Rep. Keith Ellison, under fire for Farrakhan ties, claims he hasn't seen the controversial leader since 2013

Republican Rep. Todd Rokita gives the inside story on the resolution he introduced condemning the Nation of Islam leader for 'promoting ideas that create animosity and anger' toward Jewish Americans and the Jewish religion. #Tucker
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said Sunday that he had not met with or spoken to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan since 2013 -- despite the anti-Semitic minister's claim that the congressman visited him in Farrakhan's Washington D.C. suite more recently.
Ellison, the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, wrote in a blog post on Medium that "I do not have and have never had a relationship with Mr. Farrakhan, but I have been in the same room as him." According to Ellison, he and Farrakhan attended the same New York meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani "and nearly 50 others."
NATION OF ISLAM CALLS 3 BLACK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 'SELLOUTS' FOR DENOUNCING FARRAKHAN
Ellison said he used the meeting to push "for the release of an American political prisoner," whom he did not name. The congressman added that he "didn’t know Mr. Farrakhan would be there and did not speak to him at the event."
"Contrary to recent reports, I have not been in any meeting with him since then, and he and I have no communication of any kind," Ellison wrote.
Ellison's article contradicts claims made by Farrakhan in an interview published on the minister's Facebook page in December 2016. At the time, Farrakhan told interviewer Munir Muhammad that Ellison and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., "visited my suite and we sat down talking like you and I are talking."
Farrakhan did not specify when the meeting with Ellison and Carson took place. The Indianapolis Star reported that Carson met with Farrakhan in 2015. The Washington Post reported that Carson had met with Farrakhan in 2016 "to discuss critical issues that are important to my constituents and all Americans."
GOP RESOLUTION CONDEMNING FARRAKHAN PUTS PRESSURE ON DEMS
A spokeswoman for Carson did not immediately respond to questions from Fox News about the meeting, including when it took place, whether Carson and Ellison met with Farrakhan together or separately, and whether Ellison's article was true or false.
Farrakhan drew backlash after a speech in Chicago last month, when he said such things as “powerful Jews are my enemy” and “the Jews were responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men.” Afterwards, the conservative publication The Daily Caller reported that seven congressional lawmakers – all Democrats and all part of the Black Caucus, including Ellison -- had current or past ties to the minister.
Ellison also disavowed what he called Farrakhan's "intolerant and divisive language" toward Jewish people.
"I believe my long record of fighting and condemning all prejudice, including anti-Semitism from whatever source, should speak for itself," he wrote. "But those who aim to make me guilty by false association have made themselves hard to ignore."
In the 2016 Facebook video, Farrakhan critized Ellison for distancing himself from Farrakhan when he ran for Congress and when he sought the chairmanship of the DNC following the 2016 election.
"If [Ellison] has to bash me in order to get a job, help yourself, brother," Farrakhan said. "Say whatever you think will get you your DNC job. But you have not diminished me one atom’s weight. What he’s done is diminished himself. He cannot say that he didn’t follow me at one time … He cannot say that we did anything to harm him or his aspiration."

Trade Deficit Cartoons

Pres. Trump Expected To Announce Tariffs On Imports From China

In this March 6, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Reports suggest the President wants to target nearly $60 billion in Chinese products, and push China to reduce the trade deficit by $100 billion
Incoming director of the White House National Economic Council Larry Kudlow said China needs a ‘tough response’ from the U.S. and its allies.
China – the largest source of the trade imbalance – is expected to respond to tariffs with higher import taxes on U.S. goods.

'We're Not an Environment for Snowflakes': College President Praises Trump

The president of a Missouri college and a member of his staff who sat at a roundtable with the Commander-In-Chief praised President Trump for his tax plan.
Jerry Davis of College of the Ozarks near Branson said he noticed that many American businesses were passing their tax savings to their employees.
"We want to be a part of that and be a good example," he said.
Davis said the College of the Ozarks is a "work college" where students are simultaneously employed while at school, and normally do not graduate with debt.

Bonnie Brazzeal: “It was an amazing experience, I never dreamed that I would meet [President @realDonaldTrump] and personally thank him for the bonus… He really cares for the American people.” pic.twitter.com/lJNbx8bP8T

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 17, 2018

"[The bonuses] are especially appropriate because [we] are a work college," he said. "We're certainly not an environment for snowflakes."
Cafeteria worker Bonnie Brazzeal said each employee received $204 in bonuses.
Rachel Campos-Duffy asked Brazzeal about her emotional reaction during the roundtable with Trump and Boeing aerospace manufacturing executives.
Brazzeal said it was "an amazing experience" to meet the president and be able to thank him in person for the money, which she said she deposited in her retirement fund.

