https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/17/day-636/
Day 636: Natural instinct.
1/ Robert Mueller is expected to issue findings after the midterm elections on whether Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia and if Trump obstructed justice during the probe. Rod Rosenstein has indicated that he wants Mueller's probe to conclude as soon as possible. The findings may not be made public since Mueller can only present the findings to Rosenstein, who can then decide what is shared with Congress and what is publicly released. Trump, meanwhile, has signaled that he may replace Jeff Sessions and there are rumors that Rosenstein could resign or also be fired by Trump after the election. (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-17/mueller-said-ready-to-deliver-key-findings-in-his-trump-probe
[emoji419] The Re-up: Day 613. Rod Rosenstein did not resign, but "offered to resign" in discussions with John Kelly. Rosenstein and Trump will meet on Thursday to discuss the deputy attorney general's future at the Justice Department. Rosenstein went to the White House this morning for a meeting where he "expect[ed] to be fired." The news follows reports that Rosenstein discussed the idea of wearing a wire last year to secretly record Trump in order to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove the President from office. Rosenstein has been overseeing Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether any Trump associates conspired with those efforts. Noel Francisco, the solicitor general, would take on oversight of Mueller's investigation and could fire or limit the investigation. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / CNN / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/24/politics/rod-rosenstein/index.html
2/ A senior Treasury Department employee was charged with leaking confidential government reports about suspicious financial transactions related to Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, the Russian embassy and accused Russian agent Maria Butina. Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards disclosed suspicious activity reports related to Mueller's investigation of possible collusion between Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia. SARs are submitted by banks to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions. (Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-russia-leaks/u-s-treasury-official-charged-with-leaks-linked-to-russia-probe-idUSKCN1MR2JN?il=0
[emoji419] The Re-Up: Day 601. Federal investigators are looking into a series of suspicious financial transactions involving people who attended the 2016 Trump Tower meeting. The transfers reveal how Aras Agalarov, a Russian billionaire with strong ties to Trump and Putin, used overseas accounts to distribute money through a web of banks to himself, his son, and at least two people who attended the meeting. Investigators are focusing on two bursts of activity: one occurring shortly before the Trump Tower meeting and one immediately after the 2016 election. (BuzzFeed News / The Hill)
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/406252-investigators-looking-at-suspicious-money-transfers-after-trump
A federal judge rejected Paul Manafort's request to wear a suit to his sentencing hearing, because the former Trump campaign chairman is now a convicted felon who has lost the right to wear street clothing in all his court proceedings. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/17/manafort-court-in-prison-clothing-910679
3/ Trump asked Turkey for audio and video relating to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi – "if it exists." Turkish officials claim they have audio recordings that prove Khashoggi was beat, drugged, killed and beheaded in the Saudis' Istanbul consulate. Saudi officials have denied any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi. Before leaving Riyadh, Mike Pompeo said the Saudis didn't want to discuss "any of the facts" in Khashoggi disappearance. (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CBS News)
https://apnews.com/d5f682c3080b464ba58d092f80090042
Notables.
