacks Comey for being a "leaker and liar" he considers pardoning a convicted leaker and liar, Scooter Libby,' Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote on Twitter. 'This is the President's way of sending a message to those implicated in the Russia investigation: You have my back and I'll have yours.'... White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Libby's pardon had nothing to do with the Mueller probe."

DOJ just issued the McCabe report - which is a total disaster. He LIED! LIED! LIED! McCabe was totally controlled by Comey - McCabe is Comey!! No collusion, all made up by this den of thieves and lowlifes! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this afternoon ...

... Adam Goldman & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The Justice Department inspector general delivered to Congress on Friday a highly critical report that accused Andrew G. McCabe, the former F.B.I. deputy director, of repeatedly misleading investigators. The inspector general said that when investigators asked whether he had instructed aides to provide information in October 2016 to a reporter with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. McCabe said he did not authorize the disclosure and did not know who did. But Mr. McCabe did approve the F.B.I.'s contact with the reporter, according to the review. The newspaper article delved into a dispute between F.B.I. and Justice Department officials over how to proceed in an investigation into the financial dealings of the Clinton family's foundation.... The inspector general also concluded that Mr. McCabe's disclosure of the existence of the ongoing investigation in the manner described in the report violated media policy of the F.B.I. and Justice Department and constituted misconduct. In a statement, Mr. McCabe said that he had full authorization to share this information with the media. Mr. McCabe also said that he did not intentionally mislead investigators." ...

... Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department Inspector General alleges in a damaging report made public Friday that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe inappropriately authorized the disclosure of sensitive information to a reporter and then misled investigators and former FBI Director James B. Comey about it on several occasions. The report is remarkable for its level of detail, casting McCabe as a man who lied to investigators and his own boss about his role in a disclosure of information, even while he lashed out at others who he thought might be responsible for leaks. It accuses McCabe of lying at least four times, three of them under oath, and says that while he had the power to approve disclosures of information to the media, his doing so in this instance violated policy because it was done 'in a manner designed to advance his personal interests at the expense of Department leadership.' It also says McCabe and former FBI Director James B. Comey contradicted one another in their descriptions of how a media disclosure was authorized. While the report favors Comey's account, it will likely generate tough questions for him as he launches a media blitz to promote his new book." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Not sure how it could be that "McCabe is Comey" when the two men disagree on the facts. But, you know, facts, schmacts.

Andrew Kaczynski, et al., of CNN: "A political appointee at the Department of Health and Human Services shared an image in 2017 that said 'our forefathers would have hung' Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for treason, a CNN KFile review has found. Ximena Barreto is a far-right political pundit who in December 2017 joined the Trump administration as deputy director of communications at the department. Barreto was placed on leave by the department on Monday after the liberal watchdog Media Matters reported that Barreto called Islam 'a cult' and pushed the false Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which alleged that Clinton was part of a child-sex ring based in part at a Washington, DC, pizza restaurant. A subsequent KFile review of her Twitter account 'RepublicanChick' found that Barreto also repeatedly used the hashtag #BanIslam and twice shared conspiracy theories about the death of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich. Barreto also shared a conspiracy theory that French President Emmanuel Macron was controlled by the Rothschild family and that Clinton and Obama were controlled by investor and Democratic mega-donor George Soros. Both the Rothschilds and Soros are frequent targets of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: What really upsets me is that Barreto retweeted an image that said, "our forefathers would have hung" Obama & Clinton; any communications staff should know the clause should be, "would have hanged...." But the other stuff: unexceptional. Just a few random thoughts of one of the Best People.

*****

Carol Lee, et al., of NBC News: "Special counsel Robert Mueller's office and ... Donald Trump's legal team are now proceeding with strategies that presume a presidential interview will likely not take place as part of the Russia investigation after months of talks between the two sides collapsed earlier this week, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.... The prospects for a presidential interview drastically dimmed once the FBI raided the home, office and hotel room of Trump's long-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen on Monday.... Now, according to two sources, Mueller's team may be able to close the obstruction probe more quickly as they will not need to prepare for the interview or follow up on what the president says.... White House Counsel Ty Cobb said it was 'untrue' that talks had broken down.... Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ... met with the president at the White House on Thursday. A White House official told reporters the meeting was about 'routine department business.' ...

Three sources familiar with the investigation said the findings Mueller has collected on Trump's attempts to obstruct justice include: His intent to fire former FBI Director James Comey; his role in the crafting of a misleading public statement on the nature of a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son and Russians; Trump's dangling of pardons before grand jury witnesses who might testify against him; and pressuring Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: The headline to Caroline Orr's Shareblue post on the NBC story is "Mueller has the goods on Trump's 4 potential acts of obstruction." We should pay more attention to the word "potential" than the assertion Mueller "has the goods on...." There's no reason to feel assured that Mueller will assert a conclusion or even a recommendation to Rosenstein and/or Congress on his team's findings. Second, it's entirely possible that Mueller will reach a conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice. Like Orr, I hope that Mueller's report (a) becomes public; (b) has so much evidence of obstruction that no reasonable person could conclude otherwise; (c) is so obviously damning that even unreasonable Congressional Republicans don't dare blow off initiating impeachment proceedings. But I still fear that (d) "none of the above" might be the correct answer.

Jonathan Karl, et al., of ABC News: "... Donald Trump is poised to pardon Scooter J. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, according to sources familiar with the president's thinking. The president has already signed off on the pardon, which is something he has been considering for several months, sources told ABC News. The move would mark another controversial pardon for Trump and could raise questions as an increasing number of the president's political allies have landed themselves in legal jeopardy. The White House has repeatedly said that no pardons are currently on the table for people caught up in the Russia investigation. Early in his term, Trump pardoned controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio after he was found guilty in July on criminal contempt charges stemming from his refusal to stop imprisoning suspected undocumented immigrants." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Notice that both Libby & Arpaio were found guilty of crimes against the justice system: Libby for lying to the FBI & Arpaio for repeatedly & openly defying a judge's order. This sure as hell looks like a prelude to pardons of Flynn, Gates & maybe even "coffee boy" Papadopoulos & Gates lawyer Alex van der Zwaan, all of whom had pled guilty to lying to the FBI or other Mueller investigators.

I have agreed with the historically cooperative, disciplined approach that we have engaged in with Robert Mueller (Unlike the Clintons!). I have full confidence in Ty Cobb, my Special Counsel, and have been fully advised throughout each phase of this process. -- Donald Trump, in a tweet Thursday ...

... Nicole Lafond of TPM: "... Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to push back on The Washington Post's report [also linked here yesterday] that former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was influencing how the White House handles special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. On Wednesday night The Washington Post reported that Bannon has been quietly pitching White House aides on a plan to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Ty Cobb, the lawyer who is overseeing the White House's response to the Russia investigations."

James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and.....

....untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst 'botch jobs' of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey! -- Donald Trump, in two tweets this morning ...

... ** Philip Rucker of the Washington Post reads "'A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,' a 304-page tell-all in which [James Comey] details his private interactions with Trump as well as his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.... In his memoir, Comey paints a devastating portrait of a president who built 'a cocoon of alternative reality that he was busily wrapping around all of us.' Comey describes Trump as a congenital liar and unethical leader, devoid of human emotion and driven by personal ego. Comey narrates in vivid detail, based on his contemporaneous notes, instances in which Trump violated the norms protecting the FBI's independence in attempts to coerce Comey into being loyal to him -- such as during a one-on-one dinner in the White House residence." You may want to read the whole "book report." ...

... ** Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times: "In his absorbing new book, 'A Higher Loyalty,' the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey calls the Trump presidency a 'forest fire' that is doing serious damage to the country's norms and traditions. 'This president is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values,' Comey writes.'"His leadership is transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty.'... [Comey] doesn't hesitate in these pages to draw a direct analogy between the Mafia bosses he helped pack off to prison years ago and the current occupant of the Oval Office.... The central themes that Comey returns to throughout this impassioned book are the toxic consequences of lying; and the corrosive effects of choosing loyalty to an individual over truth and the rule of law. Dishonesty, he writes, was central 'to the entire enterprise of organized crime...,' and so, too, were bullying, peer pressure and groupthink -- repellent traits shared by Trump and company, he suggests, and now infecting our culture.... Comey is blunt about what he thinks of the president, comparing Trump's demand for loyalty over dinner to 'Sammy the Bull's Cosa Nostra induction ceremony -- with Trump, in the role of the family boss, asking me if I have what it takes to be a 'made man."'" ...

... ** Chad Day & Jonathan Lemire of the AP: "Comey reveals new details about his interactions with Trump and his own decision-making in handling the Hillary Clinton email investigation before the 2016 election. He casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law enforcement and politics and tried to pressure him personally regarding his investigation into Russian election interference.... The book adheres closely to Comey's public testimony and written statements about his contacts with the president during the early days of the administration and his growing concern about Trump's integrity. It also includes strikingly personal jabs at Trump that appear sure to irritate the president." ...

... Trump Wanted Comey to Be His Personal Fixer. Ruth Brown of the New York Post: "President Trump wanted James Comey to investigate the infamous 'pee tape' allegations -- to reassure Melania that he hadn't actually paid Russian hookers to urinate on a hotel bed, the former FBI chief claims in his upcoming book. 'He brought up what he called the "golden showers thing" ... adding that it bothered him if there was "even a one percent chance" his wife, Melania, thought it was true,' Comey writes in 'A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,' a copy of which was obtained by The Post. 'He just rolled on, unprompted, explaining why it couldn't possibly be true, ending by saying he was thinking of asking me to investigate the allegation to prove it was a lie. I said it was up to him.'" ...

... Lachlan Markay & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "Within minutes of his firing in May, former FBI Director James Comey received a call from John Kelly, then the head of the Department of Homeland Security and now the White House chief of staff. According to Comey's account, which is set to appear in his highly anticipated forthcoming memoir, Kelly was 'emotional' over the manner in which Comey was let go.... Kelly, Comey recalls, said he was 'sick' about the situation and 'intended to quit' in protest. Kelly 'said he didn't want to work for dishonorable people,' referring specifically to ... Donald Trump, who appeared to be upset at the FBI's persistent investigation into his campaign's possible collusion with Russian officials.... The revelations conveyed by Comey threaten to cause a firestorm within the White House, further complicating an already tenuous relationship between Kelly and Trump." ...

