ObamaCare Battle: Pro-Trump group previewing attack ads on GOP Senator Heller

The pro-Trump super PAC that vowed an ad campaign against Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller within hours of him on Friday opposing the GOP’s ObamaCare overhaul bill previewed its attack Saturday on social media.
“Why did @SenDeanHeller lie to voters about #RepealAndReplace? He’s now with @NancyPelosi. NOT GOOD! #HellerVotesYes,” tweeted America First Policies, run by former President Trump and Vice President Pence campaign staffers.
The group has bought $1 million worth of traditional ads (typically TV and radio) and is expected to start running them next week in Nevada, in addition to a digital ad campaign.
Heller is one of five GOP senators opposing the bill. The chamber has 52 GOP senators. Leaders of the GOP-controlled chamber need 51 votes to pass their ObamaCare bill. That means a maximum of two can defect, and that would require Pence to cast the deciding vote in what would be a 50-50 tie with Senate Democrats.
Heller is up for re-election in 2018 and is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP senators.
"Obamacare is collapsing. This is a crisis for the American people. There is no excuse for any Republican or Democrat to oppose the Senate health care bill outright," group President Brian Walsh said Friday. "Senator Heller ... appears to be heading down a path with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and the radical left."
The other GOP senators who oppose the bill are Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas; Ron Johnson, Wisconsin; Mike Lee, Utah; and Rand Paul, Kentucky.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., released the bill Thursday, which awaits a financial analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and a floor vote by as early as next week.
“This bill currently in front of the United States Senate is not the answer.” Heller said Friday. “In this form, I will not support it.”

Chaffetz: Justice watchdog also looking at Lynch's role in FBI's Clinton email probe

Utah GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of House oversight committee, said Saturday that the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office, in addition to a Senate panel, is looking into whether former Attorney General Loretta Lynch tried to squash the FBI’s Hillary Clinton email investigation.
“This is really a pivotal moment,” said Chaffetz on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends," amid three probes into whether President Trump’s presidential team colluded with Russia during the 2016 White House race that have slowed Washington Republicans’ legislative agenda.
Chaffetz said agency Inspector General Michael Horowitz “has been diving into this” and is expected to release a comprehensive report on Lynch and her oversight on the now-closed FBI email investigations in “the first part of next year.”
Horowitz could not be reached Saturday for comment.
The FBI opened and closed two investigations amid the 2016 presidential campaigns on whether Clinton, the Democratic nominee, gave away classified information or broke laws as secretary of State by sending or receiving emails on an unsecured server.
In June 2016, in the heat of the presidential campaign, Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, talked privately to Lynch while their planes were on the tarmac in a Phoenix airport, sparking questions about whether Clinton appealed to her for help.
The issue essentially died when Trump defeated Clinton but resurfaced a few weeks ago when former FBI Director James Comey testified on Capitol Hill that he was uncomfortable with the tarmac meeting.
He said Lynch “directed me not to call it an investigation and call it a matter -- which confused me."
Chaffetz, who is officially resigning next week from Congress, said Saturday the remark “evidently sparked a series of events” for Comey.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a bipartisan announcement, formally asked Lynch and others Friday to respond to allegations of “political interference” in the FBI email probe.
They have until July 6 to comply with the request.
The Senate inquiry was also prompted by news reports that raised questions about whether Lynch tried to stifle the investigation.
Among them is a New York Times story in April that is based in part on a hacked and unconfirmed electronic documents obtained by the FBI in which a Democratic operative expressed confidence Lynch would keep the Clinton probe from going too far.

