Judge Sullivan tells Flynn that serving as unregistered agent of a foreign country while serving as National Security Adviser means “arguably you sold your country out.” Judge says he can’t hide his “my disgust, my disdain.” Flynn and lawyers seemed stunned.
Oops. DC US Atty submitted court document to dismiss Flynn charges with the wrong DC Bar number. The filing by Tim Shea, but with the number belonging to previous US atty, appears to be technically invalid. Judge Sullivan, your move...
@kpolantz
It’s remarkable that Kelly now admits the chaos of travel ban implementation, thanks to Stephen Miller & Co, when he previously lied to the public and press. The reporting, it turns out, was spot on. Kelly was lying.
The current theme out of some in the WH comms shop is “there’s no chaos to see in this White House,” a narrative Trump has hoped will replace the actual reporting. This Kelly interview affirms most of the real-time reporting about how it is there.
Peter Carr, Special Counsel spokesman:
“When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner’s consent or appropriate criminal process.”
Today, we learned a foreign terrorist group — AQAP — for the first time since 9/11 successfully directed a deadly attack on US soil (Pensacola NAS).
Pre-2017, would’ve dominated coverage. Congress would have demanded hearings on failed vetting.
Not today
This process usually is shorter when both prosecution and defense recommend no jail time. Flynn quietly says “yes your honor,” as Judge Sullivan rails about “very serious offense” he has pleaded guilty to.
Great scoop from
@rachaelmbade
@NickMiroff
. And Pres Trump personally pushed Secy Nielsen to carry out the plan, according to person familiar w discussions. She resisted & DHS lawyers eventually told the WH the proposal (also pushed by Stephen Miller) would likely be illegal.
The suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting wrote on social media that Jews were helping transport members of Latin American migrant caravans
That admission is exactly what we have all known. But to hear Comey say it.... that he made a major decision based even in part on the polls, is not what the FBI is supposed to do.
“It is entirely possible that, because I was making decisions in an environment where Hillary Clinton was sure to be the next president, my concern about making her an illegitimate president by concealing the restarted investigation bore greater weight...”
Certain lawmakers seem very interested in whether the FBI is scooping up cell phone tower metadata, inc location info, from the day of US Capitol attack. The answer is yes, as is routine in investigations. Congress wrote the laws the FBI is using.
Michael Cohen is spending a lovely 80-degree day sitting on bench outside his Manhattan hotel, smoking a cigar. Tells photogs he wants to send his mom all the great pics they have of him.
#cantmakethisup
Beryl Wolfson, 96, a Jewish WWII veteran who helped liberate Dachau, spoke at a Holocaust remembrance event.
Protesters holding flags with the same Nazi swastika he helped tear down decades earlier tried to interrupt his speech with shouts and megaphones.
Mueller prosecutors told Gates before he flipped: “they didn't need his cooperation against Manafort, according to a person familiar with the investigation, and instead wanted to hear what he knew about contact between the Trump campaign and Russians.”
It appears Mick Mulvaney and drive for ideological purity are behind two of the self-inflicted wounds the WH suffered this week: the Special Olympics budget cut and the ACA decision that will reverberate for some time.
It was clear to everyone in Flynn sentencing courtroom that Judge Sullivan likely was preparing to lock Flynn up. Flynn lawyers decided to take the delay until March, hoping to get a better deal then.
The Trump/Nielsen tensions boiled down to this, one senior official told me: The president fundamentally lacks understanding of the legal limitations that constrain him—and any commander in chief—when it comes to border and immigration.
you can assassinate your half-brother, execute your uncle, hold hostage foreign citizens, operate gulags to imprison your people -- while threatening to nuke neighbors and the US -- and still be called honorable.
A word of thanks to the staff of the US District Court in DC, who created a environment that allowed the press to do our work to inform the public on the events national & historic importance. Other courts can learn much — transparency is good.
To say there is a furious reaction inside DOJ to this deal is an understatement. Law and order AG Bill Barr is sending the former Mx defense secretary, jailed in Bklyn for for allegedly being cartel boss, back to Mexico with only a promise from
@FGRMexico
to investigate him.
I went to an all-boys Catholic school and, yes, boys do stupid stuff at this age. If a group of boys did something like this, the headmaster and parents would have responded with severe consequences. This can’t be how a Catholic institution is teaching these young men.
Statement from Special Counsel responds to questions about accusations from Trump Transition that Mueller illegally obtained transition emails from GSA.
Rudy Giuliani was making stuff up when he claimed contacts w/ current FBI agents & hinted a surprise on Hillary Clinton in 2016. His claims had an impact on Comey, who days later upended the campaign with letter to Congress.
@DevlinBarrett
told ya
10 - Neymar won 10 fouls today vs. Switzerland, the last player to suffer 10 fouls in a WC match has been Alan Shearer 1998 vs. Tunisia (11). Ouch.