... John Wagner of the Washington Post: "In advance of a publicity tour by James B. Comey to promote his new book, the Republican National Committee is preparing a widespread campaign to undercut his credibility, including a new website that dubs the former FBI director as 'Lyin' Comey.' The website prominently features quotes from Democrats highly critical of Comey before his firing by Trump nearly a year ago as the president grew agitated by the Russia probe. RNC officials say their effort will also include digital ads, a 'war room' to monitor Comey's television appearances, a rapid response team to rebut his claims in real time and coordination of Trump surrogates to fan out across other TV programs.... Comey [has been] a registered Republican for most of his adult life." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "The White House is preparing talking points designed to undermine Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's credibility, according to sources amiliar with the plan. The plan calls on ... Donald Trump's allies to cast Rosenstein as too conflicted to fairly oversee the Russia investigation. The talking points are still in their preliminary form, and not yet finalized, people familiar with their preparation said.... Already, a number of Trump's associates have called for Rosenstein's firing in appearances on television and in public remarks over the past few days, but not all of them did so at the request of the White House.... Efforts to undermine Rosenstein in the media come as the President is weighing whether to fire the top official overseeing the Russia investigation." ...

... Norm Eisen & Richard Painter in a USA Today op-ed: "President Trump reportedly is considering firing Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and supervises his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. To prepare the way, Trump has by our count floated five rationales internally and externally for doing so. The briefest scrutiny of these purported justifications shows that they are baseless, and makes apparent the president's true motivation: to obstruct the investigation that Rosenstein oversees." Eisen & Painter get specific. ...

... Benjamin Wittes in the Atlantic: "Many people will not shed tears over [Rod] Rosenstein if Trump, in fact, pulls the trigger. After all, Rosenstein played a shameful role in the firing of James Comey.... I have been fiercely critical of Rosenstein in the past. But today is the wrong day to dwell on Rosenstein's vices and errors.... Trump is persecuting Rosenstein because of the deputy attorney general&'s virtues.... The president wants to fire Rosenstein because apolitical law enforcement is stronger with him than without him, and the president is at war with the very notion of apolitical law enforcement.... The president's attitude toward federal law enforcement is ... openly and flamboyantly corrupt. He wants the FBI and the Justice Department to be at his beck and call. He wants them to be expressions of his power and interests.... Rosenstein's forcible removal at this stage would be another step in the president's open attempts to dismantle the apparatus of independent law enforcement.... There is much to admire about Rosenstein's conduct over the past year. If Americans value the democratic goods that his conduct has protected, indeed is protecting, they need to stand by the man himself." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: I'd say Rosenstein grew into his own right about the time Jeff Sessions recused himself from "this Russia thing." Rosenstein seemed to realize that a Constitutional responsibility had been dropped in his lap, so he took a deep breath & accepted that responsibility. ...

... On the other hand, way back when Newt Gingrich landed a great Constitutional responsibility, he blew it up, because whether or not he has any job at all, he is now, as he ever has been, a flaming ass:

... Rebecca Savransky of the Hill: "Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) tore into the FBI after its raid of President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, likening agents' actions to those of the secret police during the Nazi era. Gingrich said during an interview on Fox News that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has not done his job" and has not supervised special counsel Robert Mueller.... 'This whole thing is an absurdity. We've now had Paul Manafort and his wife in their pajamas at 3 in the morning having theFBI break down the door,' he said on Wednesday, referring to an FBI raid last year at the home of Trump's former campaign manager. 'Cohen, the lawyer, had the door taken off of the hinges at 6 in the morning.... That's Stalin. That's the Gestapo in Germany. That shouldn't be the American FBI.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's personal attorney Michael D. Cohen sometimes taped conversations with associates, according to three people familiar with his practice, and allies of the president are worried that the recordings were seized by federal investigators in a raid of Cohen's office and residences this week. Cohen, who served for a decade as a lawyer at the Trump Organization and is a close confidant of Trump, was known to store the conversations using digital files and then replay them for colleagues, according to people who have interacted with him.... Cohen wanted his business calls on tape so he could use them later as leverage, one person said.... One associate said Trump knew of Cohen's practice because the attorney would often play him recordings Cohen had made of his conversations with other top Trump advisers.... Federal investigators would not automatically get access to any tapes that might have been seized in the raids."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "... Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who was targeted in search warrants carried out by the FBI this week, is seeking to use the developments to put an indefinite hold on a lawsuit over an alleged hush-money deal with a porn star claiming to have had sex with Trump." ...

The mob takes the Fifth Amendment. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? -- Donald Trump, at a campaign event in Iowa in September 2016 ...

... John Bowden of the Hill: Michael Avenatti, "the attorney for adult-film star Stormy Daniels, says that President Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen is threatening to plead the Fifth Amendment if an upcoming motion to stay a defamation suit from Daniels is not successful.... 'We're going to oppose that stay, [Avenatti] added, 'we think we have very good grounds as to why there should be no delay in our case.'"

Hannity Goes Full Alex Jones. Daily Beast: "Minutes before Sean Hannity went live Wednesday evening on Fox News, President Trump tweeted that there would be a 'big show tonight,' imploring followers to tune in. As it turns out, that show featured Hannity outlining -- with the help of a conspiratorial board -- the 'criminal' connections of Bill and Hillary Clinton, special counsel Robert Mueller, and former FBI Director James Comey." ...

     ... Ergo, your Screenshot of the Day:

     ... Mrs. McC: Might as well be titled "A Study in Crackpot Amateur Hour." Note the little Newt crawling up into the lower-right-hand corner. Not sure why Hannity's staff couldn't find a picture of Jeannie Rhee as the Googles have a dozen images of her. And this is what the POTUS* thinks is must-see teevee.

Boing, Boing!

Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump ordered top administration officials Thursday to look at rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the sprawling trade pact he rejected three days after taking office. The move would mark a stunning reversal for Trump, who sharply criticized the pact as a 'disaster' and made opposition to global trade deals a centerpiece of his economic agenda as a candidate.... Thursday's order comes as Trump pushes forward on a chaotic revamp of the U.S.'s approach to global trade, seemingly veering from trade wars one day to multinational pacts the next. He has gone from assailing Canada and Mexico to saying he's within striking distance of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. He has both pilloried China and praised its leader Xi Jinping. Bu no reversal has been more extreme than his new flirtation with the TPP. His comments were so unexpected that White House officials, lawmakers, business groups and others weren't sure whether Trump had made a calculated overture or whether it was another whimsical idea that he would cool on soon." ...

     ... The New York Times story, by Ana Swanson, is here. ...

... Mark Landler of the New York Times: "President Trump's fusillade of tweets about Syria, Russia and China this week set a new standard for contradictory and inconsistent positions in Mr. Trump's approach to war, trade and relations with adversaries. The president promised never to telegraph military action against an enemy, yet all but showcased a coming missile strike on Syria. He threatened Russia and called its relations with the United States worse than during the Cold War, yet blamed the ill will not on Moscow but on the special counsel investigation. He praised President Xi Jinping of China for his 'enlightenment' on trade in a highly anticipated speech, but in it Mr. Xi actually offered little to change what Mr. Trump has called decades of predatory practices by Beijing.... The latest reversals and back flips were so jarring that they left foreign officials more bewildered than usual about Mr. Trump's next moves. The tweets also appeared divorced from the administration's policies on Russia, where the United States is expelling diplomats and imposing sanctions on cronies of President Vladimir V. Putin. They are at odds with policy on China, where the United States appears ready to escalate the confrontation over trade. They are at cross-purposes with the latest actions on Syria...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Once again, a front-page report on the paper of record laying out that the POTUS* is stark-staring mad. ...

... Update: Cheyenne Haslett & Arlette Saenz of ABC News: "... Donald Trump met with his national security team Thursday to discuss Syria but no final decision has been made about a U.S. response to a suspected chemical attack by the Syrian regime, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. 'No final decision has been made. We are continuing to asses [sic] intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies," Sanders said. The president plans to speak with French President [Emmanuel] Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May Thursday evening, Sanders added."

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Trump abruptly issued an executive order on Thursday demanding an evaluation of the Postal Service's finances, asserting the power of his office weeks after accusing Amazon, the online retail giant, of not paying its fair share in postage. In the executive order, issued just before 9 p.m., Mr. Trump created a task force to examine the service's 'unsustainable financial path' and directed the new group to 'conduct a thorough evaluation of the operations and finances of the USPS.' The president does not mention Amazon in the order, but it is clear that he intends the group to substantiate his repeated claim that the financial arrangement between the Postal Service and Amazon, its biggest shipper of packages, is a money loser."

Nancy Cook & Matthew Nussbaum of Politico: "The White House is ignoring warnings from worried Hill Republicans and moving ahead with plans to cut billions of dollars from the massive spending bill that Congress passed in late March, after ... Donald Trump has spent weeks grousing about the legislation. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney -- himself a former congressman -- is taking the lead on developing the rollback proposal, according to eight current and former administration officials and Republicans close to the White House. The White House expects to release it around May 1, according to one administration official. These officials anticipate the White House could propose slashing anywhere from $30 billion to $60 billion dollars from the $1.3 trillion dollar spending bill passed for this year -- even as Republican lawmakers are openly asking the president not to re-open the negotiations.... Aiding Mulvaney is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is vying to replace Rep. Paul Ryan as he retires from his leadership position as speaker of the House." ...