Trump won't accept blame if Republicans lose control of the House in the midterms. "No, I think I'm helping people," Trump said regarding his campaigning and endorsements of Republican candidates. "I don't believe anybody's ever had this kind of an impact," despite supporters telling him "'I will never ever go and vote in the midterms because you're not running and I don't think you like Congress.'" Earlier this month, Trump urged supporters to vote, telling the crowd, "Pretend I'm on the ballot." (Associated Press / Washington Post)
https://apnews.com/8f4baf7aaddc442dad0a726f3ebe7fff
Mitch McConnell said Republicans could try again to repeal the Affordable Care Act if they win enough seats in the midterm elections. He called the failed 2017 effort to repeal the healthcare law a "disappointment." (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-senate-mcconnell-policy/mcconnell-says-senate-republicans-might-revisit-obamacare-repeal-idUSKCN1MR2QE
A federal judge ordered the immediate implementation of an Obama-era rule designed to help students defrauded by for-profit colleges have their federal student loans forgiven. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos initially delayed the rules in 2017 while the Education Department worked on its own set of regulations, which a different federal court called "arbitrary and capricious" and ordered the department to reverse. (CNN / Wall Street Journal)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/16/politics/devos-borrower-defense-lawsuit/index.html
Trump accused Michael Cohen of lying under oath and giving "totally false" testimony in his August plea deal to campaign finance violations. Cohen alleged that he coordinated with Trump on a hush-money scheme to silence Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Trump characterized Cohen as just "a PR person who did small legal work" for him, who only struck a deal to "achieve a lighter sentence." (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-lashes-out-former-lawyer-cohen-lied-under-oath-was-n920951
Trump will withdraw from a 144-year-old postal treaty that allowed Chinese companies to ship small packages to the U.S. at a discounted rate. The White House claimed the treaty gives countries like China and Singapore an unfair advantage by flooding U.S. markets with cheaper e-commerce packages. (New York Times / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/17/trump-withdraws-from-postal-treaty-910675
Trump will ask each of his Cabinet secretaries to cut 5% of their respective budgets. On Monday, the Treasury Department reported a $779 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2018 — a six-year high and a 17% jump from the prior period. (CNBC / Bloomberg / Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget/trump-seeks-to-shrink-cabinet-agency-budgets-by-5-percent-idUSKCN1MR2G9
Trump claimed he has a "natural instinct for science" when it comes to climate change. Trump's scientific description of climate change was that it "goes back and forth, back and forth." (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/17/trump-instinct-climate-change-910004
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Double post because I forgot yesterday's
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/16/day-635/
Day 635: Totally denied.
1/ Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman will support a "thorough, transparent, and timely investigation" into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that Bin Salman "totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate." Trump sent Pompeo to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom was preparing to acknowledge that Khashoggi died at the consulate as a result of an interrogation that went wrong. (Politico / Reuters / New York Times)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-politics-dissident-investigatio/turkish-police-leave-saudi-consulate-in-istanbul-witness-idUSKCN1MQ05C
2/ Trump said that Saudi Arabia being blamed for the disappearance Khashoggi is "another case of "guilty until proven innocent." Trump has vowed "severe punishment" if the Saudis killed Khashoggi, but he's also speculated that "rogue killers" could be responsible. Trump added: "We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I’m concerned." (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)
https://apnews.com/6ef4045b710b411086e93967eb8ffc4f
The Trump administration needs Saudi Arabia's help to implement new sanctions against Iran on Nov. 4. The Saudis could see a significant increase in oil revenues as Congress considers economic or military sanctions against the kingdom for its role in Khashoggi's death. Sanctioning the Saudis would undercut the Iran policy and send the price of gasoline and heating oil significantly higher. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/us/politics/khashoggi-trump-iran-sanctions.html
3/ The body of Jamal Khashoggi was cut into pieces after he was killed two weeks ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a Turkish official. Saudi Arabia has insisted that Khashoggi left the building alive, but police searching the Saudi Consulate found evidence that Khashoggi was killed there. An autopsy specialist carrying a bone saw was among 15 Saudi operatives who flew in and out of Istanbul the day Khashoggi disappeared. (CNN / New York Times / Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/4ec1eeb6c3464bbc8cda6edb35e964a0
Four of the suspects in the disappearance of Khashoggi are linked to the Saudi crown prince's security detail. A fifth is a forensic doctor who holds senior positions in the Saudi Interior Ministry. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/world/middleeast/suspects-in-khashoggi-case-had-ties-to-saudi-crown-prince.html
