I reported in Feb. 2020 that Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), then-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, privately warned Johnson that his Biden investigations were aiding Russian disinformation efforts
Johnson and other Trump allies on the Hill were sent packets of documents about the Bidens by Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian pol whom the U.S. has called a Russian agent.
Graham sticks up for Kerry: “I don’t know if we should trust that tape or not. If it’s true, it’s very damaging. I like John Kerry, but that would not be helpful & it would be very problematic if it were true. But let’s wait and see how authentic this is.” politico.com/news/2021/04/2…
If Zarif’s accounting is accurate, it would not be the first time that a top American official revealed classified information to a foreign adversary. In 2017, Trump reportedly discussed Israeli intelligence information during an Oval Office meeting with top Russian officials.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) calls for John Kerry’s resignation from the National Security Council. Sullivan says this is the first time he has called for a resignation.
Sullivan says Kerry is “arrogantly killing American jobs ... in the name of climate goals.”
On the Senate floor, Sullivan is now referencing the leaked tape of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif saying Kerry told him about covert Israeli operations against Iranian assets in Syria.
New: McConnell talks with @politico about the unfinished business of his 36-year Senate career — a longtime fascination with Myanmar so vital to his identity that after the recent military coup, Biden coordinated the U.S. response with him.
McConnell’s interest in Myanmar & friendship w/ Suu Kyi fly under the radar but it’s a defining aspect of a legacy he’s already cemented on judges & more.
The coup has elevated his role & influence even as he runs point on the opposition to Biden’s agenda politico.com/news/2021/04/1…
“On the domestic front, I have not yet witnessed something that I’ve been happy about,” McConnell told me. “But in this area, I think their instincts are good. I think they’re trying to do the right thing.”
He hasn’t spoken w/ his longtime friend Aung San Suu Kyi since the coup.
New: House moving to repeal 2002 Iraq war authorization today w/ bipartisan support. It’s the lowest-hanging fruit for proponents of reform, who now have an amenable White House & pure momentum on her side.
Even if Congress can repeal the Iraq AUMFs, crafting a replacement for the 2001 authorization will be a gargantuan task, w/ its unique complexities & the wide array of factions competing for influence.
Senators are skeptical of Biden’s openness to a new AUMF vote.
Cardin: “We have found a consistency among administrations not to be terribly cooperative in limiting their powers. Without the help of the Biden administration, it’s going to be challenging.” politico.com/news/2021/03/2…
“I would be thrilled to lift the holds on the State Department nominees today if they would only follow the law and issue an interim report identifying all of the companies subject to mandatory sanctions.” politico.com/news/2021/03/1…
“What I would like to see is the administration act expeditiously to stop the remaining section of the pipeline,” Sen. Shaheen (D-N.H.) told me.
But with 90% of it done, the worst outcome would be imposing tough sanctions only to see it finalized anyway.
New: Biden is under growing pressure from hawkish Republicans to use the 2022 Winter Olympics to punish the Chinese government over its human rights abuses.
But even within the GOP, there’s disagreement over how far to push.
Some are pushing for an all-out boycott, but most worry it could backfire. A boycott only punishes the athletes, they say, and Biden should instead press IOC to move the games elsewhere.
At this late stage that’d be tough to pull off, @marcorubio told me