... Sarah Ferris & Kaitlyn Burton of Politico: "A regretful ... Donald Trump wants to roll back pending in a massive omnibus bill he signed into law, but Republicans who helped craft the legislation are in open revolt. 'My attitude is, your word is your bond,' House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said, in his first public comments on the Trump plan. Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) is among more than a half-dozen appropriators who have voiced skepticism about the Trump administration's proposal to cancel billions in spending.... The White House is seeking to essentially take a scalpel to last month's $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, scratching out any funding that Trump doesn't personally back.... 90 House Republicans backed the spending bill, in part because they were promised cover by the White House." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Karoun Demirjian & Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Secretary of state nominee Mike Pompeo promised Thursday to restore the State Department to the center of U.S. foreign policy, work to stiffen sanctions against Russia and promote democratic values abroad. But his critics appeared unconvinced that as the nation’s top diplomat, he would stand up to President Trump. Senators pounded Pompeo with sharply worded questions for almost five hours, asking for his views on North Korea, Syria, Iran and other international hot spots. When his answers came off as vague, they pushed back, such as when Pompeo said he would advocate a 'fix' to the Iran nuclear deal that Trump has threatened to abandon.... The committee is expected to meet April 23 to consider Pompeo's nomination. If he fails to get a majority, his nomination could still be considered by the full Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed before the end of the month." The reporters cite some of the Q&A.

Gregory Wallace & Sara Ganim of CNN: "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt routinely directed staffers to book expensive hotels, help him earn frequent flier miles and schedule meetings to align with his personal travel desires, a former top staffer told congressional investigators. Former EPA deputy chief of staff, Kevin Chmielewski also said Pruitt was aware of major raises given to other aides, rebutting Pruitt's account that he was unaware of the salary bumps. The allegations are laid out in a letter several Democratic members of Congress sent Pruitt and ... Donald Trump on Thursday. The letter says the new information about how Pruitt has run the agency reveal actions that are 'unethical and potentially illegal.' Chmielewski is currently on unpaid leave from the agency after raising concerns about Pruitt's travel practices and uses of resources and funds." ...

... Ken Vogel, et al., of the New York Times: "A former Secret Service agent, with a background investigating the Gambino crime family, is serving as the chief of security for Scott Pruitt..., and has helped build an unusual and costly protective apparatus around him. The agent, Pasquale Perrotta, has clashed -- at least once physically -- with top E.P.A. officials who challenged Mr. Pruitt's spending, and has steered at least one E.P.A. security contract to a business associate, according to interviews with current and former senior agency officials.... Mr. Perrotta, a polarizing figure in the agency, is viewed among some career officials as playing to Mr. Pruitt's ego and security fears to seize power over rivals. The measures he advocated in the name of security provided Mr. Pruitt with perks more commonly associated with heads of state, and often came over the objections of top agency officials." ...

... Enemy of the Earth Confirmed. Steven Mufson, et al., of the Washington Post: "If ... Scott Pruitt were to leave office, the reins of the agency could fall to a former Senate aide and coal mining lobbyist who was confirmed 53 to 45 Thursday afternoon to become second-in-command at the EPA.... Three Democrats voted for Wheeler, all from coal states. They included Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.).... Andrew Wheeler worked at the EPA more than two decades ago and later served as an adviser to Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), a high-profile critic of climate science.... For the past nine years, Wheeler has been a lobbyist for a variety of companies, including Appalachian coal mining firm Murray Energy.... Environmental groups have sharply criticized the notion of installing Wheeler at the EPA in any capacity.... 'Andrew Wheeler is Big Oil's backup plan in case Scott Pruitt's corruption finally finishes him,' [Lukas] Ross [of Friends of the Earth] said. 'As Scott Pruitt stumbles from scandal to scandal, there is nothing more dangerous than a dirty-energy lobbyist waiting in the wings to become acting Administrator.'"

Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "Ricky Waddell, the No. 2 official on the National Security Council (NSC), plans to leave his post as new national security adviser John Bolton seeks to form his own team.... Waddell is the fourth national security aide to leave or be ousted since Bolton started in his new role on Monday. The Army Reserve general was hired last May by Bolton's predecessor, H.R. McMaster, to run operations at the NSC. He took over for K.T. McFarland, the deputy to Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Waddell's departure ... comes one day after deputy national security adviser Nadia Schadlow, who authored Trump’s national security strategy, submitted her resignation. Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert and NSC spokesman Michael Anton are the other two officials who are leaving the White House due to Bolton." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: So the second major turnover in core NSC staff in less than 15 months. Are we feeling safer now? Well, at least we still have the same president. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** America First, Ha Ha. Nicole Goodkind of Newsweek: "... Donald Trump touted the economic growth triggered by his tax cuts in a speech Thursday afternoon, pointing out the projected growth of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next 10 years had increased because of the plan. But 80 percent of the economic growth generated by the Republican tax cuts will eventually go abroad and benefit foreigners, according to a new report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office." Goodkind explains why. Emphasis added. Thanks to safari for the link. See also his commentary below.

Tim Egan, A Taxpayer, writes a letter to the "Dear Government," expressing concerned about where his tax dollars are going.

The Perils of Pauly. Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted Thursday that he would serve until the end of his term, forcefully rejecting the growing calls within the Republican caucus for him to step aside and allow a quicker transition to a new leader.... A day after Ryan's announcement, Republicans openly worried about how a lame-duck speaker and uncertainty in leadership would affect a party struggling to unify itself and raise money for midterm elections with the GOP's House majority in jeopardy. Several Republicans and even some in the White House have raised doubts about whether Ryan (R-Wis.) could stay on the job through the end of the year." ...

... ** Paul Krugman writes the paradigmatic takedown of Paul Ryan & the horses he rode in on. Here's a bit of it: "So how did such an obvious con artist get a reputation for seriousness and fiscal probity? Basically, he was the beneficiary of ideological affirmative action. Even now, in this age of Trump, there are a substantial number of opinion leaders -- especially, but not only, in the news media -- whose careers, whose professional brands, rest on the notion that they stand above the political fray. For such people, asserting that both sides have a point, that there are serious, honest people on both left and right, practically defines their identity."

Emma Platoff of the Texas Tribune: "Steve Stockman, a Republican former congressman from Texas, has been convicted of defrauding two conservative mega-donors and funneling their $1.25 million into personal and campaign expenses as part of what prosecutors have described as a 'white collar crime spree.' A jury in federal court in Houston ruled Thursday afternoon that Stockman is guilty of all but one of the 24 felonies he was charged with last March. After about 16 hours of deliberations over three days, the 12-person panel only declined to convict on one of four counts of wire fraud. Stockman will appeal the verdict, his defense team said.... That verdict puts Stockman -- a firebrand conservative who served two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House before losing a 2014 challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas -- at risk of decades in federal prison. And in the immediate future, it sends him into federal custody, where he will remain pending sentencing in August."

** Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: "The Justice Department cannot require that local police departments help immigration agents in order to receive federal funding, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling is a significant victory for local governments that have opposed the Trump administration's stance on immigration and vowed to stay out of enforcement efforts. United States District Judge Manuel Real in Los Angeles issued a permanent, national injunction against the federal funding rules, giving the city an important win in a long-running legal battle with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the White House.... A Justice Department spokesman, Devin M. O'Malley, suggested an appeal was likely." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Because ... because Mexican judge! (Real was born in San Pedro, California; his parents immigrated from, ah, Spain. He is "the last remaining federal judge in active service appointed by [Lyndon] Johnson as well as the longest-serving currently active federal judge. Prior ruling have been controversial, to say the least.)

"Yikes." Brian Chen of the New York Times: "When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much. My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads. (I'm what some call a Facebook lurker.') But when I opened my file, it was like opening Pandora's box. With a few clicks, I learned that about 500 advertisers -- many that I had never heard of ... -- had my contact information, which could include my email address, phone number and full name. Facebook also had my entire phone book, including the number to ring my apartment buzzer. The social network had even kept a permanent record of the roughly 100 people I had deleted from my friends list over the last 14 years, including my exes.... I also downloaded copies of my Google data with a tool called Google Takeout. The data sets were exponentially larger than my Facebook data." ...

<... Mattathias Schwartz of the New Yorker spent the last couple of days "watching Congress try to friend Mark Zuckerberg." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The NYT Was Right about the FBI's E-Mail! Investigation -- Comey. Peter Baker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, confirms in his new book that the bureau had already begun a criminal investigation focused on Hillary Clinton's handling of her email in 2015 when her campaign and its allies excoriated journalists for reporting that such an inquiry was being contemplated. The New York Times reported in July 2015 that two inspectors general had made a criminal referral to the Justice Department recommending an investigation into whether Mrs. Clinton had mishandled sensitive information by using a private email server as secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton's campaign complained vigorously to The Times, resulting in two corrections to the article.... 'Though The Times may have thought those clarifications were necessary, their original story was much closer to the mark,' Mr. Comey wrote. 'It was true that the transmission to the F.B.I. from the inspector general did not use the word "criminal," but by the time of the news story, we had a full criminal investigation open, focused on the secretary's conduct.'"

The Commentariat -- April 12, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "Ricky Waddell, the No. 2 official on the National Security Council (NSC), plans to leave his post as new national security adviser John Bolton seeks to form his own team.... Waddell is the fourth national security aide to leave or be ousted since Bolton started in his new role on Monday. The Army Reserve general was hired last May by Bolton's predecessor, H.R. McMaster, to run operations at the NSC. He took over for K.T. McFarland, the deputy to Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Waddell's departure ... comes one day after deputy national security adviser Nadia Schadlow, who authored Trump's national security strategy, submitted her resignation. Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert and NSC spokesman Michael Anton are the other two officials who are leaving the White House due to Bolton." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: So the second major turnover in core NSC staff in less than 15 months. Are we feeling safer now? Well, at least we still have the same president. ...

... Mark Landler of the New York Times: "President Trump's fusillade of tweets about Syria, Russia and China this week set a new standard for contradictory and inconsistent positions in Mr. Trump's approach to war, trade and relations with adversaries. The president promised never to telegraph military action against an enemy, yet all but showcased a coming missile strike on Syria. He threatened Russia and called its relations with the United States worse than during the Cold War, yet blamed the ill will not on Moscow but on the special counsel investigation. He praised President Xi Jinping of China for his 'enlightenment' on trade in a highly anticipated speech, but in it Mr. Xi actually offered little to change what Mr. Trump has called decades of predatory practices by Beijing.... The latest reversals and back flips were so jarring that they left foreign officials more bewildered than usual about Mr. Trump's next moves. The tweets also appeared divorced from the administration's policies on Russia, where the United States is expelling diplomats and imposing sanctions on cronies of President Vladimir V. Putin. They are at odds with policy on China, where the United States appears ready to escalate the confrontation over trade. They are at cross-purposes with the latest actions on Syria...." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Once again, a front-page report on the paper of record laying out that the POTUS* is stark-staring mad. ...