#BRASUI
#WM2018
And they’re talking about the no-fly list and related security procedures that keep people off planes that the US considers to pose a security threat. That’s info-based security, the opposite of a wall.
Trump argued he has exec privilege in perpetuity.
Judge Chutkan: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President. He retains the right to assert that his records are privileged, but the incumbent President ‘is not constitutionally obliged to honor’ that assertion.”
The Trump-Nielsen relationship was fraught for a long time. But more recently she was pushing back when he lashed out because the department wasn’t curbing the flow of immigrants, particularly asylum seekers. She defended the department. He accused her of not doing her job.
Now is a good time to recall that the FBI’s Clinton Foundation investigation was based at least partly on allegations in Peter Schweizer’s oppo research book Clinton Cash. FBI also found suspicious financial transaction involving Foundation donor. See here
In court today, Rick Gates told fed judge he understood his prison sentence depended in part on his cooperation with Special Counsel Mueller investigation. He could get 57-71 months in prison.
NEW: Two prominent members of the Proud Boys face new conspiracy charges related to the US Capitol riot,
@evanperez
@kpolantz
report. The Justice Dept. laid out a planning and funding effort within the Trump-supporting extremist group.
Third day of testimony in Sussmann trial. James Baker, fmr FBI gen counsel, is delivering the strongest evidence for Durham’s case. In response to prosecutor DeFilippis, Baker says he is “100% confident” that Sussmann told him in Sept 2016 FBI mtg that he wasn’t there for client.
That promised Wisconsin Foxconn manufacturing plant? It won’t be a factory after all. The company initially said it expected to employ about 5,200 people by the end of 2020; a company source said that figure now looks likely to be closer to 1,000 workers
Border mayor asks, what crisis? “By month, border apprehensions averaged more than 81,588 under President George W. Bush, declined to more than 34,647 under President Barack Obama and now stand at 24,241 under Mr. Trump.”
Thanks to
@Rene_MarshCNN
for sticking with this story despite DHS and TSA attempts to falsely claim it wasn’t happening.
And thanks to the TSA workers for their professionalism without a paycheck.
Judge Sullivan appears to have seen some coverage during court recess, so he wants to clarify: he isn’t accusing Flynn of treason; and clarifies that Flynn’s work for Turkey ended before he became national security adviser. The judge has clarified himself.
Judge Sullivan takes a shot at the David Petraeus sentence for misdemeanor after sharing classified info with unauthorized person. Judge says he doesn’t agree w light treatment of Petraeus. Kelner had raised Petraeus for comparison to Flynn case.
Judge says Manafort cooperation agreement includes: interviews and briefings he'll give to the special counsel's office; turning over documents: testifying in other proceedings. Cooperation extends beyond sentencing in DC and Va.
Let’s be clear. Facebook “helping” or “cooperating” with a criminal investigation isn’t a choice. They would have been subpoenaed for info. It’s not like the company could legally obstruct Mueller probe. Someone wants a medal for doing what is a responsibility?
Denny Kim, pic (left) from yesterday, wks after 2 men broke his nose & beat him in LA Koreatown. "They called me chink, said 'You have the Chinese virus' and 'Go back to China.'" Kim didn't report initially bc he was afraid. Encouraged by others, he's got something to say (more)
And let’s also remember that in late 2016 & early 2017 Facebook repeatedly disclaimed the very thing happened that is detailed the Mueller indictment Friday. They said they looked & didn’t see it. FBI knew otherwise. Eventually FB did too.
"Only a moron like Mike Lee would tank President Trump's nominee, an Asian woman, for the department's No. 3 job," a senior Justice official told CNN.
—That’s how irritated DOJ ofcls are @ Lee for torpedoing nomination of Jessie Liu as Associate AG.
Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, speaking to law enf audience in Missouri, notes Pres Trump will be visiting later this week: “you let the president know that his favorite deputy attorney general was here.”
#DAGfunnies
#rosenstitches
Ford Atty Debbie Katz re Keyser statement:
"As Dr Ford has said, she did not share her story publicly or with anyone for years following the incident with Judge Kavanaugh. It’s not surprising that Ms Keyser has no recollection of the evening as they did not discuss it.”
“Nearly all of the $706,000 in donations made by the Donald J. Trump Foundation in Palm Beach County since 2008 went to charities that hosted lavish fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago”
Area man liked it much better when Congress used its oversight power on years of Benghazi investigations (and to thwart Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign)
Law enforcement long has been concerned about growing threat from domestic terrorists - even when most attn was on int’l Islamic terrorism. When we published this 2015 story some lawmakers lashed out at DHS for calling attn to issue
Like a scene from Breakfast Club: “Answer the question, Claire.” These two grown men were in the same room yesterday. Rather than discuss their differences, the president is taunting his AG on Twitter. We are living high school years.