4/ Jared Kushner is "deeply involved" in the White House response to Khashoggi's disappearance and has been working closely with Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. Kushner also has a close relationship with Prince bin Salman and has been lobbying Saudi Arabia to participate in the Khashoggi investigation. (Yahoo News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/jared-kushner-deeply-involved-white-house-response-khashoggis-disappearance-194816674.html
5/ A federal judge dismissed Stormy Daniels' libel lawsuit against Trump, saying Trump's tweet that she had lied about being threatened to keep quiet about their alleged relationship was "rhetorical hyperbole" and is protected by the First Amendment. Daniels was ordered to pay Trump's legal fees for the case. (Washington Post / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/15/stormy-daniels-trump-libel-suit-903152
6/ Trump celebrated the dismissal of Stormy Daniels' defamation suit by calling her "Horseface" and threatening to "go after" her and "her 3rd rate lawyer." Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, responded by calling Trump a "disgusting misogynist" and a "liar" who has dishonored his family and country. (New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / The Hill)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trump-calls-stormy-daniels-horseface-reaction-dismissal/story?id=58532716
7/ Trump called Elizabeth Warren a "phony" and a "fraud" while referring to her as "Pocahontas (the bad version)" a day after she publicly released the results of a DNA test intended to prove her Native American ancestry. The DNA test concluded that there was "strong evidence" that Warren had a Native American in her family tree dating back six to 10 generations, making her between 1/64th and 1/1,024 Native American. The Cherokee Nation, meanwhile, criticized Warren's use of a DNA test as "inappropriate." (The Guardian / Politico / Washington Post / HuffPost / The Hill)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/16/warren-dna-native-american-905705
8/ Mitch McConnell called the rising federal deficits "not a Republican problem" and instead blamed Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In December 2017, Republicans passed a tax cut. which is projected to add more than $1 trillion to the debt over a decade. (Bloomberg / The Hill / Washington Post)
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/411656-mcconnell-says-deficitsnot-a-republican-problem
Trump escalated his criticism of the Federal Reserve, calling the central bank his "biggest threat" because it is raising interest rates "too fast." (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/16/trump-threat-federal-reserve-powell-908748
poll/ Ted Cruz leads his Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, 52% to 45% among likely voters. 9% of likely Texas voters say there's a chance they could change their mind before Election Day. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/16/politics/cnn-poll-texas-cruz-orourke/index.html
Notables.
Jim Mattis: Trump told me he supports me "100 percent." Trump called to give Mattis the assurance after he mentioned during an interview on "60 Minutes" that his Secretary of Defense might be leaving. (NBC News / Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/22252b7ee9414527a98ee284d1a49408
A coalition of free-press advocates are suing Trump, seeking an order directing the president not to use his office to exact reprisals against the press – the kind of behavior those courts have found unlawful. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/16/trumps-attacks-on-the-press-are-illegal-were-suing-221312
Mitch McConnell ruled out a vote on Trump's NAFTA replacement before 2019, setting up a potential fight with Democrats next year if they win the House in midterm elections on Nov. 6. (Bloomberg / CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/16/mitch-mcconnell-no-vote-on-trumps-nafta-replacement-until-2019.html
Trump threatened to cancel aid to Honduras "if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped." A group of hundreds of Honduran migrants are fleeing poverty and gang violence in Honduras. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/16/trump-honduras-migrants-905637
The White House is replacing the Interior Department's inspector general, according to an internal Housing and Urban Development email regarding the staffing change. The acting inspector general at the Interior Department will oversee four ongoing investigations into Secretary Ryan Zinke's conduct. Acting inspectors general do not need Senate confirmation. (NBC News / Washington Post)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/white-house-moves-replace-interior-department-ig-amid-probe-secretary-n920741
Trump's reelection campaign has raised at least $106 million. Between the RNC, Trump's campaign committee, and joint fundraising committees, they've raised more than $337 million with at least $88 million of it in cash. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-well-oiled-fully-weaponized-battle-station-trump-reelection-campaign-has-100-million-head-start-over-democrats/2018/10/16/d83d911c-cbf9-11e8-920f-dd52e1ae4570_story.html
The Trump campaign has more than doubled its election-related spending over the last three months. The campaign spent $7.7 million between July and the end of September – up from the $3.6 million it spent during the previous three months. The Trump campaign and the RNC have raised more than $18 million in the last quarter alone. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/us/politics/trump-campaign-spending-midterms-2020.html