... If only Newt Gingrich were around to bring some reason & stability to this disaster of a White House. ...

... Rebecca Savransky of the Hill: "Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) tore into the FBI after its raid of President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, likening agents' actions to those of the secret police during the Nazi era. Gingrich said during an interview on Fox News that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has not done his job" and has not supervised special counsel Robert Mueller.... 'This whole thing is an absurdity. We've now had Paul Manafort and his wife in their pajamas at 3 in the morning having the FBI break down the door,' he said on Wednesday, referring to an FBI raid last year at the home of Trump's former campaign manager. 'Cohen, the lawyer, had the door taken off of the hinges at 6 in the morning.... That's Stalin. That's the Gestapo in Germany. That shouldn't be the American FBI.'"

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "In advance of a publicity tour by James B. Comey to promote his new book, the Republican National Committee is preparing a widespread campaign to undercut his credibility, including a new website that dubs the former FBI director as 'Lyin' Comey.' The website prominently features quotes from Democrats highly critical of Comey before his firing by Trump nearly a year ago as the president grew agitated by the Russia probe. RNC officials say their effort will also include digital ads, a 'war room' to monitor Comey's television appearances, a rapid response team to rebut his claims in real time and coordination of Trump surrogates to fan out across other TV programs.... Comey [has been] a registered Republican for most of his adult life."

Sarah Ferris & Kaitlyn Burton of Politico: "A regretful ... Donald Trump wants to roll back spending in a massive omnibus bill he signed into law, but Republicans who helped craft the legislation are in open revolt. 'My attitude is, your word is your bond,' House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said, in his first public comments on the Trump plan. Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) is among more than a half-dozen appropriators who have voiced skepticism about the Trump administration's proposal to cancel billions in spending.... The White House is seeking to essentially take a scalpel to last month's $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, scratching out any funding that Trump doesn't personally back.... 90 House Republicans backed the spending bill, in part because they were promised cover by the White House."

Mattathias Schwartz of the New Yorker spent the last couple of days "watching Congress try to friend Mark Zuckerberg."

*****

If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him. Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this morning, responding to a NYT article linked here yesterday

Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Stephen K. Bannon, who was ousted as White House chief strategist last summer but has remained in touch with some members of President Trump's circle, is pitching a plan to West Wing aides and congressional allies to cripple the federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to four people familiar with the discussions. The first step, these people say, would be for Trump to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who oversees the work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and in recent days signed off on a search warrant of Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Bannon is also recommending the White House cease its cooperation with Mueller, reversing the policy of Trump's legal team to provide information to the special counsel's team and to allow staff members to sit for interviews. And he is telling associates inside and outside the administration that the president should create a new legal battleground to protect himself from the investigation by asserting executive privilege -- and arguing that Mueller's interviews with White House officials over the past year should now be null and void." ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Costa notes that Bannon's view of how to handle the Mueller probe has considerably "evolved" from his early laissez-faire approach. I would note that Bannon's "evolution" occurred right about the time Bob Mueller's team started looking into the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Bannon once boasted to Fire & Fury writer Michael Wolff that he wasn't worried about the Russia probe because he (Bannon) "didn't even know any Russians.") But he sure does know Cambridge Analytica: he was the company veep, he served on the board, he even named the company, he had a substantial investment in it, AND he "and signed off on its acquisition of the dodgy data." Funny how this stuff works, isn't it?

The President & the Tabloid. Jim Rutenberg, et al., of the New York Times: The Mueller team is investigating the intersection among Trump, Cohen, the National Enquirer's parent company & a couple of sleazebags associated with the tabloid. Mrs. McC: Funny how Trump -- world's greatest real-estate magnate -- is low-rent in every respect. "Class" has little to do with one's bank account, & Trump put the "ass" in "assets."

Jake Pearson & Jeff Horwitz of the AP: "Eight months before the company that owns the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy Playmate who claimed she'd had an affair with Donald Trump, the tabloid's parent made a $30,000 payment to a less famous individual: a former doorman at one of the real estate mogul's New York City buildings. As it did with the ex-Playmate, the Enquirer signed the ex-doorman to a contract that effectively prevented him from going public with a juicy tale that might hurt Trump's campaign for president.... [Ex-doorman Dino] Sajudin got $30,000 [from the National Enquirer] in exchange for signing over the rights, 'in perpetuity,' to a rumor he'd heard about Trump's sex life -- that the president had fathered an illegitimate child with an employee at Trump World Tower, a skyscraper he owns near the United Nations.... [Michael] Cohen ... acknowledged to the AP that he had discussed Sajudin's story with the magazine when the tabloid was working on it.... The AP has not been able to determine if the rumor is true and is not naming the woman."

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump's lawyer on Monday were seeking all records related to the 'Access Hollywood' tape..., according to three people who have been briefed on the contents of a federal search warrant. The search warrant also sought evidence of whether the lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, tried to suppress damaging information about Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.... The new details from the warrant reveal that prosecutors are keenly interested in Mr. Cohen's unofficial role in the Trump campaign. And they help explain why Mr. Trump was furious about the raid. People close to Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen regard the warrant as an attempt ... to pry into Mr. Trump's personal life -- using other prosecutors as his proxy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Carol Leonnig & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "The broad request also sought Cohen's communications with Trump and campaign surrogates about 'potential sources of negative publicity' in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. The warrant indicates that investigators appear to be examining what role the longtime Trump attorney played in trying to tamp down unflattering stories as Trump sought to win the White House.... On the same day [the WashPo released the 'Access Hollywood' tape], the U.S. intelligence community released a statement formally blaming Russia for interfering in the 2016 election. Less than an hour after The Post's story, WikiLeaks posted the first set of emails stolen from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. U.S. intelligence officials later blamed the Russian government for the hack of Podesta's email."

... John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "More and more, this is looking like a mobster roll-up of the type that some of Mueller's team of ace prosecutors previously specialized in. In the beginning, the feds target one or two low-level insiders with legal vulnerabilities, obtain court orders to monitor their activities, and, hopefully, get them to coöperate with the government. Gradually, the investigators work their way up the chain of command to the crew captains -- the capos -- and, eventually, to the boss of bosses, the capo dei capi.... Now the feds are also putting the squeeze on Cohen, the trusted consigliere. While the investigators of Cohen's case don't work for Mueller, the two cases are clearly linked, and there would be nothing to prevent Cohen ... from eventually agreeing to coöperate with both the Southern District of New York and Mueller. No wonder Trump seems rattled."

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy! -- Donald Trump, going crazy in a tweet Wednesday

Matt Zapotosky & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department on Wednesday gave House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes access to a redacted document detailing the origin of the investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election -- a day after Nunes suggested publicly he might impeach top FBI or Justice Department officials over their failure to produce what he wanted. A Justice Department official said the department had provided Nunes (R-Calif.), ranking Democratic member Adam B. Schiff (Calif.) and all committee members access to the document, with redactions 'narrowly tailored to protect the name of a foreign country and the name of a foreign agent.' The document is said to detail how the Russia investigation started, at least in part because a young Trump foreign policy adviser boasted to an Australian diplomat in May 2016 that Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton. That was months before hacked Democratic Party emails began appearing online. The Justice Department's providing Nunes access to it seemed to placate him at least for the moment, as he issued a statement afterward thanking Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein for his cooperation."

Elana Schor of Politico: "A bipartisan Senate bill designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job is on track for a vote in the Judiciary Committee, according to a source briefed on the committee's plans. It's a significant step forward as lawmakers warn ... Donald Trump not to fire the man investigating him.... The new bill is the product of months-long talks among Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has yet to lend his full support, but that's not stopping him from setting up the legislation to advance.... However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated yesterday that, despite fresh signs Trump is considering a firing, he is not convinced that a Mueller protection bill merits floor time in the chamber." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), "the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wants his panel to vote as soon as next week on a bipartisan bill to prevent the undue firing of special counsels like Robert S. Mueller III, according to aides familiar with his plans."

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Ex-FBI Director James Comey compared President Trump to a 'mob boss' in a taped interview with ABC News, according to a promotional video released Wednesday.... The preview also shows [George] Stephanopoulos asking Comey if he believes President Trump obstructed justice and if he thinks the president should be impeached.... The interview is set to air on Sunday night. It will be Comey's first television interview since he was fired by Trump last May." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

It's like Forrest Gump won the presidency, but an evil, really f*cking stupid Forrest Gump. He can't help himself. He's just a f**king idiot who thinks he's winning when people are b*tching about him.... If we're going to lose because of him, we might as well impeach the motherf**ker. Take him out with us and let Mike [Pence] take over.... I say a lot of shit on TV defending him, even over this. But honestly, I wish the motherf*cker would just go away. We're going to lose the House, lose the Senate, and lose a bunch of states because of him. All his supporters will blame us for what we have or have not done, but he hasn't led. He wakes up in the morning, sh*ts all over Twitter, sh*ts all over us, sh*ts all over his staff, then hits golf balls. F*ck him. Of course, I can't say that in public or I'd get run out of town. -- Unnamed GOP Congressman, speaking to winger blogger Erick Erickson (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "In a White House known for chaos, the process of developing the U.S. response to the Syrian government's alleged latest gas attack was proceeding with uncharacteristic deliberation, including several national security briefings for President Trump. But then Wednesday morning, Trump upended it all with a tweet -- warning Russia, the Syrian government's backer, to 'get ready' because American missiles 'will be coming, nice and new and "smart!"... White House advisers were surprised by the missive and found it 'alarming' and 'distracting,' in the words of one senior official. They quickly regrouped and, together with Pentagon brass, continued readying Syria options for Trump as if nothing had happened. But the Twitter disruption was emblematic of a president operating on a tornado of impulses -- and with no clear strategy -- as he faces some of the most consequential decisions of his presidency, including Syria, trade policy and the Russian interference probe that threatens to overwhelm his administration." ...