Turkey’s Erdogan says Arab demands on Qatar unlawful

President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Gulf emirate’s sovereignty.
In his strongest statement of support for Qatar in the nearly three-week-old crisis centered on the Gulf state, Erdogan said the call to withdraw Turkish forces was disrespectful and that Doha – which described the demands as unreasonable – was taking the right approach.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a boycott on June 5 on Qatar and issued 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television, curbing relations with Iran, shutting the Turkish base and paying reparations.
Doha said it was reviewing the list, but said it was not reasonable or actionable.
“We approve and appreciate the attitude of Qatar against the list of 13 demands,” Erdogan, speaking outside a mosque in Istanbul, said. “…This approach of 13 demands is against international law because you cannot attack or intervene in the sovereignty of a country.”
The demands are apparently aimed at dismantling Qatar’s interventionist foreign policy which has incensed conservative Arab peers over its alleged support for Islamists they regard as threats to their dynastic rule.
Both Qatar and Turkey, whose ruling AK Party has its roots in Islamist politics, backed a Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt before it was overthrown in 2013. The Arab states have demanded Qatar cut any links to the Brotherhood and other groups they deem to be terrorist, ideological or sectarian.
Bahrain’s state news agency on Sunday confirmed the demands set out by un-named Gulf officials on Friday, including that Qatar close the Turkish base, end military cooperation with Ankara inside Qatar and stop supporting militant groups.
“The demands aim to achieve regional countries’ stability, stand firmly against foreign interference and stop support for terrorist organizations,” it said.
“NO PULLOUT”
Turkey, the most powerful regional country to stand by Qatar, has sent 100 cargo planes with supplies since its neighbors cut air and sea links. It has also rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha.
Two contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armored vehicles have arrived since the crisis erupted on June 5, and Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that further reinforcements would be beneficial.
“The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security,” he said. “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”
Hurriyet newspaper said last week a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which started on Sunday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.
Erdogan said Turkey had also offered to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia, but never received a clear answer.
“If Saudi Arabia wants us to have base there, a step toward this also can be taken,” he told reporters. “I made this offer to the king himself and they said they will consider this.”
“They did not come back to us since that day and even though they still didn’t come back to us on this, asking Turkey to pull back its troops (from Qatar) is disrespectful against Turkey”.
Speaking outside the Istanbul mosque after prayers marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, Erdogan said he would continue his planned program despite feeling briefly unwell.
“I had a little condition about my blood pressure, related to my diabetes,” he said.

White House to Focus on Energy This Week

June 24, 2017
Washington, D.C.- Emerald Robinson, Political Correspondent
“Energy week” will be the theme this upcoming week for the White House, following on the heels of “tech week” during which President Trump met with Silicon Valley leaders to discuss transforming government technology.
“Energy week” is expected to kick of with an event at the White House on Wednesday that will include many cabinet secretaries. If the Administration remains true to the format of the previous theme weeks, more insight into the President’s intended energy policies can be expected.
Heritage Foundation’s economic expert Steve Moore advised President Trump regarding economic issues during his campaign and feels confident about the future of U.S. energy policy under this administration.
“Energy is huge and Donald Trump is fully on board with that,” said Moore. In addition, he applauded the President for pulling out of the Paris Agreement saying that it “was a shakedown of the United States taxpayer.”
According to Moore, certain policies could result in the United States becoming the energy capital of the world due to its wealth of oil, natural gas, and coal. He added that the U.S. could be selling oil instead of importing it.
It appears that the Administration echoes this view on energy based on the America First Energy Plan detailed on the White House website, which states that the Trump Administration is “committed to clean coal technology” and will “embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans.”

Johnny Depp Cartoons

Just your average spoiled ass Liberal.

Just your average spoiled ass Liberal.

Just your average spoiled ass Liberal.

Just your average spoiled ass Liberal.

Mueller's team have donated to Democrats

Three members of the legal team known to have been hired so far by special counsel Robert Mueller to handle the Russia investigation have given political donations almost exclusively to Democrats, according to a CNN analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

More than half of the more than $56,000 came from just one lawyer and more than half of it was donated before the 2016 election, but two of the lawyers gave the maximum $2,700 donation to Hillary Clinton last year.

Over the weekend, news outlets including CNN identified five attorneys that Mueller has already brought on board to help investigate potential collusion between associates of President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.

The group includes seasoned attorneys who worked on cases ranging from Watergate to the Enron fraud scandal and have represented major American companies in court. While only five attorneys have been publicly identified as working on the Russia probe, there could be more on Mueller's team.

Three of the five lawyers have donations in FEC records. They gave overwhelmingly to Democrats, totaling more than $53,000 since 1988. More than half of the donations came from just one of the lawyers, James Quarles, whom Mueller brought over from his old firm, WilmerHale.

