Day 647 of NO EVIDENCE produced by Trump that his phones were tapped by Obama.
The FISA warrant Trump referenced targeted Carter Page. #TrumpLies
Day 437 since the deadliest mass shooting on U.S soil in Las Vegas that killed 58, injuring 546 and Congress has taken NO action to prevent future mass shootings. #NeverForget #NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Wants To Be Remembered For Being 'Transparent And Honest'
huffingtonpost.com/entry/sarah-hu…
FYI: The Trump admin has quietly resumed separating immigrant families at the border.
At one agency, the children were put into temporary foster care and shelters with little or no indication that they arrived at the border with their parents: propub.li/2QcsPvY
Reminder: The Trump administration is systematically locking up thousands of children at unheard of rates - now more than 14,000 are in U.S. custody.
The government classifies these children as "unaccompanied"
sfchronicle.com/nation/article…
New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James says she plans to launch sweeping investigations into Trump, his family and "anyone" in his circle who may have violated the law.
"We will use every area of the law to investigate Trump."
nbcnews.to/2EptN1P
NY Atty Gen.-elect Letitia James outlined some probes she intends to pursue:
* Illegalities involving Trump's NY real estate holdings
* June 2016 Trump Tower meeting
* Government subsidies Trump received
* Violation of the emoluments clause
* Probe the Trump Foundation
Michael Cohen arrived this morning at court for sentencing. Via CNN.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos: "Collectively the charges portray a pattern of deception of brazenness and greed."
"Mr. Cohen has eroded faith in the electoral process and compromised the rule of law."
bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
Cohen, speaking in court: "I take
full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to: the personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United States of America."
“It was my blind loyalty to this man that led me to take a path of darkness instead of light. I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.” -- Michael Cohen
The judge notes that Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to a "veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct" motivated by "personal greed and ambition."
Judge Pauley says Cohen's crimes require "specific deterrence."
bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
"Mr. Cohen's crimes implicate a far more insidious crime to our democratic institutions especially in view of his subsequent plea to making false statements to Congress," Judge Pauley said.
"Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass."
bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
Pauley says that he cannot agree that prison time is unwarranted.
"While Mr. Cohen was taking steps to mitigate his criminal conduct by pleading guilty and volunteering useful information to prosecutors, that does not wipe the slate clean."
bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
Michael Cohen has been sentenced to 36 months, or 3 years, in prison.
Cohen also hit with forfeiture of $500,000, restitution of $1.4 million and a fine of $50,000, according to Bloomberg. bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
Judge Pauley says he will allow Cohen to voluntarily surrender on March 6. bloomberg.com/news/live-blog…
Michael Avenatti: "This nation owes a sense of gratitude to my client Stormy Daniels."
MICHAEL COHEN will "state publicly all he knows about Mr. Trump" after MUELLER completes his investigation, @LannyDavis suggests.
Michael Cohen shared false testimony with the White House before he submitted it to Congress —so it’s possible Trump was aware that Cohen would make false statements, Cohen’s lawyer says on @BloombergRadio.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Felonious Trump associates:
• Personal lawyer (sentenced to 3y)
• Campaign Mgr (in custody awaiting sentence)
• Deputy Campaign Mgr (cooperating while awaiting sentence)
• National Security Advisor (to be sentenced next week)
• Foreign Policy Advisor (served 14d)
The U.S. Attorney's Office has announced that it previously reached a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, the publisher of the National Enquirer.
"AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign." justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/m…
"AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election." justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/m…
The agreement acknowledges "AMI's acceptance of responsibility ... and its agreement to provide cooperation in the future and implement specific improvements to its internal compliance to prevent future violations."
justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/m…
Federal prosecutors in NY have now tied an illegal payment directly to the Trump campaign
“AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.”
Dianne Feinstein on the AMI cooperation with SDNY: "Evidence continues to build that President Trump directed a violation of campaign finance law to affect the presidential election. These are serious, criminal allegations and they demand further scrutiny from Congress."
Nicolle Wallace spoke with a Trump ally, who told her this: "The entire question about whether [Trump] committed an impeachable offense now hinges on the testimony of two men: David Pecker and Allen Weisselberg, both cooperating witnesses in the SDNY investigation." @MSNBC
Pompeo says Saudis have already "paid the price" for Khashoggi's murder thebea.st/2ErHJZd
Asked at least 3 times on Fox if he believes the Saudi Crown Prince's denial around Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Sec of State Mike Pompeo does not answer.