     ... ** Whaddaya Mean, "Impulsive"? Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our "Thank you America?" -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this morning, denying what he tweeted way back yesterday ...

... The Guardian is running a livefeed of developments in the responses to Syria's chemical weapons attack.

Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump's choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, is facing mounting skepticism from Senate Republicans over whether he has the management experience to lead the nation's second-largest bureaucracy. The comments from several GOP senators, particularly those with influence on veterans' issues, signal Jackson will have to work overtime to persuade not just Democrats but Trump's own party that he is qualified to oversee the beleaguered agency. That challenge comes at a time when Senate Republicans are already juggling other controversial nominations that will consume much of the political oxygen on Capitol Hill." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

An Excellent Hire. Tierney Sneed & Josh Marshall of TPM: "Former Trump National Security Council official Ezra Cohen-Watnick is joining the Department of Justice as a national security adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a source familiar with the matter told TPM Wednesday.... During his time at the NSC as the senior director for intelligence programs, Cohen-Watnick was a source of controversy. His ascent to the NSC, after just a few years at the Defense Intelligence Agency, surprised outside observers. His name emerged in the strange episode involving House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who made bombastic allegations of improper 'unmasking' of Trump associates by the Obama administration, though what role Cohen-Watnick played in the controversy remains in dispute." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Update: Chris Strohm & Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg: "... Donald Trump personally ordered the Department of Justice to hire a former White House official who departed after he was caught up in a controversy over the release of intelligence material to a member of Congress, according to people familiar with the matter. Ezra Cohen-Watnick ... was forced out of the National Security Council last year [by H.R. McMaster, whom Trump of course fired].

Lisa Friedman & Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency's 'challenge coin' -- a type of souvenir medallion with military origins ... -- he proposed an unusual design: Make it bigger, and delete the E.P.A. logo. Mr. Pruitt instead wanted the coin to feature some combination of symbols more reflective of himself and the Trump administration. Among the possibilities: a buffalo, to evoke Mr. Pruitt's native Oklahoma, and a Bible verse to reflect his faith. Other ideas included using the Great Seal of the United States -- a design similar to the presidential seal -- and putting Mr. Pruitt's name around the rim in large letters, according to Ronald Slotkin, a career E.P.A. employee who retired this year, and two people familiar with the proposals who asked to remain anonymous because they said they feared retribution.... Mr. Slotkin said that during the design discussion, in which he participated, Mr. Pruitt wanted to remove 'anything to do with E.P.A.' The changes, he said, would have turned it into a 'Pruitt coin.'" ...

... Jacqueline Alemany & Arden Farhi of CBS News: "CBS News has obtained an August 2017 report prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency's office of inspector general that contains a list of 13 threats made against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his family. The threats range in severity, credibility and specificity. One tweet flagged by investigators said, 'Pruitt, I'm gonna find you and put a bullet between your eyes. Don't think I'm joking. I'm planning this.' Investigators believe the threat was made by someone living in India. Another person wished the administrator 'a very painful and horrible death through poisoning. Please explain the scientific method to this freaking neanderthal.' The inspector general also looked into a complaint that 'unknown protesters attempted to disrupt the EPA Administrator's speech during a closed event.' Another person emailed the EPA threatening to dump old paint outside Pruitt's door.... In certain cases, cases were referred to the Justice Department, but just one was deemed serious enough to prosecute. The report covers the period from Oct. 2016 to Aug. 2017."

Anita Kumar & Lesley Clark of McClatchy News: "CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose last year that he owned a Kansas business that imported oilfield equipment from a company owned by the Chinese government. That omission, on the questionnaire Pompeo was required to fill out for Senate confirmation to lead the spy agency, could cause a problem for him in Thursday's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be ... Donald Trump's secretary of state."

David Siders & Aubree Weaver of Politico: "In an apparent de-escalation of the raging conflict between California and ... Donald Trump over immigration, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday agreed to increase California National Guard operations along the state's border with Mexico, while insisting personnel will not be used to support any immigration enforcement or to build a border wall. The announcement comes less than a week after Trump called for National Guard deployments along the U.S.-Mexico border until a border wall is built. The Republican governors of Texas and Arizona already committed to participate.... In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the four-term Democrat said California 'will accept federal funding to add approximately 400 Guard members statewide to supplement the staffing of its ongoing program to combat transnational crime' but that personnel would be deployed throughout the state and will not be used to enforce immigration laws. 'But let's be crystal clear on the scope of this mission,' Brown wrote. 'This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.'"

Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "As he announced his exit from public life, Speaker Paul D. Ryan tried hard to show appreciation for the man who took the Republican Party from his grasp and transformed it into something else.... The Trumpian revolution, which Ryan had long resisted, appeared to have claimed another victory, dispatching another occasional critic and reaffirming the president's growing hold on a shrinking electoral coalition.... Ryan's decision to abruptly throw in the towel, just six months before the midterms, is likely to only further Trump's control of the party. Republicans strategists worry it will also make it harder for the GOP to hold onto the House, a prospect that seems less likely after a recent Democratic victory in a special election outside of Pittsburgh." ...

... Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "... while publicly no lawmaker is yet discussing a push to get the speaker to leave early, certain quarters of the Republican Party and Capitol Hill want him out of Congress right away rather than in early 2019.... Sources inside the Trump White House tell The Daily Beast that their primary concern following Ryan's announcement was that more fellow House Republicans would follow him to the exits.... On the Hill, there is fear that a lame-duck speaker all but guarantees a legislative logjam, as no lawmaker will now feel compelled to take a tough vote at Ryan's insistence. There is also an appetite within the Republican caucus to get new leadership in right away...." ...

... Boo Fucking Hoo. Steve M.: "Paul Ryan is leaving Congress, and he's going out with a sob story, of course.... This stuff works. It works on mainstream-media journalists, at least. It's the kind of thing that used to work on the public, at least before voters in one of our major political parties decided they prefer candidates who are rage monsters rather than (real or ersatz) Boy Scouts with heart-tugging backstories.... Remember, he'll still be in his fifties in 2024 and 2028. If he ever wants to run for president, he has years to consider it. And who could possibly have more plutocrat backing? That's why I hope the money is so great that he seizes it with both fists and never looks back." ...

... Dylan Matthews of Vox: "Paul Ryan will be remembered for a lot of things -- his rise to fame as President Barack Obama's most prominent critic in Congress; his 2012 run for vice president; his role leading the Republican establishment as it accepted Donald Trump as its nominee and then president. But he deserves to be remembered as the person who, more than anyone else, committed the Republican Party to an extreme libertarian vision of government in response to Obama's election. In doing so, he ended up achieving little of the party's priorities -- and created an opening that helped propel Trump to the White House.... The entire point of Ryan's agenda was to dramatically reduce taxes on wealthy owners of capital and pay for it by gutting America's most popular programs to support senior citizens and the poor. It had no obvious popular appeal outside die-hard free marketers, who make up a vanishingly small portion of the voting public." Matthews muses about a different Republican party -- a more Bush-y one -- that he argues would not have produced a Trump presidency. ...

... Jonathan Chait: "House Speaker Paul Ryan is retiring before he can lose his majority, and potentially his own seat in Congress, but too late to save his reputation.... The image of Paul Ryan that was introduced to the country was as America's accountant, the Kevin Kline character from Dave, an earnest midwestern boy with a passion for saving the country from fiscal calamity.... What finally killed off the myth of Paul Ryan was Donald Trump.... To Ryan, the greatest danger to liberty lies not in a president who defies the rule of law but in high tax rates and a functioning social safety net.... In Ryan's worldview, he has struck a powerful blow for liberty against the socialist hordes. Ryan leaves his endangered majority convinced he has done his job well." ...

... ** Ron Brownstein of the Atlantic: "Paul Ryan, who once aspired to advance the vision of conservative icon Jack Kemp, will leave Washington carrying a more tarnished legacy -- as the most important enabler of Donald Trump. No one in the GOP was better equipped, by position and disposition alike, to resist Trump's racially infused, insular nationalism, or to define a more inclusive competing vision for the party. Instead, Ryan chose to tolerate both Trump's personal excesses and his racially polarizing words and deeds as the price worth paying to advance Ryan's own top priorities: cutting spending; regulations; and above all, taxes. The result was that Ryan, more than any other prominent Republican, personified the devil's bargain the GOP has signed with Trump. And his departure crystallizes the difficult choices Republicans face as Trump redefines the party in his belligerent image." ...

... Matt Yglesias of Vox: "Paul Ryan was the biggest fraud in American politics.... His Senate counterpart, Mitch McConnell, was always willing to wear the black hat.... But [Ryan] also craved a certain form of respectability that's led him to leave behind a staggering track record of broken promises and glowing press clips from journalists who were gullible enough to believe them." Ygesias reprises Ryan's brilliant career. ...

... Charles Pierce has some heartfelt thoughts on Paul Ryan's retirement. Conclusion: "Biggest. Fake. Ever." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

... Mitch may have spoken too quickly when he told some supporters a short while ago that stealing a supreme court seat was his greatest accomplishment. Helping Trump destroy our democracy would leave a much bigger mark on the world. -- RAS, in yesterday's Comments

Jennifer Kaplan of Bloomberg: "The U.S. marijuana industry has a new spokesman: John Boehner. The Republican former Speaker of the House has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a company that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis in 11 U.S. states. Boehner's endorsement, after saying nine years ago he was 'unalterably opposed' to legalization, could be considered a watershed event: Marijuana has gone mainstream.... Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld will join Boehner on the advisory board of Acreage, which holds 35 licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S." Mrs. McC: Watershed event? Sounds like SOP for Boehner: he goes where the money is. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday faced a tougher, tenser grilling at his second congressional hearing, as lawmakers unleashed a litany of complaints about the company's privacy practices, its failure to fight the opioid crisis and the lack of diversity within its executive ranks. For five hours, Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee took turns swiping at Zuckerberg, holding him to 'yes' and 'no' questions and frequently cutting him off -- a tactic that at times appeared to frustrate the Facebook co-founder." ...