Trump team zeroes in on FBI, Russia probe in wake of ex-Deputy Director McCabe's firing

President Trump escalated his criticism of the FBI and the Russia probe on Saturday, alleging “tremendous leaking, lying and corruption” from the bureau and other agencies and taking shots at fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and ex-Director James Comey.
The result: an equally fiery response from former intelligence officials.
McCabe was fired late Friday after an internal investigation found that he made an unauthorized leak to the media and “lacked candor” when speaking to investigators under oath. His firing came just days before he would have been eligible for a lifetime pension.

Sources told Fox News that the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility made the recommendation to fire McCabe. Sessions had the option to either accept the recommendation, or step in to stop the firing process.
President Trump quickly ramped up the the rhetoric over the termination, calling it a “great day for Democracy!"
He also skewered both McCabe and Comey, whom he accused of being sanctimonious and knowing “all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!”
On Saturday he followed up, saying that McCabe was “caught, called out and fired” and made reference to the funding of McCabe’s wife’s 2015 senatorial bid by a political action committee of then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe -- a close Hillary Clinton ally.
“How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!” the president tweeted.
The FBI has said McCabe received the necessary ethics approval about his wife's candidacy and was not supervising the Clinton investigation at the time.
On another front, Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, issued a statement Saturday morning calling on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, to shut down the probe. His statement also took a swipe at Comey, who was fired by Trump back in May 2017.
“I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier,” he said in a statement to Fox News.
“Just end it on the merits in light of recent revelations,” he added.
While Dowd subsequently clarified that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not expressing Trump’s views, Trump appeared to give implicit support to the lawyer's thinking when he said that the House Intelligence Committee had concluded there was “no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign” (In fact, only Republicans on the committee had reached that conclusion, the top Democrat on the committee, Adam Schiff noted in his own tweet on Saturday.)
“As many are now finding out, however, there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State,” Trump continued.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, told Fox News that Dowd's remarks seem like a new phase in the Trump team's attitude toward the Mueller probe.
"It also seems important that the timing coincides with McCabe’s firing, so we can probably expect that there will be increasing pressure on [Rosenstein] to end the Mueller inquiry, although McCabe’s actions were only tangentially related to Mueller’s work," he said.
FBI officials reacted angrily to the firing. McCabe described the termination  as part of an “ongoing war” against the FBI.
"This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally," McCabe said.
"It is part of this Administration’s ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel’s work," he added.
Adding more intrigue, a source close to McCabe told Fox News Saturday that he kept memos memorializing his interactions with Trump, in a way that was very similar to the method Comey used to keep his own memos.
Comey also weighed in, in a Twitter posting that also hinted at his coming tell-all book: “A Higher Loyalty.”
“Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon,” he tweeted. “And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.”
Former CIA Director John Brennan, known for his outspoken criticisms of Trump, also weighed in -- blasting Trump in dramatic and colorful language and promising that “America will triumph over you.”
Democrats quickly backed those officials. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, expressed concern about the state of the FBI investigation itself, saying Dowd’s statement show that the Trump team is looking to  “undermine [Mueller] at every turn."
"The president, the administration, and his legal team must not take any steps to curtail, interfere with, or end the special counsel's investigation or there will be severe consequences from both Democrats and Republicans," Schumer said in a statement.
Jumping into the fray, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on "escalating politicized attacks" on the DOJ and FBI.
“During my four decades in the Senate, I have never before seen our nation’s career, apolitical law enforcement officials so personally and publicly maligned by politicians — indeed, by our President," he said in a statement. "And I have never been so concerned that the walls intended to protect the independence of our dedicated law enforcement professionals, including Special Counsel Mueller, are at risk of crumbling."
While the social media exchanges were especially intense earlier in the day on Saturday, Trump weighed in again on the issues associated with McCabe, and with the Mueller investigation, in the evening hours.
Shortly after 8 p.m. ET, he tweeted: "The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!"

Even after death, Democrat stays 'active' in politics

Former New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne died in January at age 93. A ceremony at Healy's Tavern in Jersey City on Friday was held in his honor.

