POLITICO Playbook: Robert Mueller's long tail

YOU THOUGHT THE MUELLER REPORT WAS OVER, didn’t you? Nicely, yesterday, BuzzFeed’s Jason Leopold -- a degree 19 FOIA ninja -- and his colleagues obtained their palms on detailed summaries of the interviews three Trump aides gave to the FBI, generally known as “302 studies,” along with different documents. And while they don’t appreciably change our understanding of the Russiagate scandal, they do add a layer of texture to what we already knew. The memos, via BuzzFeed

Some key nuggets:

-- PAUL MANAFORT pushed the false concept that Ukraine, not Russia, had hacked the DNC emails. And even after his firing, he was nonetheless in touch with prime campaign officials as much as Election Day, although marketing campaign ‘CEO’ Steve Bannon warned in an e mail to Jared Kushner: “We need to keep away from this man just like the plague.” More from WaPo’s Roz Helderman and Spencer Hsu

-- TRUMP asked aides to get Hillary Clinton’s ‘missing’ emails. At one level, former Manafort deputy Rick Gates stated, Michael Flynn stated he’d use his contacts within the intelligence world to get them. This was all in the Mueller report, however seeing it laid out by Gates is hanging.

-- BANNON advised the FBI that Kushner and Ivanka Trump vacationed in Croatia in the course of the marketing campaign with an unnamed Russian billionaire, and that he asked them to return house so that Kushner might hearth Manafort.

KEEP IN MIND, too, that the trial of longtime Trump aide ROGER STONE begins on Tuesday. Most of the redactions in the Mueller report have been meant to guard his ongoing case.

SATURDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING … AP’S JONATHAN LEMIRE IN NEW YORK: “Politics could be a bruising enterprise. However President Donald Trump took a break from battling the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry to observe one other bloodsport Saturday, drawing a combined response at a UFC match at a raucous Madison Square Garden.

“Both loud boos and cheers might be heard as Trump, joined by his grownup sons, Don Jr. and Eric, as well as a number of congressional Republicans, took their seats ahead of the pay-per-view combined martial arts match. … Trump has longstanding ties to the UFC and sat just some rows from the cage, the place fighters took turns bloodying one another with quite a lot of kicks and punches.” AP … Epic pic of Trump and actor Josh Duhamel staring at a scantily clad placard holder

-- WITH TRUMP: Reps. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Peter King (N.Y.) and Mark Meadows (N.C.) … McCarthy’s gram from Air Force One

SUNDAY BEST ... NOTE: The president urged Republicans to defend him on the substance of impeachment, not simply the process, and a few of them at the moment are doing that. For what it is value.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You simply heard Chairman Engel right there saying you all are shifting the objective submit, that President Trump is going to have the same rights that President Clinton and President Nixon had once it gets to the Judiciary Committee.

SCALISE: Nicely good morning, George. And there have been quite a bit of things there that have to be unraveled. To start with, that is nothing just like the Clinton and the Nixon impeachment. Each side obtained to name witnesses beneath Clinton and underneath Nixon. The president's legal counsel was in the room, capable of ask questions to the witnesses --

STEPHANOPOULOS: Nicely, the president’s going to have that proper within the Judiciary Committee, isn’t he?

SCALISE: Nicely there’s no assure of that.

Kellyanne Conway on CNN's "State of the Union" with Dana Bash:

CONWAY: Where was there a quid pro quo?

BASH: I’m asking you, was there one.

CONWAY: President Trump never stated to the Ukrainian president, do this and also you’ll get your help, it’s merely not here.

BASH: So it didn’t happen?

CONWAY: No one ever thought we’d release the transcript. Women and gents, you possibly can all see it. Go read it.

Rep. Jim Himes (D_TK) on "Fox Information Sunday" with Chris Wallace:

HIMES: "My greatest guess, Chris, is that you simply’ll see the public hearings begin someday inside the next two or three weeks. Keep in mind you possibly can’t be precise about this as a result of we need to interview a number of extra witnesses earlier than we’re able to do public hearings. But I—my greatest guess is that in the subsequent two or three weeks there shall be public televised hearings"

Andrew Yang on NBC's "Meet the Press" with Chuck Todd:

TODD: “Do you assume that what the president did is of such an egregious act that he shouldn't be on the poll in 2020?"

