I sat in close proximity to two maskless, now COVID positive, White House staffers at last Thursday’s briefing. So I am now working from home & getting regular COVID tests.
BREAKING: President Trump just said "Katie" is VP staffer who tested positive. Katie Miller is VP spox & wife of WH adviser Stephen Miller. Entire West Wing has now been directly or indirectly exposed to COVID-19.
After talking for 45 minutes about jobs, equality, the 2016 election.......
@realDonaldTrump
signals to
@Yamiche
to “shhh” when she asked President how he plans to address systemic racism.
ME: “Mueller said you could be criminally charged after leaving office?”
TRUMP: Denies Mueller said this and then when I challenge him on facts, calls me “the worst.”
#MuellerDay
#MuellerHearing
As you can see at the end of this clip, the President called on me and I yielded to my colleague
@kaitlancollins
for about *three seconds* for her follow-up q - which prompted the President walked off in apparaent protest of our solidarity.....
.
@kaitlancollins
: The woman you say is a 'great doctor' said masks don't work & doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens-
TRUMP: "I can tell you this: She was on air, along with many other doctors, & they were big fans of hydroxychloroquine. I thought she was very impressive"
President Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, gave us a heavy book that she described as the president’s health care plan. It was filled with executive orders and congressional initiatives, but no comprehensive healthcare plan.
I can tell you
@Acosta
definitely has sources on the task force, he has broken stories I have matched and matched stories I have broken from inside that group. No way to do that without real sources.
President took 3 questions - including Fox News & OANN - then ended presser abruptly after another reporter pressed him on contradictory statements about scientific support for plasma treatment. I have asked White House why Rep. Jim Jordan was sitting with staffers at presser.
My colleague
@weijia
has never lacked courage. She works so hard, slept under her desk while pregnant between double shifts, inexplicably figured out how to nurse while traveling around the world & pursues truth from government while enduring racist abuse from multiple directions
JUST IN: A senior defense official tells
@CBSNews
Defense Secretary Esper has given the order to return all active duty troops brought into the capital region to their home bases.
“You mother f**kers are gonna pay, someone is gonna bomb you, might even be tonight.”
@AlexDiPrato
my law license is a bit dusty, but pretty sure that goes way beyond heckling and qualifies as “terroristic threat” under NH law,
@NH_DOJ
?
Wait, what?! White House Press Sec, who recieves a six figure tax-payer salary for that job, deferred a question about intelligence briefings for
@JoeBiden
&
@KamalaHarris
to the White House (?!) during an appearance on FOX News where she appeared as a "Trump campaign advisor."
I don’t have kids, but looking at parents on Instagram and Twitter right now it’s clear that parenting right now is hard AF. 😬 If there is something I can ask the President or WH on your behalf, let me know. ❤️
Strong Pawnee vibes at White House this morning as a raccoon attacked multiple news crews on North Lawn. 🦝 allegedly grabbed pant leg of a photographer & then a corespondent before being fended off. (WH 🦝🦝 🦝 pictured here in more peaceful times.)
On
@FaceTheNation
@margbrennan
asks Dr. Birx “Why is there no national testing strategy?” Birx says new federal guidelines address this. *THEY DO NOT.*
@CBSNews
👀 Biggest news of the day was Dr. Birx admitting there just isn’t much data on COVID in children because the country has not tested enough children to know if virus is widespread among people younger than 18. President ignored my shouted question on this topic....
"Mr. President, Dr. Birx says we don't know how Covid impacts children. How can you say it's safe to send them back to school?" -- Trump ignored questions from reporters at the end of his press event with the president of Mexico
Wow. Moments before govt releases what is expected to be the worst jobs report in history
@realDonaldTrump
has called in to
@foxandfriends
to air grievances about federal investigations into his 2016 campaign. Ten mins in and no mention of
#Covid_19
pandemic or unemployment.
SPOTTED: 🐐🐐 🐐 at Trump Bedminster golf club which qualify him for farmland tax break. While they may be cutting taxes, they do not appear to be helping cut the grass.
“I am sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,” - attorney for Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg on whether Congressman has anything to worry about now that his friend & associate is likely to plea.
JUST IN: Special Counsel Jack Smith has obtained thousands of documents produced by Giuliani legal team in their efforts to find fraud in 2020 election. Bernie Kerik’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, handed over docs to prosecutors over the weekend.