Admirers of the late New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne recently congregated in Jersey City to honor one of his last wishes: to have his ashes placed in Hudson County so he could “stay active” in politics.
Byrne, a Democrat who died Jan. 4 at age 93, used to joke about the county, long known for its history of political shenanigans -- such as recruiting "voters" from local cemeteries.
"He always had a lot of affection for Hudson County," son Tom Byrne said. "This is a great way to celebrate his life and his sense of humor."
Even a Republican rival -- former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, remembered in part for removing Byrne's name from a state-owned sports arena -- recalled the Democrat fondly after he died.
"While he may be best remembered for his sense of humor and ability to tell a good story, he had a keen intellect and never stopped caring about the issues of the day," Whitman tweeted.
The ceremony at Healy’s Tavern was also attended by another former New Jersey governor, Democrat Jim McGreevy, plus Byrne’s widow, Ruthi, among others.
Byrne's ashes were to stay at Healy's through St. Patrick's Day, McGreevey and others said. Their final resting place was still undecided.
Tom Byrne said the family was considering locations including a state forest that bears Byrne's name, or Liberty State Park in Jersey City, located near the Statue of Liberty.
The park was among the Hudson County waterfront improvements that Byrne -- a Democrat who served two terms after being elected in 1973 -- championed in the 1970s. He also oversaw the advent of casino gambling in Atlantic City and instituted the state's first income tax.
The income tax made him unpopular with many residents, but he still managed to win a second term.

Oakland Mayor Cartoons 2018

Oakland mayor consulted with illegal-immigration activists before tipping off ICE raid

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who sparked national outrage when she undermined a federal immigration raid last month, worked with illegal-immigration activists before she warned the public about the raid-- a move that ICE said led to hundreds of illegals evading detention.
Schaaf took to Twitter to warn the public about the raid, and has stood by her decision despite a number of hardened criminals being caught -- and ICE officials warning that potentially hundreds of other criminals escaped as a consequence of the tipoff.
"It is Oakland’s legal right to be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws," Schaaf said in a statement last month. "We believe our community is safer when families stay together."
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH SEX, ROBBERY CONVICTIONS AMONG THOSE WHO EVADED CAPTURE AFTER DEM MAYOR'S WARNING

Her move sparked anger not just from ICE officials, but also the Trump administration. The Justice Department is currently conducting a review of Schaaf's actions.

“What happened in Oakland was a disgrace to our nation,” President Donald Trump said in California on Tuesday.

KPIX5 reports that Schaaf was in touch with Centro Legal de la Raza just hours before the announcement, giving her information on what employers should do in the case of an ICE raid.

That group, which did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News, is a nonprofit with a focus on providing legal services to those in the country illegally. It also appears to act as an advocacy group for illegal immigrants -- printing an “ICE Activity Hotline” on its website.
'ANGEL FAMILIES' WANT TO SEE OAKLAND MAYOR PROSECUTED FOR THWARTING ICE RAIDS
"Centro Legal has been at the forefront of efforts to curtail unlawful collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities in order to prevent unjust deportations and keep immigrant families together," the group's website says. It does not appear to be affiliated with UnidosUS -- formerly the National Council of La Raza.

According to KPIX5, Schaaf also spoke with a Catholic priest at St. Jarlath’s Church and Emma Paulino at Oakland Community Organizations. Paulino appeared with Schaaf at a press conference warning of the raid.
"It is important for us to understand that sometimes what ICE is doing with these tactics is to try and paralyze our communities," she said.
Paulino told Fox News Friday that the conversations were about assessing whether or not to share the information with the community in the first place, and then how to do so in a way that did not create panic.
"It was about if we should share what we know and how to share that information in a responsible way so to not create panic in the community," she said. "People live in fear already."
KPIX5 reports that the emails also show that the Oakland Indie Alliance, a group of independent businesses, received a message saying, “Important Alert! Credible information ICE Raids in Oakland Sunday 2/25 and Monday 2/26” and, “This information comes directly from the Mayor.”
A spokesman for Schaaf told Fox News that she consulted “with several leaders and groups representing our immigrant community before she made her public comments.”
“She mentioned it in her initial press release and in numerous public statements after; it’s well known that she conferred with several people before making her decision,” he said.

He also said that she did not warn businesses, although added that “it appears those who she consulted with may have shared the information with business owners in an attempt to make sure the owners knew their obligations and responsibilities under state law.”

Families of victims of illegal immigrant crime have expressed their anger at Schaaf’s actions, calling for her to be prosecuted, as have groups which lobby for less migration into the U.S.

