Trump Administration

Reuters reports: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is set on Tuesday to offer new incentives to Venezuela’s military to turn against President Nicolas Maduro, responding to an attempted uprising that fizzled out last week, a senior administration official told Reuters. Maduro – who has said Guaido is a puppet of Washington – has sought to show that the military remains …

The Washington Post reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday told House Democrats he would not furnish President Trump’s tax returns despite their legal request, the latest move by Trump administration officials to shield the president from congressional investigations. Mnuchin, in a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), said he had consulted with the Justice …

Politico reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Monday accused many in the media of using her name as “clickbait,” telling an audience of journalists that “education is not about Betsy DeVos nor any other individual.” DeVos, speaking at the National Education Writers Association conference in Baltimore, acknowledged she’s not comfortable in the spotlight and never imagined she’d be the focus …

The Hill reports: New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department and IRS, arguing that the agencies have failed to respond to information requests about its guidance reducing donor disclosure requirements for certain tax-exempt groups. “My office depends on these critical donor disclosure forms to be able to adequately oversee non-proofit organizations in …

The Associated Press reports: House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has scheduled a Wednesday vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after the Justice Department declined to provide an unredacted version of the Mueller report to Congress. The vote to hold Barr in contempt marks the first time that House Democrats are moving to punish a Trump …

Politico reports: Donald Trump has finally found an international organization he likes — a highly select club whose members preside over a frozen wasteland atop the world. The Trump administration will throw a spotlight this week on America’s presence in the Arctic, a region the president’s team sees as “an arena of global power and competition,” as Secretary of State …

CNN reports: The United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran, US national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday. A US official with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN the threats were against …

CBS News reports: In April, protesters outside the nation’s largest facility for unaccompanied migrant children noticed a familiar face enter the massive, fenced site in Homestead, Florida: former White House chief of staff John Kelly. Soon after, a local television station recorded footage of him riding on the back of a golf cart as he toured the grounds. It wasn’t …

The Hill reports: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass), a 2020 presidential candidate, on Friday said he thinks that Attorney General William Barr should face impeachment hearings after Democrats say he misled Congress about Robert Mueller’s view of his summary of the special counsel investigation’s findings. He clarified that he didn’t think it was the right time to hold a vote on …

CNN reports: The Trump administration is looking for ways to financially bolster Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognized by the US as the country’s interim president, with an influx of cash, which could involve freeing up frozen assets or loans. The initiative is meant to help Guaido pay Venezuelan military and government workers, three US officials have …

Politico reports: During a closed-door meeting on Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Attorney General William Barr of committing a crime by lying to Congress. “We saw [Barr] commit a crime when he answered your question,” Pelosi told Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) during a private caucus meeting Thursday morning, according to two sources present for the gathering. Pelosi’s comment was an …

CBS News reports: 2020 Democratic hopeful and former Vice President Joe Biden said he thought Attorney General William Barr should resign after his testimony Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I think he’s lost the confidence of the American people, I think he should” resign, Biden told reporters in Des Moines, Iowa. iden’s call for Barr to resign followed many …

USA Today reports: Attorney General William Barr refused on Wednesday to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation because of a dispute about how he would be questioned. The Justice Department also did not comply with a subpoena for the unredacted version of the 448-page Mueller report. The committee had demanded that the department produce …

From the Washington Post editorial board: Attorney General William P. Barr entered office with more credibility than many Trump appointees. A veteran of the George H.W. Bush administration, Mr. Barr avowed loyalty to the Justice Department’s mission and, nearing the end of his career, seemed to have little incentive to serve as another Trump sycophant. Yet Mr. Barr has lit …

Salon reports: “Look, Bob Mueller is a member of his own team,” Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano said. “I think the attorney general was splitting hairs there. He has a problem in my view. I don’t think he told a lie. But I think he probably misled the House of Representatives.” Speaking with host Neil Cavuto on the Fox …

The Hill reports: “I think his statement is deliberately false and misleading, and yes, most people would consider that to be a lie,” Schiff said on CBS This Morning. “Look, there’s no sugar coating this, I think he should step down. It’s hard, I think, for the country to have confidence in the top law enforcement official in the country …

Courthouse News reports: The government said Tuesday it has no plans to turn over the full report produced by special counsel Robert Mueller to longtime Trump associate Roger Stone. Stone had asked for the unredacted report earlier this month, saying he needs it for his defense. During a short status conference this morning in Washington, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kravis …

Axios reports: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday calling for a military uprising while surrounded by soldiers and a detained activist, per the AP. Guaidó’s stance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has so far been relatively peaceful, but Tuesday’s video marks a significant escalation in his strategy — which the Trump administration “fully supports,” …

Axios reports: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has formally submitted his resignation to President Trump, effective May 11. Rosenstein was expected to leave the Justice Department after seeing the Mueller investigation through to its conclusion. His successor Jeffrey Rosen has already been nominated by President Trump and is awaiting confirmation in the Senate. After writing the letter that Trump used …

Randy Rainbow is back today with a positively delicious evisceration of lying Trump World figures in the wake of the Mueller report. Today’s parody is set the tune of “Belle” from Disney’s 1991 classic, Beauty And The Beast, which was written by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken. As always, I won’t give away the jokes. This a must-watch.