... Olivia Solon of the Guardian: "... when it came to the nuts and bolts of Facebook's business model..., [Mark Zuckerberg] deflected scrutiny through a combination of declared ignorance, amnesia, and world-class public relations spin. Here are five responses that don't stand up to scrutiny."

Beyond the Beltway

** Allison Kite & Tessa Weinberg of the Kansas City Star: "A growing number of Missouri lawmakers are calling on [Missouri] Gov. Eric Greitens [R] to step down over 'horrendous' and 'disgraceful' allegations of abuse detailed in an investigative report released Wednesday.... Nearly a dozen Democrats and four Republicans called for Greitens' resignation immediately after the report was released.... After more than a month of investigation, the special House committee deemed 'credible' the testimony of the woman with whom Greitens had an affair in 2015. The report detailed her claims that Greitens on multiple occasions hit her. She said he bound her to exercise equipment, put a blindfold on her, undressed her and took a photo of her without consent in order to keep her silent. She felt coerced to give him oral sex on his basement floor while she cried.... In a press conference an hour before the report's release, Greitens was defiant against calls for his resignation and said the report signed by five Republicans and two Democrats would include 'lies and falsehoods.' He repeatedly called it a 'political witch hunt,' mimicking Donald Trump's complaints about the ongoing investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 campaign." The committee's report is here.

The Commentariat -- April 11, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump's lawyer on Monday were seeking all records related to the 'Access Hollywood' tape..., according to three people who have been briefed on the contents of a federal search warrant. The search warrant also sought evidence of whether the lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, tried to suppress damaging information about Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.... The new details from the warrant reveal that prosecutors are keenly interested in Mr. Cohen's unofficial role in the Trump campaign. And they help explain why Mr. Trump was furious about the raid. People close to Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen regard the warrant as an attempt ... to pry into Mr. Trump's personal life -- using other prosecutors as his proxy."

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy! -- Donald Trump, going crazy in a tweet today

Elana Schor of Politico: "A bipartisan Senate bill designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job is on track for a vote in the Judiciary Committee, according to a source briefed on the committee's plans. It's a significant step forward as lawmakers warn ... Donald Trump not to fire the man investigating him.... The new bill is the product of months-long talks among Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has yet to lend his full support, but that's not stopping him from setting up the legislation to advance.... However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated yesterday that, despite fresh signs Trump is considering a firing, he is not convinced that a Mueller protection bill merits floor time in the chamber."

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Ex-FBI Director James Comey compared President Trump to a 'mob boss' in a taped interview with ABC News, according to a promotional video released Wednesday.... The preview also shows [George] Stephanopoulos asking Comey if he believes President Trump obstructed justice and if he thinks the president should be impeached.... The interview is set to air on Sunday night. It will be Comey's first television interview since he was fired by Trump last May."

It's like Forrest Gump won the presidency, but an evil, really f*cking stupid Forrest Gump. He can't help himself. He's just a f**king idiot who thinks he's winning when people are b*tching about him.... If we're going to lose because of him, we might as well impeach the motherf**ker. Take him out with us and let Mike [Pence] take over.... I say a lot of shit on TV defending him, even over this. But honestly, I wish the motherf*cker would just go away. We're going to lose the House, lose the Senate, and lose a bunch of states because of him. All his supporters will blame us for what we have or have not done, but he hasn't led. He wakes up in the morning, sh*ts all over Twitter, sh*ts all over us, sh*ts all over his staff, then hits golf balls. F*ck him. Of course, I can't say that in public or I'd get run out of town. -- Unnamed GOP Congressman, speaking to Erick Erickson

Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump's choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, is facing mounting skepticism from Senate Republicans over whether he has the management experience to lead the nation's second-largest bureaucracy. The comments from several GOP senators, particularly those with influence on veterans' issues, signal Jackson will have to work overtime to persuade not just Democrats but Trump's own party that he is qualified to oversee the beleaguered agency. That challenge comes at a time when Senate Republicans are already juggling other controversial nominations that will consume much of the political oxygen on Capitol Hill."

Charles Pierce has some heartfelt thoughts on Paul Ryan's retirement. Conclusion: "Biggest. Fake. Ever."

An Excellent Hire. Tierney Sneed & Josh Marshall of TPM: "Former Trump National Security Council official Ezra Cohen-Watnick is joining the Department of Justice as a national security adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a source familiar with the matter told TPM Wednesday.... During his time at the NSC as the senior director for intelligence programs, Cohen-Watnick was a source of controversy. His ascent to the NSC, after just a few years at the Defense Intelligence Agency, surprised outside observers. His name emerged in the strange episode involving House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who made bombastic allegations of improper 'unmasking' of Trump associates by the Obama administration, though what role Cohen-Watnick played in the controversy remains in dispute."

Jennifer Kaplan of Bloomberg: "The U.S. marijuana industry has a new spokesman: John Boehner. The Republican former Speaker of the House has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a company that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis in 11 U.S. states. Boehner's endorsement, after saying nine years ago he was 'unalterably opposed' to legalization, could be considered a watershed event: Marijuana has gone mainstream.... Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld will join Boehner on the advisory board of Acreage, which holds 35 licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S." Mrs. McC: Watershed event? Sounds like SOP for Boehner: he goes where the money is.

*****

NEW. Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Speaker Paul D. Ryan told House Republican colleagues on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in November, ending a brief stint atop the House and signaling the peril that the Republican majority faces in the midterm elections. Mr. Ryan told the House Republican Conference that he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, which will mark 20 years in Congress. But his retirement announcement is sure to kick off a succession battle for the leadership of the House Republican Conference, likely between the House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, and the House majority whip, Steve Scalise of Louisiana. It could also trigger another wave of retirements among Republicans not eager to face angry voters in the fall and taking their cue from Mr. Ryan. As if on cue, Representative Dennis Ross, Republican of Florida, announced his retirement an hour after Mr. Ryan." ...

... Mrs. McCrabbie: At this writing, Ryan -- who has vowed he is quitting so he doesn't remain "a weekend dad," is holding a presser in which he has promised to keep dedicating himself to taking "entitlements" away from lazy losers. That's uplifting.

Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race? -- Donald Trump, this morning

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!' You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it! -- Donald Trump, this morning

... John Wagner & Anton Troianovski of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Wednesday warned that missiles 'will be coming' toward Syria in response to a suspected chemical attack and taunted Russia for vowing to shoot down any incoming strikes.... The United States has been building a circumstantial case, based largely on videos and photographs, that a chemical attack by Syrian forces took place in the rebel-held enclave of Douma. Syri and Russia, a main backer of Assad, have insisted no attack happened and that only the opposition groups they call 'terrorists' possess chemical weapons. Trump appeared to be referring to a comment from Russia's ambassador to Lebanon, who was quoted by a Lebanese news outlet on Tuesday saying that Russia would confront a U.S. strike on Syria by shooting down missiles and striking their launchpads."

Raging Bull

So much Fake News about what is going on in the White House. Very calm and calculated with a big focus on open and fair trade with China, the coming North Korea meeting and, of course, the vicious gas attack in Syria. Feels great to have Bolton & Larry K on board. I (we) are--

....doing things that nobody thought possible, despite the never ending and corrupt Russia Investigation, which takes tremendous time and focus. No Collusion or Obstruction (other than I fight back), so now they do the Unthinkable, and RAID a lawyers office for information! BAD! -- Donald Trump, in an incomplete tweet this morning

Julie Davis & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Inside the White House, Mr. Trump -- furious after the F.B.I. raided his longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen -- spent much of the day [Tuesday] brooding and fearful and near what two people close to the West Wing described as a 'meltdown.'... The raids on Monday on Mr. Cohen's Rockefeller Center office and Park Avenue hotel room have sent the president to new heights of outrage, setting the White House on edge as it faces a national security crisis in Syria and more internal staff churn.... People close to the White House said that over the weekend, the president engaged in few activities other than dinner at the Trump International Hotel. He tuned into Fox News, they said, watched reports about the so-called deep state looking to sink his presidency and became unglued. Mr. Trump angrily told his advisers that people were trying to undermine him and that he wanted to get rid of three top Justice Department officials -- Jeff Sessions, the attorney general; Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who appointed [Robert] Mueller; and Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director -- according to two people familiar with what took place." ...

... Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump is considering firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, multiple people familiar with the discussions tell CNN, a move that has gained urgency following the raid of the office of the President's personal lawyer. Such an action could potentially further Trump's goal of trying to put greater limits on special counsel Robert Mueller. This is one of several options -- including going so far as to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- Trump is weighing in the aftermath of the FBI's decision Monday to raid the office of Michael Cohen, the President's personal lawyer and longtime confidant. Officials say if Trump acts, Rosenstein is his most likely target, but it's unclear whether even such a dramatic firing like this would be enough to satisfy the President." ...

... Andrew Restuccia & Nancy Cook of Politico: "The Trump White House punched back at its own Justice Department on Tuesday, with ... Donald Trump and senior officials expressing outrage over law enforcement raids on lawyer Michael Cohen -- and making thinly veiled threats to fire Russia special prosecutor Robert Mueller.... Amid the furor, the White House announced earlier Tuesday that Trump would skip an upcoming trip to Latin America and instead stay in Washington. Trump's decision to scrap this weekend's long-planned travel to the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, will leave the president largely alone in the White House with little on his schedule, giving him time to stew and watch cable news. Angry and increasingly isolated, the president is more unpredictable than ever, according to four people close to him." ...

... Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "As President Trump continued to fume on Tuesday about the Justice Department's raids on the office and hotel room of his longtime personal lawyer, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made a provocative claim: The president, she said, believes he has the legal authority to fire Robert S. Mueller, the special counsel leading the Russia investigation.... Ms. Sanders's initial remark on Tuesday was vague. But when pressed to clarify whether she meant only that Mr. Trump could direct Mr. Rosenstein to fire Mr. Mueller, she insisted instead that 'a number of individuals in the legal community and including at the Department of Justice' have said that Mr. Trump himself has the power to oust him.... But there is scant precedent supporting the notion that Mr. Trump has lawful authority to bypass the acting attorney general and directly fire Mr. Mueller, legal scholars said." Savage explores legal theories & precedents.

Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "In early December, President Trump, furious over news reports about a new round of subpoenas from the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, told advisers in no uncertain terms that Mr. Mueller's investigation had to be shut down. The president's anger was fueled by reports that the subpoenas were for obtaining information about his business dealings with Deutsche Bank, according to interviews with eight White House officials, people close to the president and others familiar with the episode. To Mr. Trump, the subpoenas suggested that Mr. Mueller had expanded the investigation in a way that crossed the 'red line' he had set last year in an interview with The New York Times. In the hours that followed Mr. Trump's initial anger over the Deutsche Bank reports, his lawyers and advisers worked quickly to learn about the subpoenas, and ultimately were told by Mr. Mueller's office that the reports were not accurate, leading the president to back down.... Despite assurances from leading Republicans like Speaker Paul D. Ryan that the president has not thought about firing Mr. Mueller, the December episode was the second time Mr. Trump is now known to have considered taking that step."

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "Rod J. Rosenstein, the veteran Republican prosecutor handpicked by President Trump to serve as deputy attorney general, personally signed off on Monday's F.B.I. decision to raid the office of Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump's personal attorney and longtime confidant, three government officials said. The early-morning searches enraged Mr. Trump, associates said, setting off an angry public tirade Monday evening that continued in private at the White House as the president fumed about whether he should fire Mr. Rosenstein. The episode has deeply unsettled White House aides, Justice Department officials and lawmakers from both parties, who believe the president may use it as a pretext to purge the team leading the investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.... Mr. Rosenstein's personal involvement in the decision signals that the evidence seen by law enforcement officials was significant enough to persuade the Justice Department's second-in-command that such an aggressive move was necessary.... Mr. Trump considered firing Mr. Rosenstein last summer. Instead, he ordered Mr. Mueller to be fired, then backed down after the White House counsel refused to carry out the order, The New York Times reported in January." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... New Lede: "The F.B.I. agents who raided the office of President Trump's personal lawyer on Monday were looking for records about payments to two women [Playboy model Karen McDougal & adult-film actress Stormy Daniels] who claim they had affairs with Mr. Trump, and information related to the publisher of The National Enquirer's role in silencing one of the women, several people briefed on the investigation said." ...

... Ken White, in the New York Times, provides an excellent summary of why the FBI's raid of Cohen's records is "highly dangerous, and not just for Mr. Cohen. It's perilous for the president, whose personal lawyer now may face a choice between going down fighting alone or saving his own skin by giving the wolves what they want." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jonathan Karl & Josh Margolin of ABC News: "Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is recused from the Michael Cohen investigation, ABC News has learned. Berman was not involved in the decision to raid Cohen's office because of the recusal, two sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. The recusal was approved by senior Justice Department officials who report to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the sources said Rosenstein himself was notified of the recusal after the decision was made. The raid of Cohen's office was handled by others in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and approved by a federal judge." Mrs. McC: I'd guess Berman let this leak to save himself from the Wrath of Trump.

Don Lemon of CNN: "In his first comments since the FBI raid on his home and office, Michael Cohen said the FBI agents 'were extremely professional, courteous and respectful.' The comments contrast with ... Donald Trump who complained Monday that agents 'broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys.'... He said that he is very loyal to Trump but after what happened on Monday, he'd rethink how he handled the payments to Daniels because of the impact on his family."

Sarah Fitzpatrick, et al., of NBC News: "Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is cooperating with federal investigators looking into a $130,000 payment she received from ... Donald Trump's personal attorney, multiple sources familiar with the proceedings told NBC News. The cooperation is in connection with a broader federal probe of the attorney, Michael Cohen...."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Dana Boente, the former acting attorney general who now serves as general counsel at the FBI, has been interviewed by the special counsel's office and turned over handwritten notes that could be a piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice, according to people familiar with the matter. Boente was interviewed some months ago by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's team on a wide range of topics, including his recollections of what former FBI director James B. Comey told him about troubling interactions with Trump, one of the people said. The interview is significant because it shows how Mueller is exploring whether the president obstructed justice and keying in on conversations Trump had with his former FBI director about the probe involving his presidential campaign. It also shows the extent to which Mueller has gone to corroborate Comey's account."

The Biggest Buffoon. New York Times Editors: "Mr. Trump has spent his career in the company of developers and celebrities, and also of grifters, cons, sharks, goons and crooks. He cuts corners, he lies, he cheats, he brags about it, and for the most part, he's gotten away with it, protected by threats of litigation, hush money and his own bravado. Those methods may be proving to have their limits when they are applied from the Oval Office. Though Republican leaders in Congress still keep a cowardly silence, Mr. Trump now has real reason to be afraid.... On Monday, when he appeared with his national security team, Mr. Trump, whose motto could be, 'The buck stops anywhere but here,' angrily blamed everyone he could think of for the 'unfairness' of an investigation that has already consumed the first year of his presidency, yet is only now starting to heat up." ...

... Paul Waldman in the Washington Post: "... despite how rare an action it is to pierce attorney-client privilege this way, the big-picture story here seems inevitable: Once a serious prosecutor with resources and authority began taking a good long look at Trump and his associates, a bunch of people were going to be in big trouble, with some winding up behind bars.... The Cohen raid isn't a 'fishing expedition,' and didn't happen because Mueller suspected he might find something interesting, despite how Trump himself and his defenders would like to characterize it as a case of a special prosecutor out of control... Trump ... may well be the single most corrupt major business figure in the United States of America.... So it was no accident that when he ran for president, the people who joined him in his quest were also a collection of grifters, liars, and crooks.... Things were bad for Trump before. But they just got a whole lot worse." ...

Kellyanne Conway's Husband Implies Trump Is a Buffoon. Jane Coaston of Vox: "George Conway, husband of counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, spent Tuesday morning subtweeting President Trump.... Conway is a star conservative lawyer who represented Paula Jones in her lawsuit against then-President Bill Clinton, and who was under consideration for both the post of solicitor general in January 2017 and the role of head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in June 2017.... Conway has been passive-aggressively offering up his opinion on the president's legal problems on the president's favorite platform.... [For instance,] In response to Trump's exasperated tweet Tuesday morning that read, 'attorney-client privilege is dead!'..., Conway tweeted just a link to the Justice Department's guidance on when searches can be conducted on attorneys." Mrs. McC: Curious. Does this mean Kellyanne has had enough? Or what?

Speaking of Shady Characters. Erin Banco of NJ.com: "Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is examining a series of previously unreported meetings that took place in 2017 in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, as part of its broader investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to two sources briefed on the investigation. The sources said several of those meetings took place around the same time as another meeting in the Seychelles between Erik Prince, founder of the security company Blackwater, Kirill Dmitriev, the director of one of Russia's sovereign wealth funds, and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the effective ruler of the United Arab Emirates (also known as 'MBZ').... The inquiry into the meetings in the Seychelles suggests there is growing interest on the Mueller team in whether foreign financing, specifically from Gulf states, has influenced President Trump and his administration." Banco likens the goings-on in the Seychelles to a "Hollywood thriller." ...

Sean Sullivan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Senate Republican leaders sharply warned President Trump not to fire Robert S. Mueller III on Tuesday -- but they once again stopped short of embracing legislation to protect the special counsel. Their reluctance to take more-forceful action came as Democratic leaders voiced new urgency about shielding Mueller a day after Trump said he had been encouraged by some to dismiss the special counsel. At least one rank-and-file Republican endorsed moving forward soon with a bill to protect him.... 'I haven't seen clear indication yet that we needed to pass something to keep him from being removed, because I don't think that's going to happen,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). McConnell did not elaborate on why he believed that.... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) ... said on Fox Business Network it would be 'suicide for the president to want, to talk about firing Mueller.'"

Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump and his advisers on Tuesday weighed a more robust retaliatory strike against Syria than last year's missile attack, reasoning that only an escalation of force would look credible and possibly serve as a deterrent against further use of chemical weapons on Syrian civilians." ...

... Ed Kilgore: "Normally I would be reluctant to suggest that the president of the United States -- even this president of the United States -- would launch a military strike because he's infuriated with things that have nothing to do with Syria. But reading through the news accounts today of Trump's state of mind after he canceled a trip to South America, you have to wonder."

Tracy Jan of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen existing work requirements and introduce new ones for low-income Americans receiving Medicaid, food stamps, public housing benefits and welfare as part of a broad overhaul of government assistance programs. The order directs federal agencies to review all policies related to current work requirements as well as exemptions and waivers and report back to the White House with recommendations within 90 days.... Poverty advocates criticized the moves. 'For those who are able to work, they should work. But there shouldn't be barriers for those who are in need when they can't work,' said Derrick Johnson, president and chief executive of the NAACP."

"Of the 23 people we know took an oath [Jan. 22, 2017], 14 have resigned, been fired or announced their resignations." -- Philip BumpHalf of "the Best People" Are Out the Door. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The Brookings Institution tracks what it calls the president's 'A Team,' a group of administration positions..., which excludes Cabinet positions.... Their estimate is that turnover in those 65 positions is at 49 percent since Trump took office. Of those 32 changes, 20 were resignations -- six of them voluntary. The other 12 were promoted. Trump had more 'A Team' turnover in his first year than Barack Obama or both Bushes had through two.