“As far as Libby Schaaf is concerned, what she did is nothing short of obstruction of justice,” said Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
“She is not compelled to assist ICE in doing its job, but she certainly has no right to interfere with ICE carrying out its lawful duties," he said. "In our view, the U.S. Department of Justice should look into the matter and prosecute her for obstruction if the circumstances warrant legal action.”
But amid the national controversty, Paulino told Fox News that Schaaf's stance was getting a very positive reception in Oakland.
"People are really supportive of her because she took a stand," she said. "She is serving the people who elected her."

Michael Flynn stumps in California for GOP opponent of Rep. Maxine Waters

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn leaves federal court in Washington, Dec. 1, 2017.  (Associated Press)

Michael Flynn, the disgraced former national security adviser, campaigned for a Republican congressional candidate in California on Friday, making it his first public appearance since pleading guilty to lying to the FBI last December.
The Daily Beast reported Flynn was coming "out of hiding" to endorse Republican Omar Navarro in his challenge against U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, the 14-term Democrat in California’s 43^rd Congressional District.
Flynn reportedly attended a public event in La Quinta, Calif., about 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Navarro lost to Waters by more than 50 percentage points in 2016 in the strongly Democratic district.
Navarro said he and Flynn had been corresponding since meeting at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, the Washington Examiner reported.
At the Friday event, Navarro slammed Waters, called for the president to endorse him and repeated an insult from Trump that Waters has a “low IQ.”
Waters hit back at Navarro and Flynn in a series of tweets, including noting that Navarro was on probation for a criminal conviction of installing a tracking device to his wife’s car.
Flynn’s appearance was the latest sign that he is re-entering political life while still awaiting sentencing and cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
Mueller is also investigating the president’s possible obstruction of justice. As it relates to Flynn, the special counsel’s prosecutors have signaled intentions to interview Trump about his firing of Flynn, his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey and the FBI’s investigation into Flynn.
In February 2017, Flynn resigned under pressure from his role as national security adviser after it was revealed he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian officials.
The retired Army lieutenant general frequently campaigned for Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, leading the Republican National Convention crowd in anti-Hillary Clinton “Lock her up!” chants.
“If I’m paying the price for that decision [to join the Trump campaign], so be it and God can and will judge me at some point,” Flynn said to the crowd Friday.

