Trump Corruption

The Associated Press reports: Vice President Mike Pence’s office says he was not asked by President Donald Trump to raise the Biden family or Burisma in conversations with the president of Ukraine last year. Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short says in a statement that Trump “expressed concerns about corruption in Ukraine” in a meeting before Pence flew to Poland …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not know that President Donald Trump’s administration had a copy of an explosive manuscript by ex-national security adviser John Bolton, a spokesman said. And Kentucky’s longtime senator, who has said he’s in “total coordination” with the White House on the impeachment trial, reportedly isn’t happy. A McConnell spokesman told The …

CBS News reports: In an interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, Congressman Mark Meadows said there would be repercussions if Republicans break with President Donald Trump on impeachment. O’Donnell sat down with impeachment defense surrogates Representatives Meadows, Doug Collins, Elise Stefanik and Debbie Lesko. “Do you think Republican senators face political repercussions if they break with the president?” …

From an op-ed just published by Fox News: Presidents must be able to candidly consult with their advisers without worrying they will leak these discussions to the press or obtain high-dollar book contracts to publish them. A book by a former national security adviser ahead of a president’s reelection bid may set a dangerous precedent since it could discourage future …

The Associated Press reports: Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is disputing former national security adviser John Bolton’s claims in his forthcoming book. Among the claims is an allegation that President Donald Trump told Bolton he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until it helped investigate a Democratic political rival. Mulvaney …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) says she is “curious” to know what former national security adviser John Bolton might have to say about President Trump’s relations with Ukraine but stopped short of saying if she would support calling him to testify in the impeachment trial. “Well I read it. I’ve said before I was curious what Ambassador Bolton …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has upended the Senate impeachment trial, and new revelations from John Bolton’s draft book manuscript could turn the tide on whether senators call for witnesses. The President’s legal team resumes its second day of arguments at 1 p.m. ET Monday, but all of the attention will be focused on the Republican …

The New York Times reports: By Monday morning, several Republican senators had angrily called the White House trying to determine who at the administration knew about Mr. Bolton’s manuscript, which aides there have had for several weeks, and what was in it. They told the White House they felt blindsided, according to people briefed on the calls who insisted on …

From George Conway’s op-ed in the Washington Post: Before the Senate on Saturday, deputy White House counsel Michael Purpura laid out the elements of that defense. Key among them: “Not a single witness testified that the President himself said there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a Presidential meeting, or anything else.” If Bolton testifies to what’s …

Raw Story reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) abruptly canceled a planned press conference that had been scheduled for Monday morning after a bombshell report claimed that former national security adviser John Bolton is backing up a key allegation in the impeachment case against President Donald Trump. Graham was originally set to talk at 11:30 a.m. on Monday alongside several of …

“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton. I think with the story that came out yesterday, it’s increasingly apparent it would be important to hear from John Bolton. “I, of course will make a final decision on witnesses after we’ve heard from not only the prosecution …

The Daily Beast reports: John Bolton’s forthcoming memoir will be titled The Room Where It Happened, in an apparent reference to the song from the musical Hamilton that addresses a “quid pro quo” and “presidential pressure to deliver.” The book is set for release March 17, CNN reports, and an Amazon pre-order page for the book shows a preview cover—in …

Politico reports: President Trump claimed falsely on Monday that House Democrats “never even asked” his former national security adviser, John Bolton, to testify during the impeachment inquiry as he argued that it isn’t the job of the GOP-controlled Senate to call Bolton as a witness now. House investigators did ask Bolton to testify during the impeachment inquiry last fall, but …

Axios reports: There may be enough new pressure on Senate Republicans to allow witnesses at President Trump’s impeachment trial, after the leak from a forthcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton that contradicts what the White House has been telling the country. Republican sources tell Axios that party leaders and the White House will still try to resist …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday denied that he told former national security adviser John Bolton that releasing security aid for Ukraine was dependent on the country investigating his political rivals, following a report that Bolton describes such an exchange in his forthcoming book. He also claimed he released the military aid to Ukraine “without any conditions or investigations …

The New York Times reports: President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton. The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut …

Fox News reports: Voters give the economy its best ratings in nearly two decades in the latest Fox News Poll — and credit President Trump. And yet as his impeachment trial begins, Trump’s job approval holds steady, while half say the Senate should remove him from office. Trump’s best job rating is on his handling of the economy: a record …

The Associate Press reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out in anger Saturday at an NPR reporter who accused him of shouting expletives at her after she asked him in an interview about Ukraine. In a direct and personal attack, America’s chief diplomat said the journalist had “lied” to him and he called her conduct “shameful.” NPR said it …

Mediaite reports: Lev Parnas’ attorney indicated on CNN that his client has more recordings of President Donald Trump like the one that was released today and could possibly release more to the public. Joseph Bondy spoke with Anderson Cooper Saturday during CNN’s special coverage of Trump’s ongoing impeachment. Bondy’s interview came after Parnas released a 90-minute recording of a 2018 …

Buzzfeed News reports: State Department investigators this week interviewed hundreds of diplomats and employees at the US embassy in Ukraine as part of an investigation into the alleged surveillance of former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch by associates of Rudy Giuliani, two US officials with knowledge of the investigation told BuzzFeed News. One diplomatic source described the investigation as “cynical” and a …