Good morning. Today’s Manafort sentencing memo is one of the last opptys for Andrew Weissmann to tell the public his overarching investigative theory on what happened in 2016. From Russians to Kilimnik to Manafort to Candidate 1. We wait.
UPDATE: Julian Assange has been further arrested in relation to an extradition warrant on behalf of the United States authorities. He remains in custody at a central London police station.
Broward SWAT officer wore QAnon patch on purpose & “intended to use his proximity to Pence to promote the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that President Trump is in engaged in a secret war with high-ranking Democratic pedophiles.”
Pre-Thanksgiving rush in Covid era at Phoenix airport: "This is about as crowded as it was before COVID hit," said Ed Westerfield, before boarding a flight to Puerto Vallarta. "This is just jam-packed."
WASHINGTON (AP) — One lied about his knowledge of Russian-hacked emails, another about a Russian real estate deal, a third about dialogue over sanctions with a Russian ambassador.
And there have been other falsehoods too exposes by the special counsel.
Former FBI Dep Dir Andrew McCabe fired about 26 hours before he was eligible to retire w full pension on his birthday. AG Sessions says McCabe lacked candor multiple times when asked about disclosures to media.
Thanks to
@Yamiche
for speaking up after Brokaw’s claim that fear of “brown grandbabies” somehow derives from immigrants not assimilating. Immigrants today are assimilating about the same as Italian & German & Polish immigrants did a hundred yrs ago. Also similar, racism.
This is a story about how political operatives tried to take down a presidential candidate, and ended up just humiliating themselves. by
@SaraMurray
&
@brianstelter
New witness. "Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr. Ford."
The lawyer acknowledged to CNN that Keyser is a lifelong friend of Ford's.
Is this a sign?: Andrew Weissmann seen wearing a tan (egad!) suit to work today, per
#CNNStakeout
team. Mueller is so done, he’s not even bothering with the sartorial requirements anymore.
#andsowewait
.
Giuliani is on Hannity right now touting the now infamous Lester Holt interview on NBC...saying that Trump properly explained during the interview why he fired Comey during the interview with Holt and that his reasoning, as explained in that interview, was lawful.
Manafort has glum look as he quietly says “yes,” to series of questions from judge inc that he is giving up right to appeal, and giving up right to make money from publishing rights for his story.
A reminder that
@joe_palazzolo
& WSJ team have been miles ahead on this story that once may have seemed like a sidebar in this sordid drama but has turned into quite the headache for Pres Trump. Amazing work.
Comey’s most damaging admission following his new book, will haunt FBI for a while.
@ABC
Exclusive: Comey says his assumption Clinton would win was 'a factor' in the email investigation
Trump explains to WSJ why he acted against Brennan today and threatened the same for others:
“I call it the rigged witch hunt, [it] is a sham,” Mr. Trump said in an interview. “And these people led it!”
He added: “So I think it’s something that had to be done.”
"Freedom of speech is the law of the land, and attempts to restrict it must be held to the highest standards of scrutiny — not to the low, subjective standards of offense or discomfort," AG Jeff Sessions writes in a USA Today op-ed
via
@usatoday
Gowdy’s Benghazi Cmte begat the Clinton homebrew server scandal, an FBI investigation, Comey’s Hillary scolding and arguably helped propel Trump to WH. He has that to show for his 7 yrs.
To the nice man on the National Mall who saw me running and yelled “Hey Manu!” & then got his whole family to wave at me… I’m flattered to be confused for Capitol Hill action star
@mkraju
. (I did wave back)
Here’s evidence we are two different people.
Appears the president is making an unusual foray into attacking the current FBI Director. Unlike others at DOJ & FBJ, Wray has largely escaped being targeted in Trump tweets.
....and the Democrat National Committee-The Democrat Party apparatus-has been caught using donor Dollars to Collude with Russian Intelligence to attack a domestic political opponent (me). The FBI has no leadership. The Director is protecting the same gang.....that tried to....
Manhattan US Atty says Michael Cohen "is under criminal investigation" and that its investigation is proceeding "independent from the [Special Counsel's] investigation"
Fairly dry Manafort sentencing memo — you can almost hear the cries of “still no collusion” from the WH. If Weissmann has a narrative on an alleged conspiracy connecting the Russians to Manafort to Trump campaign, he isn’t making it here.
They’ve clashed recently because she cited legal limits that he didn’t want to accept. Nielsen felt the president was pushing for measures that were unlawful.
Saudi crown prince sent 11 messages to top aide who oversaw hit squad in hours around Khashoggi’s murder; MBS in Aug 2017 told associates if they couldn’t persuade Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia, “we could possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia”