Maryland Democrat confessed to taking cash, prosecutors say

A Maryland state senator has confessed to taking cash payments in exchange for conducting official business, federal prosecutors said last week.

State Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks, a Democrat, is scheduled to stand trial in the spring on charges of bribery and obstruction of justice. Oaks has pleaded not guilty.

Oaks’ confession was revealed in a motion that prosecutors filed against a request by Oaks to have the bribery and obstruction charges tried separately, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The next legislative session for Maryland’s general Assembly begins Wednesday. Oaks’ trial is set to begin right after the session concludes.
The Baltimore Sun reported that it was unsuccessful in reaching Oaks or his defense attorney.
Oaks is accused of accepting $15,300 from someone he believed was a “wealthy Texas businessman” but who was working for the FBI, the Sun reported, citing information from prosecutors.
Subsequently, while cooperating with authorities, Oaks reportedly coached an FBI investigation target to “Just say no” when Oaks offered the subject cash as part of the investigation, court documents said.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, also a Democrat, told the Sun last week that Oaks should his day in court before the Legislature considers whether he should leave the state Senate.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, disagreed.
“No question he should be removed from office,” Hogan told the Sun on Friday.

Trump calls Wolff's White House expose 'Fire and Fury' a 'work of fiction'

President Trump on Saturday called the recently released White House expose “Fire and Fury” a “work of fiction” and said that the purported White House interviews with him exist only in the author’s “imagination.”

The president’s comments followed the official release on Friday of Michael Wolff’s book, which questions Trump’s emotional and intellectual competence to run the Oval Office.

Excerpts from Wolff’s book, repeated often in the liberal media, say sources close to the president claim he is forgetful and doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to grasp the complex policy and politics of being president
"I went to the best colleges,” said Trump at Camp David. “I … was a great student, made billions of billions of dollars, was one of the top business people, went into television and for 10 years was a tremendous success as you've probably heard.”

Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

He continued: “Ran for president one time and won. And then I hear this guy who doesn't know me at all, didn't interview me for three hours, his imagination. ….  I consider (the book) a work of fiction.”

....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

In criticizing the book, Trump also slammed his former political strategist Steve Bannon, whose quotes in the book are critical of the president. 

....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

“Just so you know, I didn't have an interview, never in the Oval Office,” Trump continued. “And I did a quick interview with (Wolff) a long time ago having to do with an article. But I don't know this man. Sloppy Steve brought him in. That's why sloppy Steve is looking for a job.”
Earlier in the day, Trump hit back at the suggestions and accusations about his intellect and emotional state by tweeting, “my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
“Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....” he wrote in one tweet.
Trump continued minutes later: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....”
Trump ended with: “....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!”
On Friday, Trump called Wolff “a total loser” when he retweeted a parody cover of the book that the Republican Party had tweeted earlier Friday.
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” he wrote.
Wolff wrote the book over 18 months, in which he claims to have spoken with more than 200 people. He said he had access to top officials inside the Trump administration, including the president, according to an interview Thursday with the Hollywood Reporter that details the backstory to the book's publishing.

Bannon Cartoons

Trump backs Sen. Paul's plan to fund infrastructure projects with suspended aid to Pakistan

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says he plans to introduce a bill to fund domestic infrastructure projects using suspended foreign aid to Pakistan.  (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump on Friday evening issued support for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's proposal to fund infrastructure projects in the U.S. with foreign aid halted from going to Pakistan.

"Good idea Rand!" came the president's response.

In a tweet Thursday, Rand, a Kentucky Republican, said he planned to introduce his proposal soon.
"My bill will take the money that would have gone to Pakistan and put it in an infrastructure fund to build roads and bridges here at home," the senator tweeted.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced plans to end up to $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan. The reasoni: The U.S. State Department contended that Pakistan had failed to take "decisive action" against Taliban militants targeting U.S. personnel in neighboring Afghanistan.
The figure represents about $1 billion in planned military assistance, including $255 million that was placed on hold in August, and about $900 million in Coalition Support Funds inteded to reimburse Pakistan for counterterrorism operations.
Earlier in the week, President Trump contended that the U.S. had “foolishly” given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years and had gotten nothing in return but “lies & deceit.”
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused Pakistan of playing a double game for years, at times working with the U.S. while harboring terrorists who attack American troops in Afghanistan.
“That game is not acceptable in this administration. We expect far more cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against terrorism,” she said.
But officials in Pakistan expressed disappointment with the U.S. plans, sayingthe suspension of aid would be detrimental to bilateral relations. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry asseted that the country had spent more than $120 billion of its own funds on the war on terror in recent years.
It contended that Pakistan's cooperation with the U.S. had helped "decimate" Al Qaeda and drive other militant groups away from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.
"Arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing common threats," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
The United States is currently holding up more than $200 million in foreign aid to Pakistan. A senior U.S. administration official emphasized the money could potentially still be available if Pakistan were to change course.
But Paul went a step further Thursday, arguing that Pakistan has been of little use in the war on terrorism, and proposed cutting off aid to Pakistan altogether.
“We’ve sent Pakistan $33 billion since 2002. What did we get for it? Well Pakistan didn’t even help us find Bin Laden, even though he was living in one of their cities for years. Then they jailed the informant who helped us to get Bin Laden. They’ve allowed suspected terrorists to operate in their country. Some say Pakistani intelligence agents actually aid and abet the terrorists. It’s wrong.”
Paul, who said he has been fighting to end aid to Pakistan for years, called Trump’s recent proposal to suspend aid “a breakthrough.”

Trump's corrupt media awards: Why some pundits are angling to win

It's an obvious stunt, a finger in the media's collective eye, and the president's fans will love it.

What's more, Donald Trump will get the press to cover it (which I guess I'm doing right now).

At a time when he's in open warfare with Steve Bannon, when he's under fire for telling Kim Jong-un that he has a bigger nuclear button, the former reality show star is going to turn the tables on an industry that honors good journalism with Pulitzers and Emmys.
As the president tweeted:
"I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o'clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!"
But will the stories that are recognized be "fake" or just unfavorable to the White House? Does anyone doubt that such constant Trump targets as CNN and the New York Times will be among the "winners"?
Or that the recipients—except in cases where they've had to retract admittedly false stories—will wear an award as a badge of honor?
In fact, Stephen Colbert, the most anti-Trump of the anti-Trump late-night comics, is angling for a prize. He bought a Times Square billboard that says, in Oscars style, "For Your Consideration"—listing funny reasons why he should be honored. These include "Outstanding Achievement In Parroting George Soros' Talking Points" and "Least Breitbarty."
"Nothing gives you more credibility in the biz than Donald Trump calling you a liar," the "Late Show" host told his CBS viewers.
Trevor Noah's "Daily Show" also has a for-your-consideration graphic on its Twitter feed.
I don't think this wins the president a single vote or advances his agenda a single inch. It's more like that wrestling video in which Trump body-slams a guy with a CNN head--something that will excite his base, which already distrusts the press and loves the president’s media-bashing.
Trump thinks about his presidency as an hour-by-hour exercise in programming, which is clear from his Twitter feed and the way he drives the coverage to new topics—say, NFL protestors—when he wants to change the story line. Trump's media dishonesty awards will probably be a blip, but he'll undoubtedly enjoy every minute of coverage they generate.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz. 

GOP senators refer Trump dossier author for federal investigation

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, seen at left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recommended the DOJ and FBI investigate the author of the anti-Trump dossier.  (Reuters)

Two top Republican senators have formally recommended that the Justice Department and FBI investigate the author of the controversial anti-Trump “dossier,” in the first known criminal referral from Congress as part of lawmakers’ Russia probes.  

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made the referral in a Jan. 4-dated letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The move ramps up congressional Republicans’ investigation of the salacious document and those involved in creating it, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to probe Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

INSIDE THE TRUMP DOSSIER HANDOFF: MCCAIN'S 'GO-BETWEEN' SPEAKS OUT

'I don’t take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation.'

The dossier was authored by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, who was hired by opposition research firm Fusion GPS. In their brief letter, the GOP lawmakers cited potential violations for false statements “the Committee has reason to believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained in the dossier.”
They cited Steele's communications with “multiple U.S. news outlets.”
“I don’t take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation. But, as I would with any credible evidence of a crime unearthed in the course of our investigations, I feel obliged to pass that information along to the Justice Department for appropriate review,” Grassley said in a statement.
Their letter cited potential violations of a section of the criminal code pertaining to making false statements or concealing facts. A committee tweet said investigators had reviewed material that revealed "significant inconsistencies in statements provided to authorities."
In a written statement, Graham went a step further and said he believes a special counsel should review the matter, given "how Mr. Steele conducted himself in distributing information contained in the dossier and how many stop signs the DOJ ignored in its use of the dossier."
GRASSLEY PUSHES FUSION GPS FOUNDERS TO TESTIFY IN PUBLIC
The committee has been probing the dossier’s origin for months.
Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson met with the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee behind closed doors for 10 hours in August. At the time, a Fusion GPS lawyer said Simpson “cleared the record on many matters of interest.”

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was asked to consider an investigation of the Trump dossier author.  (AP)

But tensions flared this week when GPS founders Simpson and Peter Fritsch accused congressional Republicans in a New York Times op-ed of refusing to release testimony to the public, and leaking certain details to friendly outlets.
Grassley responded by saying an invitation for the research company to testify in public remains “on the table.”
The New York Times first reported on Grassley and Graham’s referral on Friday.
The Times reported that the senators claim Steele may have lied to federal authorities specifically about his contacts with reporters regarding the dossier contents. The Times said the referral is likely based on newly obtained reports of Steele's meetings with the FBI.
Democrats fired back at the senators’ move. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement: “Sadly, the first major action taken by the Republican majority on the Judiciary Committee seems to be aimed at someone who reported wrongdoing, rather than committed it.”
The unverified dossier was first published by BuzzFeed News in January 2017.
Republicans have been investigating whether the dossier fueled the original Russia probe and helped justify surveillance on Trump associates. They were emboldened after the revelation that the project got funding from the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.

Trump retweets 'Fire and Fury' parody cover, slams Wolff, Bannon

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday evening to once again take shots at "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff -- and former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump retweeted a parody cover of the book that the Republican Party had tweeted earlier Friday, and used it as a springboard for his latest criticisms -- calling Wolff “a total loser” and saying Bannon "cried when he got fired" and has been "dumped like a dog by almost everyone" since leaving the White House in August.

The GOP's parody cover retitles the book "Liar and Phony," and surrounds a photo of Wolff with blurbs from actual reviews of his much-criticized White House exposé.
"He gets basic details wrong," a New York Times writer says about Wolff.
"Real factual errors ... makes you wonder about the overall content," notes a CNN reporter.

Video

White House tries to stop publication of 'Fire and Fury'

Then there's the full content of Trump's tweet:
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!”

Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

Tweets unleashed
In recent days Trump has unleashed a series of tweets attacking Wolff and the content of “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” which went on sale Friday.
Trump has also targeted Bannon, whose trash-talking of the president and his family have sparked the media frenzy surounding the book's release.
For example, the book quotes Bannon dismissing Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump: “She became a White House staffer and that’s when people suddenly realized she’s as dumb as a brick.”
The book's Friday release was moved up from its original Jan. 9 release date, in part because of the swirl of publicity and also because Trump's legal team has demanded that the publication and release be halted.
In addition, the date was pushed up “due to unprecedented demand,” a spokesman for publisher Henry Holt and Company told Fox News in an email.
Earlier Friday, Trump claimed the book was merely a distraction from the investigation into the Trump team's possible collusion with Russia turning out to be a “hoax.”
“Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!” Trump tweeted Friday morning.

Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018

In a tweet Thursday, the president attacked Wolff’s credibility, claiming he “authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times),” and that he “never spoke to him for book.”
Wolff fires back
However, Wolff fired back Friday morning during an interview with NBC’s “Today,” insisting that he did speak to the president, and “whether he realized it was an interview or not – it certainly was not off the record.”

Video

Is 'Fire and Fury' fact or fiction?

Wolff claimed he spoke to the president for several hours over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign and after he took office, adding that his “window into Donald Trump is pretty significant.”
The author said he stands by his work.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday dismissed the book as “tabloid gossip” that was laced with “false and fraudulent claims.”

Author Michael Wolff says he stands by the content of his White House book, "Fire and Fury."  (Associated Press)

Among some of the claims in the book, Wolff writes that candidate Trump told his wife Melania there was no way he would win the presidential election, and that the president and first lady spend relatively little time together.
Wolff wrote the book over 18 months, in which he claims to have spoken with more than 200 people. He said he had access to top officials inside the Trump administration, including the president, according to an interview Thursday with the Hollywood Reporter that details the backstory to the book's publishing.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Cartoons

Breitbart should 'consider' ousting Bannon, Sanders says

Breitbart News “should look at and consider” severing ties with its executive chairman, Steve Bannon, over comments that Bannon reportedly made to "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff.

That was White House press secretary Sarah Huckee Sanders' response Thursday when asked about Bannon's controversial remarks on President Donald Trump and his family, which appear in the new book being released Friday.