@morningmika responds to Mike Pompeo downplaying Saudi Arabia murdering dissident journalist and US resident Khashoggi by asking, "are the pathetic deflections that we just heard -- is that a patriot speaking? Or a wannabe dictator's butt boy?"
Brzezinski apologizes after backlash over homophobic remark about Pompeo hill.cm/22phHGG
CIA chief Haspel briefs House lawmakers on Khashoggi killing hill.cm/G323h9Y
A bipartisan group of senators made clear tonight they'll push Menendez-Young legislation imposing sanctions on individuals responsible for murder of Khashoggi while also suspending arm sales with Saudi Arabia.
But acknowledged that it was unlikely to move this Congress.
Reminder: This was not US taxpayer funds. It was Iran’s money frozen overseas.
Moreover, Trump always uses too high an estimate, $150 billion. The Treasury Department estimated that once Iran fulfilled other obligations, it would have about $55 billion left.
The Central Bank of Iran said the number was actually $32 billion.
"Pelosi could give a graduate school course in handling an ignorant, irrational blowhard. It all starts with holding him accountable for his falsehoods."
@JRubinBlogger grades Pelosi properly. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/…
Asked if he had seen the Trump-Pelosi-Schumer exchange on television, Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, said, "I did, unfortunately. I wish I didn't."
thehill.com/homenews/senat…
Chris Coons on CNN: "The only person who's been publicly saying that he would be proud to shut down the government is Trump, and that would be a striking last gasp of the government with Republicans in control of both the Senate and the House and the White House."
Trump blasts Mueller’s team for political donations. But William Barr, the nominee for attorney general, has given more than $500,000.
washingtonpost.com/investigations…
For years, the Romanian Consulate in Chicago held its national day celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center.
This year, they chose the Trump Hotel.
"It raises the question about whether the [location] was switched to try to curry favor."
wapo.st/2rzCoX8?tid=ss…
While TRUMP was facing mounting pressure from prosecutors, @RUDYGIULIANI was in Bahrain on Tues, meeting with the King & other officials in an effort to win a lucrative security consulting contract. He is also pursuing work in Africa & South America nytimes.com/2018/12/12/us/…
PHOTO: @RUDYGIULIANI meeting with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain on Tuesday, during a trip Rudy & his associates took to try to win a security contract from the Kingdom that could pay Rudy's firm millions of dollars.
Here's @RUDYGIULIANI meeting with Bahrain's Interior Minister, police chief & ambassador to the US, along with former @WHNSC official KIRSTEN FONTENROSE (who oversaw TRUMP's Middle East policy) & lobbyist ROBERT STRYK, who arranged the trip.
One more of RUDY & Bahrain's foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Most of these photos were published by Bahrain's state news agency @bna_en, which described Rudy as leading a “high-level U.S. delegation.”
#AmericaFirst
Disgraced Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy tried to use GOP and White House contacts to score “billions” in Africa. motherjones.com/politics/2018/…
Armed Services Chair James Inhofe bought 50k-100k in Raytheon stock days after pushing for record Pentagon budget.
@lachlan asked his office about it today. He dropped the stock soon thereafter. thedailybeast.com/sen-james-inho…
This administration isn't draining the swamp. They're swamping the drain.
I'd say the corruption cup is overfloweth!
NBC’s @HansNichols just mentioned that Trump has not yet come to work. He’s likely been watching TV in the residence all morning.
Update: Trump rolled into the office around noon.
Collin Peterson, one of the 5 Dems who voted to block a vote on Yemen, says he doesn't know "a damn thing" about the war there.
Reminder: 85,000 children have died from starvation as a result of this war, 17 million Yemeni at risk of malnutrition.
huffingtonpost.com/entry/house-de…
The Trump administration has decided that Vietnamese migrants who arrived before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Vietnam are subject to standard immigration law—meaning they are all eligible for deportation.
on.theatln.tc/gH9M378
Rick Santorum: Not interested White House Chief of Staff role
Meadows out of the running for WH Chief of Staff, per our @JDiamond1
Newt Gingrich spotted today at the White House.
Is he interviewing for chief of staff?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nancy Pelosi says she'll serve no more than four years as speaker, all but ensuring she'll be elected to post in January.
In case you missed yesterday's thread:
Hannity: “What’s been the hardest thing that you have to deal with?”
Melania Trump: “I would say the opportunists who are using my name or my family name to advance themselves—from comedians, to journalists, to performers, book writers.”
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission voted to recommend allowing teachers to carry guns on campus to stop future shootings.
Are you kidding me?!?
huffp.st/fGwTqdD