JUST IN: Joel Greenberg, former FL tax collector with close ties Rep Matt Gaetz, has asked a federal judge to delay his sentencing for the second time as he continues to cooperate with govt pursuant to his plea deal. (1/3)
JUST IN: Joel Greenberg, former Florida tax collector and close associate of Congressman Matt Gaetz, set to appear in Florida court Monday at 10AM where he is expected to enter into formal plea agreement with government.
@CNN
HT
@kpolantz
NEW RECORD: Our
@markknoller
reports today’s coronavirus briefing was the longest to date, 2hrs 24mins. Topping April 2nd briefing which was 2 hrs 15mins.
🚨 NY AG reveals Eric Trump refusing to comply with subpoena, alleges President’s son “intimately involved” in Trump Org dealings under investigation. Announcement comes just as
#RNCConvention2020
gets underway.
@CBSNews
I took action to force the Trump Organization, and specifically EVP Eric Trump, to comply with my office’s ongoing investigation into its financial dealings.
For months, the Trump Organization has failed to fully comply with our subpoenas in this investigation.
Just asked Eric Trump the question he has been avoiding from NY Attorney General, “Did the Trump Org inflate its assets to get better terms on loans and taxes?”
@CBSNews
WATCH:
@PaulaReidCBS
asked
@VP
why the Trump campaign defied officials in Tulsa with last week's rally, resulting in positive
#COVID19
cases among staff. Pence: “...freedom of speech & the right to peacefully assemble is enshrined in the constitution.”
Jan 22nd I asked President about Coronavirus at Davos he said “We think it is going to be handled very well...
@CDCgov
has been terrific…we are in very good shape & China is in good shape as well.” I’ll be on
@FaceTheNation
w/latest on WH response
#HighRiskCovid19
“Thank you?!” President Trump retweets video of one of his supporters yelling “White Power” later in the video a protester repeatedly says “Grab ‘em by the p**sy.”
JUST IN: Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg has entered “guilty” plea to 6 federal charges including sex trafficking of minor. Former Florida tax collector, has been in jail, appeared in court today in a dark jumpsuit, with his hands restrained by a thick chain around his waist.
@CNN
Noticing a sharp uptick in social media trolling from 1am-6am lately. *Many* of the anti-mask/disinformation comments on this tweet started around the same time people in Moscow would be getting up. 🧐
President leaves "press conference" without taking q's & heads to Maine - one of the whitest states in America. It's his only trip outside the District this week & not helping optics that he is avoiding larger conversation about racial disparity in the US
#TrumpPressConference
EXCLUSIVE: “As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t.” CNN has the transcript of bombshell recording of Trump claiming to have secret information.
JUST IN: No deal. Manafort attorney Kevin Downing tells me “No chance!” his client will cooperate with Special Counsel in order to avoid trial today.
@CBSNews
President Trump called an unscheduled press availability which coincides with
@BarackObama
eulogy for Rep John Lewis. Trump event ongoing as are Pres. Obama remarks...
What? The judge gave lawyers the option to continue with just eight jurors, after one went home sick, but Trump lawyer said she wanted an adjournment for the day. The Trump team had a choice and chose not to proceed today.
Unusual to see President on his phone during a formal event, but here he is, on his device, as guests are speaking. Exactly two mins later...... a tweet was posted to
@realDonaldTrump
account at 3:56PM.
Retracting that last statement.
@PaulaReidCBS
, who was in the room, notes that "while last two guests were talking President Trump appeared to be focused on his phone for an extended period"--around the time when this tweet was posted.
JUST IN: DOJ says Acting Attorney General Whitaker will consult with senior ethics officials at DOJ about possible recusal in Special Counsel investigation. DOJ Spox Kerri Kupec says,
Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between.
Justified outrage. 2k people a day expected to be dying from COVID by Christmas, yet Vice President won’t let his task force members answer questions about the pandemic.
@CBSNews
I asked President about
#JacobBlake
shooting 3x yesterday & today
@Acosta
tried to ask Trump several times about
#MarchOnWashington2020
. Trump refused to answer any of the questions.....
Doctor was just asked about this discrepancy & says Thursday night they got PCR clarity......this did not clear this up and this would be a big misstatement. Also hasnt clarified why President would have started 48 hours ago...which would be prior to positive test.
@CBSNews
Biggest issue with this answer is that once tweet was flagged by Twitter for "glorifying violence" & the history of that quote "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" was widely reported, the official WH Twitter account retweeted it They doubled down. 8 hrs after the fact.
NEW: As he left WH just now President Trump, “I don't know who the Proud Boys are...whoever they are, I can only say they need to stand down and let law enforcement do their work.” But his debate remarks appear to have already embolden white-supremecist affiliated groups....