Some Democrats want Pelosi out now, win or lose House in midterms

Some House Democrats wanted Nancy Pelosi out as their leader after they failed to win a string of 2017 special elections. And now some want the House minority leader out because they appear to have won a special election.
What gives with the paradox? It doesn’t make sense, except that some House Democrats are prepared to move on from Pelosi -- and some aren’t.
“The watch” is on again on Capitol Hill when it comes to Pelosi, how has been the House’s top Democrat for more than a decade.
Democrat Conor Lamb is on track to vanquish Republican Rick Saccone in a historically GOP district in southwest Pennsylvania that President Trump won by nearly 20 points.
Lamb distanced himself from Pelosi and ran as a moderate Democrat. And now Democrats are eager to replicate Lamb’s prototype in their quest to capture the House in November.
Republicans contend Pelosi is radioactive, considering how critics have branded her as a West Coast liberal losing touch with the party base.  And the plan to use the leader to put other moderate Democratic candidates on the spot this year. In other words, will you support Pelosi for House speaker should Democrats win the House? And it’s moderate to conservative Democrats who must win -- in districts Trump carried -- if Democrats are going to have a shot at winning the House.
Pelosi faced a firestorm of criticism in November 2016 after Democrats barely dented the Republican House majority. Democrats gained six seats when they needed 30 to control the House. Few expected Democrats to win the House,  but lots of political handicappers projected an anti-Trump backlash could help Democrats win at least 15 to 20 seats.
They never got close. Some Democrats tore into Pelosi. She drew a challenge for her leadership post from Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio. Pelosi prevailed in the end, but an eye-popping 63 Democrats cast ballots for Ryan.
Ohio Rep. John Boehner in 2015 was forced out as House speaker, the chamber’s leader and top Republican, is a similar intra-caucus revolt.
Pelosi’s weathered the internecine tempest so far. But for how long?
Many political prognosticators suggest a Democratic wave is building this fall. If that’s the case, Democrats will swipe seats from Republicans in rural areas in the Midwest and perhaps the south where Pelosi isn’t popular. Could Democrats follow Lamb’s lead and disavow Pelosi?
That could be a sound electoral tactic. But it could cause a problem for Pelosi in her quest to return to the speaker’s suite.
The question is whether Pelosi could command the votes to again become Speaker.
This could be one of the great political incongruities of all time: Democrats win the House and simultaneously deny Pelosi the right to again clasp the speaker’s gavel. There’s a reason why Democrats were willing to re-elect Pelosi as minority leader for two years, despite 63 defections: give her another shot to lead Democrats out of the wilderness.
It may seem strange to potentially have Pelosi return to the Speakership after an eight-year exodus in the minority. But it’s far from unprecedented for house speakers to have broken service.
The first, Frederick Muhlenberg, of Pennsylvania, served as speaker in two different Congresses, interrupted by Speaker Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. Same with Henry Clay, of Kentucky, who enjoyed three different turns at speaker.
Speaker Thomas Reed, R-Maine, led the House in the 51st Congress, then  again in the 54th and 55th congresses. The best examples of lawmakers returning to the speakership after exile in the minority are Speakers Sam Rayburn, D-Texas, and Joseph Martin, R-Mass. Rayburn became speaker in September 1940.
Martin took the reins in 1947. Rayburn came back in 1949. Martin and the Republicans rallied in 1953. Finally, Rayburn began his last tour as speaker in 1955.
Pelosi keeps close counsel on her future plans. Her confidantes point out it’s against her DNA to bow to pressure or not go without a fight. By the same token, Pelosi is an exceptional vote counter.
She knows how to gauge her caucus and if she has the votes to prevail, accurately predicting she’d get two-thirds of the vote in the Ryan challenge. If Pelosi doesn’t, she will likely exit.
It will boil down to simple mathematics.
Chatter is percolating throughout the Capitol that Pelosi may attempt a cunning departure in an attempt to bolster Democrats in their quest for the House and simultaneously hose Republicans.
House Republican leaders continued making their case this week that votes for Democratic candidates could again elevate Pelosi to speaker.
There’s a theory (and it’s just a theory) that Pelosi could time an exit later this year -- just after Republicans spend millions producing commercials and buying airtime that attempt to link Democratic candidates to her.
Such a scenario could leave Republicans on the hook with lots of outdated ad buys. They will have squandered millions of dollars making a case against someone who is no longer a factor.
Some Republicans may publicly rejoice that that they finally dispatched Pelosi. But sober GOPers know Pelosi taking her leave is bad news for them. It robs Republicans of a foil -- especially if the party is trying to link Democrats to Pelosi.
But these scenarios are just that: scenarios. And few believe Pelosi would bow out early.
Republicans successfully deployed Pelosi against Democrats when they won the House in 2010. Pelosi is certainly radioactive in certain districts. But it’s unclear if the Pelosi maneuver still works.
“This is part of the bankruptcy of the Republican Party,” Pelosi said. “They’re devoid of ideas about how they’re going to meet the needs of the American people. So it’s an ad hominem. They can’t win on the issues. So they go after a person.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley says of the Pelosi attacks: “I think they need to get a new game book. The attempts to use Nancy Pelosi, it’s failing them at this point. And I think, quite frankly, it’s sexist.”
Some quarters on Capitol Hill view Crowley as best situated to succeed Pelosi. Another possibility is her longtime rival, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat.
Ryan repeatedly says he won’t challenge Pelosi again. But he says she must go and that there’s merit in Lamb’s approach.
“Every candidate’s locally got to make that determination as to how in their own heart, how they feel about Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., fits into their own agenda and their own election and how their people feel locally,” Ryan said.
Did Lamb’s distance from Pelosi make a difference in the race?
“I don’t think that your opponent should choose your party’s leaders,” said Pelosi, who’s represented San Francisco since 1986. “They’re coming after me because of my city. And they’re against LGBT and they’re against poor children. That’s been my mantra. The poor children of America, I’m here to support. Yes. I am a liberal.”
It’s those “liberal” credentials that work against Pelosi, even inside her party. Can conservative Democrats support liberal for Speaker again?
Unclear.
Lamb’s possible win may portend good things for Democrats in November. But they likely need to win about 25 seats to retake the House. The precise number is unclear because there are a number of vacancies.
The Lamb-Saccone race still isn’t official, and the district will be redrawn for November. And the death this week of Rep. Louise Slaughter, D.N.Y., has now put that seat in play. So, it’s unknown if Democrats will win the House and face a dilemma over who to elect as speaker.
But Pelosi watch is on again on Capitol Hill.