“The federal prosecutor appointed by [AG] Barr to review whether Obama-era officials improperly requested the identities of individuals whose names were redacted in intelligence documents has completed his work without finding any substantive wrongdoing, ... .
“The revelation that U.S. Attorney John Bash, who left the department last week, had concluded his review without criminal charges or any public report will rankle President Trump at a moment when he is particularly upset at the Justice Department.
“The department has so far declined to release the results of Bash’s work, though people familiar with his findings say they would likely disappoint conservatives who have tried to paint the ‘unmasking’ of names …
“— a common practice in government to help understand classified documents — as a political conspiracy.”
As you’d expect, trump is taking the news well.
“The president in recent days has pressed federal law enforcement to move against his political adversaries …
“and complained that a different prosecutor tapped by Barr to investigate the FBI’s 2016 investigation of his campaign will not be issuing any public findings before the election.”
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
“Seeking an 11th-hour campaign reset, Trump has apparently decided that the key to reversing his political fortunes is for him to be everywhere, all the time—on the debate stage, on television, online—until November 3.
“What he seems unable or unwilling to see, though, is that this over-saturation only seems to make the stability and normalcy Biden represents more attractive.
“‘He’s just so angry all the time,’ a Michigan woman said of Trump in a Politico dispatch Wednesday on his worsening poll numbers in the swing state. ‘I really believe that he brings out the worst in people, the worst in situations.’”
“The president's all-out blitz to save his campaign seems to be sending people right to Joe Biden.” vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/t…
“It may be difficult to recall, but there was a time—not so long ago, in fact—when Donald Trump was not the main character in the 24-hour news cycle day after agonizing day.
“Sure, he’d crop up from time to time on Page Six, or get attention on Fox News for some new birther claim. But until about five years ago, Americans’ daily lives didn’t revolve entirely around the outrages and neuroses of a deranged former game show host.
Are there any GOP politicians or campaign operatives with any sense at all? Haven’t they figured out trump is a one trick pony and an absolute political idiot?
“Less than three weeks before Election Day, President Trump’s lack of a consistent and coherent closing argument is alarming some Republicans, raising fears among his allies that his undisciplined approach to campaigning could render him a one-term president.
“In the final stretch of the race, a trio of long-standing challenges have converged to create a daunting barrier to Trump’s reelection:
Tuesday’s massive turnout should be good news for Democrats, but there are lots of fired up Republicans, too. We’ve got to bring this home, folks. This is our year to turn Texas blue and send trump and Cornyn into retirement.
Early voting runs from October 13 to October 30. Dates and times vary by county. You can call 1-844-TX-VOTES (1-844-898-6837) to find polling places in your county and hours of operation.
“With less than three weeks to go before Nov. 3, more than 14 million Americans have already voted in the fall election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation despite barriers erected by the coronavirus pandemic …
“— and setting a trajectory that could result in the majority of voters casting ballots before Election Day for the first time in U.S. history,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Labor Department announced in a news release Tuesday night that Secretary Eugene Scalia’s wife, Trish, has tested positive for coronavirus,” CNN reports.
“Both Eugene and Trish Scalia attended the Rose Garden event where President Donald Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett was his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.
“They were seated in the second row, directly behind first lady Melania Trump and next to former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway — both of whom would later test positive for Covid-19.” politicalwire.com/2020/10/13/lab…