Eric Lipton, et al., of the New York Times: "The Environmental Protection Agency has been examining posts on Twitter and other social media about Scott Pruitt, the agency's administrator, to justify his extraordinary and costly security measures.... The social media efforts have come under scrutiny by some Democratic lawmakers, as well as senior officials at the E.P.A., who said the review had uncovered individuals sounding off against Mr. Pruitt but had found no actionable threats against him. One top E.P.A. official said in an interview that he had objected to the efforts when they were first discussed last year, to no avail.... Two Democratic senators [-- Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) & Tom Carper (Delaware) --] said on Tuesday that an agency whistle-blower had provided them with an internal E.P.A. memo concluding that a threat assessment prepared by Mr. Pruitt's security detail did not appear to justify the increased protection.... An individual involved in writing the memo, Mario Caraballo, has been removed from his job as deputy associate administrator of the homeland security office, although an E.P.A. official said the dismissal was unrelated to the memo." ...

... Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "Two Democratic senators demanded a congressional inquiry Tuesday into the justification underpinning the round-the-clock security detail for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, citing new documents suggesting that level of security is not justified. Writing to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), fellow panel members Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) reference several internal EPA documents -- which they kept confidential ... -- that allude to the kind of threats that have not traditionally triggered 24/7 protection. Those include messages threatening to leave scrapings of old paint at the administrator's office and one telling Pruitt 'we are watching you' on the agency's climate-related policies.... The agency pushed back strongly on Tuesday. 'Scott Pruitt has faced a unprecedented amount of death threats against him,' spokesman Jahan Wilcox said in a statement...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Rats ... Sinking Ship. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "The Trump administration announced another major departure from its senior ranks on Tuesday, with the resignation of Thomas P. Bossert as President Trump's chief adviser on homeland security. Mr. Bossert's resignation coincided with the arrival of John R. Bolton as the president's national security adviser, and was an unmistakable sign that Mr. Bolton is intent on naming his own people." ...

     ... Update: Jeremy Diamond, et al., of CNN: "White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert was pushed out of his position by the newly installed national security adviser John Bolton, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Brad Reed of RawStory: "An ally of President Donald Trump has made a shocking claim that the president was initially reluctant to pick John Bolton as his national security adviser -- but then he decided to go through with it anyway as a means to quiet down the Stormy Daniels story.... Talking with Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, an unnamed 'friend' of Trump said that the president felt the need to oust former national security adviser H.R. McMaster because he was tired of seeing wall-to-wall coverage of Stormy Daniels.... Trump announced his pick of Bolton as his new national security adviser on March 22 -- three days before the Daniels interview aired on CBS' '60 Minutes.'"

** Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "The Department of Veterans Affairs ... has tens of thousands of full- and part-time vacancies nationwide, according to data compiled by veterans advocates, lawmakers and federal unions. Most urgently, the agency's health-care network needs thousands of primary care physicians, mental-health providers, physical therapists, social workers -- even janitorial staff, Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), ranking Democrat of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, told The Washington Post in an interview. Of equal concern, he said, VA lacks enough human resources personnel to vet candidates and make the hires.... President Trump, and the conservative groups advising him, has seized on the long waits many veterans face at government facilities as grounds for aggressively expanding a program that enables patients to seek services from private providers at taxpayer expense. The proposal is deeply divisive, however, with opponents, including Democrats and Republicans in Congress, saying the effort could further weaken VA. Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin late last month after legislation directing a modest expansion of the program failed to make it into the budget approved by Congress."

David Corn of Mother Jones: "Last week, the Trump administration slapped sanctions on a small group of Russian oligarchs.... One of the oligarchs on the list was Viktor Vekselberg, who was identified as the founder and chairman of the Renova Group, which manages investment funds in several sectors of the Russian economy.... Vekselberg ... was recently a business associate of Wilbur Ross, President Trump's commerce secretary. Ross and Vekselberg were each a major investor in a Cyprus bank that had been linked to dirty Russian money -- a connection that Ross tried to downplay when he faced confirmation before the US Senate last year.... In announcing its recent sanctions on Russia, the Treasury Department suggested that Vekselberg runs a corrupt outfit.... [T]his remains one of the Trump-Russia connections that still warrants greater explanation." --safari (Also linked yesterday.)

Margaret Hartmann: "As one of Washington's most conservative Democrats and someone running for reelection in a state Donald Trump won by 36 points, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp frequently appears on lists of lawmakers who might switch parties. On Tuesday she revealed that Trump actually urged her to become a Republican at least once, but she declined. 'When I visited with him in Trump Tower before he was sworn in, he asked me to switch parties,' Heitkamp told the Washington Post. At the time the Trump team was said to be considering Heitkamp and fellow Democratic Senator Joe Manchin for Cabinet positions, which in addition to demonstrating bipartisanship, would have cleared the way for Republicans to take their seats."

The Tax Swindle. Dave Gilson of Mother Jones: "When he was selling the new tax law last fall, President Donald Trump insisted it 'is going to cost me a fortune.' In fact, any way you count it, he and his cronies will undoubtedly save a bundle.... The tax cuts will add at least $1 trillion to the federal deficit by 2027. Just before Trump signed them into law, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) started talking up the urgent need for 'entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.'... Treasury Secretary Mnuchin declared that the tax cuts would pay for themselves by spurring the economy. (His source? A one-page handout.) Trump ... predicted ... GDP growth rate -- by as much as 'even 6 percent.'... Goldman Sachs predicts GDP growth will increase by 0.3 points." --safari: With lots of stats and charts that the entire GOP blatantly lies to us about.

Organized "Religion". Katie Glueck of McClatchy D.C.: "Conservative leaders are increasingly worried that evangelical voters' devotion to Donald Trump isn't translating into excitement for other Republican candidates.... Top Christian conservative activists say that Republican-controlled Congress still hasn't made good on a number of major policy priorities -- and they are now warning of an enthusiasm gap with evangelicals.... For all of the current focus on the president's tawdry past ... evangelical leaders insist that their base is as supportive of Trump as ever.... Activists were particularly incensed by the failure to repeal Obamacare." --safari

"What's the Matter with Americans? Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: "[T]he better a state does at extending the lives of its residents, the more Democratic it is. The worse a state does, the more Republican it is.... Red state residents continue to vote for low taxes, low services, and Republican government, even though this wreaks havoc with their health. Then they get all bitter and angry because their health is bad and nobody pays attention to their woes, so they vote for Republicans some more. That's quite the amazing feedback loop." With charts --safari

David Smith of the Guardian: "Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief executive, warned on Tuesday of an online propaganda 'arms race' with Russia and vowed that fighting interference in elections around the world is now his top priority. The 33-year-old billionaire, during testimony that lasted nearly five hours, was speaking to Congress in what was widely seen as a moment of reckoning for America's tech industry. It came in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which, Facebook has admitted, the personal information of up to 87 million users were harvested without their permission. Zuckerberg's comments gave an insight into the unnerving reach and influence of Facebook in numerous democratic societies." ...

... ** Will Oremus of Slate: "Senators grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for five hours on Tuesday, but the big takeaway was hard to pin down. That's because Zuckerberg was, too. Summoned to testify about Facebook's role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, he shrewdly gamed a flawed format to wriggle out of tough questions, while taking advantage of bad ones to expose the lawmakers' shaky understanding of his company's products. In the process, he implicitly made the case that Facebook's users might be no better off with Congress making decisions about their online privacy than they are with Zuckerberg controlling the knobs.... Facebook's stock leapt 4.5 percent on the day, if that tells you just how worried its investors are now."

... Dana Milbank: "Zuckerberg came prepared with one message to those who would regulate Facebook: Trust me. 'I'm committed to getting this right,' he promised. Problem is, whenever the questioning got tough, Zuckerberg made clear that he could not be trusted to give an answer.... [Typical response: 'I want to have my team follow up with you on that.'] His professed ignorance, therefore, was most likely a calculation that he could avoid committing to much -- and it wouldn't come back to bite him. He was probably right. Senators seemed as if they were less interested in regulating him than in gawking at him." ...

... New York Times: "Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, will make his much-anticipated appearance before members of Congress starting Tuesday afternoon. In two days of hearings, he will face tough questions on how and why the company failed to protect the delicate data of many millions of its users.... The joint Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees will hold their hearing shortly after the start of 2:15 p.m. floor vote on Tuesday. Mr. Zuckerberg will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee at 10 a.m. Wednesday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. ...

Adios, Mofo. AP in the Guardian: "A conservative commentator who sent a tweet saying he would use 'a hot poker' to sexually assault an outspoken 17-year-old survivor of the Florida high school shooting has resigned from a St Louis TV station and been taken off the radio after several advertisers withdrew from his shows...KDNL-TV accepted Jamie Allman's resignation and canceled The Allman Report, according to a brief statement from the Sinclair Broadcast Group." --safari

Beyond the Beltway

Mike Elk in the Guardian: "At a time when migrants are being demonized, some teachers on the road to Oklahoma City said they were marching to get more support for Spanish speakers and to better fund bilingual education.... Strike leaders ... say the role of Latinos and their migrant allies has been largely obscured.... While the media has also compared the teachers' strikes to recent student walkouts over gun violence ... it has largely ignored the inspiration some teachers have drawn from Latino students who walked out in protest when Donald Trump repealed protections for undocumented young people." --safari

Tony Pugh of McClatchy D.C.: "An estimated 20,000 poor parents in Mississippi would lose health coverage over five years under a state proposal to require Medicaid recipients to work for their benefits, researchers at Georgetown University reported Tuesday.... Mississippi has asked the Trump administration for permission to require at least 20 hours per week of work or approved work activities in order to retain coverage under Medicaid.... Mississippi's income cutoff to qualify for Medicaid coverage is one of the nation's lowest at 27 percent of the federal poverty level - about $5,610 annually for a family of three, the report said." --safari

News Lede

New York Times: "Atleast 257 people died when an Algerian military transport plane filled with soldiers and civilians crashed near the capital on Wednesday, Algeria's Defense Ministry said, in the deadliest of numerous air accidents involving aircraft from the country in recent years. The Russian-built Ilyushin Il-76 transporter slammed into a field shortly after takeoff from a military base in Boufarik, about 15 miles southwest of Algiers. The victims included 26 members of Western Sahara's Polisario independence movement, an official in Algerias governing F.L.N. party said."