Trump Administration

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.

CNN reports: A Democratic lawmaker on Thursday ratcheted up warnings to the Trump administration amid a growing standoff over subpoenas and oversight requests the White House says it will resist. Rep. Gerry Connolly threatened jail time for White House officials who are declining to comply with congressional committees’ efforts to conduct oversight of President Donald Trump’s administration. It’s the latest …

Axios reports: Attorney General Bill Barr will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1 and House Judiciary Committee on May 2 to testify about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, both panels have confirmed. Democrats have accused Barr, the nation’s top law enforcement official, of playing defense for President Trump by spinning …

ABC News reports: The Defense Department’s internal watchdog has cleared acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan of favoring his former employer, Boeing while serving at the Pentagon. The Pentagon’s inspector general found that reports of ethics violations were not substantiated, clearing the way for Shanahan for a possible nomination to the top Pentagon job. The inspector general opened the investigation last …

The New York Times reports: In the months before Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to resign, she tried to focus the White House on one of her highest priorities as Homeland Security secretary: preparing for new and different Russian forms of interference in the 2020 election.  President Trump’s chief of staff told her not to bring it up in front of …

“Jared Kushner’s diminishment of Russian interference is both disingenuous and deceptive. The attack on our democracy involved much more than the purchase of a few Facebook ads. From the Mueller report we now know, Russians made contact with multiple members of the Trump campaign, including Jared Kushner, attempting to change American policies and promote Russian objectives. “They invaded our nation, …