Quarles has given nearly $33,000 to political campaigns over the years. He gave money to Democratic presidential candidates Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In addition, Quarles gave more than $10,000 to help Democrats get elected to the House and another $10,000 on the Senate side, including money to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

But Quarles is also the only lawyer among Mueller's team for which records were available who ever donated to Republicans. He gave $2,500 to Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz in 2015 and gave $250 to then-Sen. George Allen of Virginia in 2005.

Only about 30% of the donations were for elections in 2016. But Quarles and Jeannie Rhee, who also left WilmerHale to work on the Russia probe, gave the maximum contribution of $2,700 to Clinton's campaign last year.

Rhee was the second-largest donor among Mueller's known team. Rhee has donated more than $16,000 since 2008, all to Democrats. She maxed out to the Clinton campaign in 2016 and 2015, totaling $5,400. She also gave a total of $7,300 to Obama's two presidential campaigns. She has already received attention for representing the Clinton Foundation in a racketeering lawsuit brought by a conservative advocacy group, and also represented Clinton herself in a lawsuit seeking access to her private emails.

Mueller, who was appointed to be FBI director by Republican President George W. Bush, also hired Andrew Weissmann to join his team. Weissmann, who led the Enron investigation, previously gave $2,300 to Obama's first presidential campaign in 2008 and $2,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2006, the same year Democrats won control of Congress.

FEC records do not show any donations by Weissman in the 2016 election cycle.

There also are no FEC records for Aaron Zebley, who left WilmerHale to work on the Russia investigation. Zebley once represented former Hillary Clinton aide Justin Cooper, who helped manager her private email server.

Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben has also joined Mueller's team. While there is a Michael Dreeben in the FEC database, who is identified as a deputy solicitor with the Justice Department and who gave $1000 to Hillary Clinton's senate campaign in 2006, a spokesman for Mueller's team told CNN late Monday that that is not the same person.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who endorsed Trump and was on his vice-presidential shortlist, suggested Monday that Mueller's team can't be impartial because of their past donations.

"Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair," Gingrich tweeted, reversing his previous praise for Mueller. "Look who he is hiring. Check FEC reports. Time to rethink."

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel, told senators on Tuesday that he doesn't see any problems with the political donations from some members of Mueller's legal team.

Asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham whether political donations should prevent attorneys from working on the investigation, Rosenstein replied, "no, senator, it is not a disqualification. It is not."

Even with the questions about Mueller's team, former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who led investigations into President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, said he has confidence in the team.

"He has his head down, he's doing his job, he's assembled a fantastic team," Starr said Monday to ABC News. "That is a great, great team of complete professionals, so let's let him do his job."

There aren't any records of political donations from Mueller himself. A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment Monday afternoon about the political donations from his legal team and the criticism some of the team were partisan.

Mueller received near-universal praise since taking over the investigation on May 17. But with the investigation ramping up, Trump's legal team is looking for new ways to go on the offensive. In a TV appearance over the weekend, one of Trump's lawyers wouldn't rule out the possibility of firing Mueller.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the Mueller team spokesman telling CNN that the Dreeben identified in FEC records as a deputy solicitor with the Justice Department who donated to Clinton in 2006 is not the same person working for Mueller.

CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report.

 

Trump says Comey-Mueller friendship 'bothersome'

Fair investigation by Mueller?

Comey-Mueller friendship

President Trump on Friday called the investigation into allegations of Russia collusion and claims he obstructed justice “ridiculous” while saying special counsel Robert Mueller’s friendship with fired FBI Director James Comey “is very bothersome,” during a wide-ranging interview on “Fox & Friends” that also touched on his stalled legislative agenda and the health care debate.
“Robert Mueller is an honorable man and hopefully he’ll come up with an honorable conclusion,” Trump said, though he noted that Mueller and Comey were “very, very good friends” and also criticized the makeup of Mueller’s growing team of attorneys involved in the investigation.
“I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters, some of them worked for Hillary Clinton,” Trump said. “I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth.”
A day earlier, Trump revealed on Twitter that he had not taped conversations between himself and Comey – addressing a question he helped raise in the first place – but on Friday he said his strategy in suggesting possible recordings was all about keeping Comey honest.
NO TAPES: TRUMP SAID HE DIDN'T RECORD COMEY
“When he found out that there may be tapes out there…I think his story may have changed,” Trump said. “I mean you’ll have to take a look at that because then he has to tell what actually happened at the events.”
He added: “[The suggestion] wasn’t very stupid. He did admit that what I said was right and, if you look further back before he heard about that, maybe he wasn’t admitting that.”
Comey had been reluctant to say in public what he later revealed he told Trump three times in private – that the president was not the subject of any FBI investigation. But after Trump’s “tapes” tweet, Comey leaked to The New York Times the contents of highly-detailed memos regarding his one-on-one meetings with Trump, a development that eventually spurred congressional testimony and ultimately led Comey to admit he assured Trump multiple times he wasn’t the subject of a federal probe.
Trump claimed a victory in getting Comey to confess the personal reassurances he’d given him – and also in instigating the testimony during which Comey stunningly revealed he engineered the post-firing leak to The Times.
“There has been no obstruction, there has been no collusion – there has been leaking, by Comey,” Trump said on Friday.
Of course, Comey’s revelations also prompted the eventual appointment of Mueller to oversee the investigation, which reportedly began focusing on if Trump obstructed the Russia investigation by firing Comey on May 9.
GOP SENATORS UNVEIL OBAMACARE OVERHAUL
Turning to the contentious battle to pass a new health care legislation, Trump said the four Republican senators -- Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson -- who on Thursday said they weren't yet ready to vote "yes" for the GOP's Senate bill were "four good guys and four friends of mine." He expressed optimism the quartet would eventually drop their opposition.
"I think we're going to get there, we have four very good people..and we'll see if we can take care of them," Trump said.
The president also stressed how quickly the GOP has been able to send a health care overhaul package to the Senate, even if the process has been messy at times.
"I've done in five months what other people haven't done in years," Trump said.
FOUR KEY REPUBLICANS COME OUT AGAINST GOP HEALTH BILL
And though it appeared the bill would eventually have to pass with little or no Democratic support, Trump expressed hope Democrats would eventually decide to work with Republicans on issues ranging from infrastructure funding to tax reform.
“They are, right now, obstructionists,” Trump said. “All they wanna do is obstruct. I think they’d do much better as a party if they tried to get along with us."
He added: “I think the American public is tired of obstructionists.
“Boy, would the people love to see the two parties getting together and coming up with the perfect health care plan."

Trudeau: Trump does listen, NAFTA will remain

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said that--contrary to public perception-- President Trump does in fact listen to opposing views.
Once the crowd in Toronto stopped laughing, Trudeau continued, "No, I can understand the laughter but there's a lot of politicians who have a deep, vested interest in being right all the time and therefore close themselves off sometimes to facts or evidence or differing opinions."
He continued, “What I’ve found from this president is he will listen to arguments made. He will look at the ensemble of facts and proposals of impacts you put together, and he will be open to shifting his position.”
Perhaps being labeled a politician who "shifts positions" falls short of praise in the U.S., Trudeau appears to show a willingness to engage in meaningful dialog with his southern neighbor.
Trudeau, 45, and former President Obama, 55, got along famously. There was speculation early on in Trump's presidency that he and Trudeau would clash. To be sure, if there is a major international topic, they disagree: trade, immigration and climate.
Trudeau is a liberal who champions free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees. He calls himself a feminist and women make up half his Cabinet.
He made the comments in Toronto at an event co-sponsored by The New York Times.
Perhaps the most important issue facing the two countries are Trump's plans for the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Trump has called the deal "the worst" trade deal in history and threatened to back out. Trump has since agreed to renegotiate.
Trudeau told the audience that he is “100 percent” certain that NAFTA will be in place by 2018.
“NAFTA will remain a hugely important and successful trade deal for both our countries,” Trudeau said.
Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister, said in an interview in February that he believes that Trump and Trudeau will have a fine relationship.
“I know both of them. I know their skills and some of their attributes and their talents,” Mulroney said. “I think they are going to find a lot to be happy about.”