Appears WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke to reporters & contradicted President’s doctor by saying Trump vitals over last 24 hrs were very concerning. Doesn’t give confidence that Chief of Staff wants to be anonymous or that WH & med teams can’t keep story straight.
UPDATE: Immediately after the press conference ended and before the anonymous statement was sent out, Mark Meadows briefed reporters without cameras—but he was caught on a feed asking to be off the record.
JUST IN: Rudy Giuliani has NOT received a target letter in 1/6 probe, his lawyer tells me. As CNN previously reported, Rudy, did a voluntary interview with Special Counsel investigators several weeks back. His lawyer does not expect him to be charged.
White House officials confirms
@PressSec
didnt know about Hope Hicks positive test before yesterday's press breifing. But important to note WH didnt reveal Hicks diagnosis - it was
@JenniferJJacobs
who revealed that one of the President's closest advisors had tested postive.
Today Dr. Anthony Fauci said US reporting an “unacceptably high” number of new coronavirus cases. But he is not at WH COVID event today, instead President asked *radiologist* Dr. Scott Atlas to give reassuring words the COVID response.
“Do you have concerns about the President using hydroxychlorqine?” - Dr. Birx ignored our questions as she walked into White House today, wearing a mask 😷
First gaggle w/WH official since Presidential race was called. It didn’t go well. Peter Navarro - directly involved in distribution of medical supplies for covid -says vaccine is “not his lane” & walked off when asked about China congratulating Biden (Other q’s from
@joejohnscnn
)
UPDATE: 4500 National Guard now in DC, up from 1200. This does not include 1600 active duty troops waiting in the wings just outside the District via
@CBSNews
David Martin.
"I am running a country...I don't have the luxury," - President Trump said when pressed on how much time he is allocating to debate prep.
He was at his Virginia golf resort this morning.
NEW: AG Barr asked about “process” he set up for
@RudyGiuliani
to share info from Ukraine with DOJ. Barr says he has an open door to “anybody.” But former DOJ officials say this is *not* the way it works. Barr abruptly left the stage after one question, so no follow-up.
@CBSNews
"Undergoing IVF, while covering the White House, during a pandemic, was certainly challenging, but I feel fortunate and grateful that we were able to use this option to grow our family.”
Thank you
@people
for sharing this story.
"I know this is a celebration of John's life..but there are some who say we should not talk about such things...but that is *why* I am talking about it"-
@BarackObama
on overt criticism of Trump Administration during eulogy.
BREAKING: DOJ formally decides not to charge Congressman Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe. Prosecutors have been informing witnesses today of final decision by DOJ leadership after investigators recommended not moving forward back in the fall. More to come on
@CNN
Trump on
#woodwardtapes
and whether he misled Americans, "We had to show calm....the last thing we can show is panic or excitement or fear." Note: President has consistently relied on fear during his Adminsitratio - fear of immigrants, low income housing, China, protesters, ect.
BREAKING: NY grand jury had voted to indict Former President Trump in hush money probe per multiple sources. He becomes the first former US President to be indicted.
@cnn
Actually Stone is 67. Convicted by a jury of his peers on seven felony counts in a prosecution overseen by the Trump DOJ. Earlier this week even AG Barr called the sentence, “fair.”
In my view it would be justified if President
@realDonaldTrump
decided to commute Roger Stone's prison sentence.
Mr. Stone is in his 70s and this was a non-violent, first-time offense.
OANN reporter once again standing in back of WH Briefing in defiance of social distancing requirements set in place by
@WHCA
. OANN is in the rotation of reporters who get to attend briefings but seem to think they get to play by different rules & put safety at risk.
#COVID
ー19
Biden adopts Trump playbook - attacking pool reporter
@BoKnowsNews
for asking about Hunter Biden story which has been a focus of President Trump’s campaign over past few days. Fine to attack the story, but why personally insult Bo?
I asked Joe Biden: What is your response to the NYPost story about your son, sir?
He called it a “smear campaign” and then went after me. “I know you’d ask it. I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask.”
.
@PaulaReidCBS
to Pres. Trump during Monday's two hour, 24 minute-long WH briefing: "What did your administration do in the month of February with the time your travel ban bought you?"
BREAKING NEWS: Special Counsel Jack Smith issues new subpoenas to ask about the handling of surveillance video from Mar-a-Lago after Trump Org received subpoena for it last summer. Two top Trump Org Security execs expected to appear before grand jury Thursday.
@OutFrontCNN