“I certainly think it’s something they should look at and consider,” Sanders said about whether Breitbart should part ways with Bannon, a former White House political strategist.
The comments attributed to Bannon in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” include his assessment that Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russians in Trump Tower was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”
Bannon also reportedly said that any information received from the Russians on then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be “dump(ed) … down to Breitbart or something like that, or maybe some other more legitimate publication.”
After Bannon's comments went public, Trump slammed his former staffer Wednesday, saying Bannon had “lost his mind” since leaving his White House job in August.
Trump’s lawyers also issued a cease and desist letter, threatening Bannon with “imminent” legal action and saying his comments to Wolff were a violation of a nondisclosure agreement he had signed during the campaign.
Meanwhile, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci slammed Bannon for attacking Trump Jr. -- and suggested Bannon should seek help from mental health professionals.
“Donald J. Trump Jr. is a very honest person, he’s an American patriot, and to call him treasonous, you got something wrong with you, pal,” Scaramucci said during a television interview on Thursday, according to the Washington Times. “You gotta get back to your therapist, OK? And get back on the air, and take it back.”
The growing pressure on Bannon reached its peak after Republican mega-donor Rebekah Mercer – who funds Breitbart – openly rebuked Bannon, saying the Mercer family does not “support his recent actions and statements.
"I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Mercer said in a statement provided to the Washington Post. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements."
Mercer also reportedly called Trump on Thursday afternoon, reiterating privately her family’s continuing support for the administration, the Daily Beast reported.
Bannon, despite the condemnations, said Trump is a “great man” during a Breitbart radio appearance Wednesday.
“You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump miracle speech or on the show or on the website,” he said.

JFK's nephew says Emanuel has plan to force black people out of Chicago

In a war of words between heavyweight names in the national Democratic establishment, a Kennedy running for governor has slammed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his alleged complicity in a gentrification plan that critics say is forcing African-Americans and other minorities out of the country’s third-largest city.

“I believe that black people are being pushed out of Chicago intentionally by a strategy that involves disinvestment in communities being implemented by the city administration,” said Chris Kennedy, who is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination ahead of a March 20 primary. “I believe Rahm Emanuel is the head of the city administration and therefore needs to be held responsible for those outcomes,” Kennedy said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“This is involuntary. That we’re cutting off funding for schools, cutting off funding for police, allowing people to be forced to live in food deserts, closing hospitals, closing access to mental health facilities. What choice do people have but to move, to leave?” Kennedy was quoted as saying. “And I think that’s part of a strategic gentrification plan being implemented by the city of Chicago to push people of color out of the city. The city is becoming smaller, and as it becomes smaller, it’s become whiter.”

Chicago's Rahm Emanuel, left, was criticized by Chris Kennedy, who is running for the state's gubernatorial nomination.

Kennedy, the son of late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is hoping to appeal to African-American voters in a primary challenge against Chicago businessman J.B. Pritzker. The Kennedy name still carries resonance among older African-American voters in Chicago due to the role the Massachusetts political family played in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

More on this...

Kennedy, who moved to Illinois after graduating college in 1986, is the head of the family investment firm, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, and is a member of the mutual fund board of trustees for Chicago-based Ariel Investments. While this is Kennedy’s first run at elected office, he worked on his uncle U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's bid for the 1980 Democratic Party's nomination for president, and hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama during his bid for the U.S. Senate in 2004.
The Obama Foundation did not respond to Fox News's request for comment.
Emanuel’s office responded to Kennedy’s criticism by associating him with two Republican politicians who have little support in the Democratic stronghold of Chicago: President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel takes questions from press.  (AP)

“It’s sad to see Chris Kennedy joining President Trump and Gov. Rauner in using cynical, politically motivated attacks about Chicago’s communities for his own personal gain,” Emanuel spokesman Matt McGrath said in a statement. “His divisive comments today are a direct assault on one of this city’s greatest strengths — our diversity.”
Emanuel, the one-time White House chief of staff to former President Barack Obama, came into office in 2011 amid high hopes. But his tenure as mayor has been plagued by a series of scandals, and a soaring homicide rate. While Emanuel’s approval rating has improved recently – hovering around 50 percent – he has become a frequent target of President Trump’s critiques of “inner city” crime.
The attacks from Trump are expected, but such harsh criticism by Kennedy was not expected. According to McGrath, Kennedy has “ignored work being done in neighborhoods across the city” to “improve the quality of life for everyone who calls Chicago home.”
In a statement to the Tribune, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Kennedy was out of touch with the city’s efforts to reduce violent crime.
“I’ve never heard from Chris Kennedy. I’ve never even met him. He’s never visited a police station or asked me or my team for any kind of briefing on what we are doing in Chicago to address the gang violence and ongoing infusion of illegal guns on our streets,” Johnson said. “I’m not a politician, but I do take issue with the hard work our men and women are doing to beat back this violence is used to score political points.”
Despite the Kennedy name, the candidate has struggled to raise campaign funds, and lacks the backing of the state’s Democratic establishment. Despite this, he has recently ramped up his criticisms of fellow Democrats besides Emanuel. He called for the ouster of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the county’s Democratic chairman, after an investigation found that his office’s assessments had so many errors and favored owners of expensive commercial properties.