YANG: “I am for impeachment, but the reality is once we're speaking about Donald Trump we aren't presenting a new method forward and a constructive vision for the country that People will get enthusiastic about. That is the only means we will win in 2020 and that’s the one method we’re truly going to start out truly solving the problems that obtained him elected. Even once we're talking about impeaching Donald Trump, we're talking about Donald Trump and we're dropping.”

Good Sunday morning. We’re a yr out from Election Day. Set again your clocks and gird your loins for a wild yr.

JOHN F. HARRIS: “The 7 Big Bets that will decide who wins the White House in 2020”

-- “Dying knell or $1 million concept? Trump’s marketing campaign tries to turn gaffes into gold,” by Gabby Orr: “Donald Trump’s reelection marketing campaign is making due with what they have: a pile of money that has left Democrats with dropped jaws and a candidate who delights in making jaw-dropping feedback.

“For months, the president’s prime campaign aides have been monitoring media reactions to his speeches, press gaggles and private tweets, quietly looking for the subsequent gaffe they will spin into gold. Something draws the ire of multinational Washington? Straightforward goal, stated one senior campaign official. The president proposes a bizarre merchandise concept during a rally? We've it up ‘earlier than he leaves the stage,’ recalled one other.” POLITICO

-- “Inside Beto O’Rourke’s collapse,” by David Siders in Des Moines: “The proximate explanation for O’Rourke’s fall was not within the unorthodox things he did. His meandering, solo street journey by means of the Southwest, the livestreaming of his dentist go to, even the infamous ‘born to be in it’ Vainness Truthful cowl — which he later stated he regretted — all happened earlier than O’Rourke cratered.

“Somewhat, it was all the things he didn’t do — rendering him an object lesson within the familiar limits of charisma, the liability of excessive expectations and the importance of organization.” POLITICO

NOBODY COULD EVER HAVE PREDICTED THIS -- “Smugglers are sawing by means of new sections of Trump’s border wall,” by WaPo’s Nick Miroff “Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed via new sections of President Trump’s border wall in current months through the use of commercially out there energy instruments, opening gaps giant sufficient for individuals and drug masses to cross by means of, in response to U.S. brokers and officers with information of the injury.

“The breaches have been made using a well-liked cordless family device referred to as a reciprocating noticed that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialised blades, the saws can slice by means of one of many barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in minutes, in line with the brokers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't approved to talk publicly concerning the barrier-defeating methods.” WaPo

-- TRUMP REACTS, per pooler Todd Gilman of the Dallas Morning Information: “I have never heard that. We now have a really powerful wall. But regardless of how powerful, you possibly can reduce via something, in all fairness. However we now have a lot of people watching. You understand chopping, chopping is one thing, nevertheless it's easily fastened. One of the reasons we did it the best way we did it, it is very simply fastened. You put the chunk again in. But we have now a really highly effective wall. However you can reduce by means of any wall.”

IMMIGRATION FILES -- “A Federal Judge Temporarily Blocked Trump’s Plan To Block Immigrants From Entering The U.S. Without Proving They Could Get Health Insurance,” by BuzzFeed’s Hamed Aleaziz

IMPEACHMENT LATEST … NANCY COOK: “Prime nationwide security aide Robert Blair won't testify Monday, citing White Home course”: “Robert Blair participated within the July 25 name between President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, which triggered enough concern amongst some national safety officials that one filed a whistleblower grievance and set into motion the Democrats' impeachment proceedings.

“Blair’s lawyer, Whit Ellerman, stated Blair would not seem on Monday ‘pursuant to path from the White Home, which is predicated on recommendation from the Department of Justice.’ When requested if Blair would seem if Democrats subpoenaed him, Ellerman stated he wouldn't and that ‘course from the White Home and recommendation from DOJ cover subpoena.’” POLITICO

-- “Impeachment bears down on Susan Collins,” by Burgess Everett: “Her reelection contest is already on monitor to be the state’s costliest race ever. And Trump is keen to compete for the state’s four Electoral School votes with a marketing campaign aimed toward white, working-class voters.

“If she votes to acquit the president, the state’s resurgent Democratic Get together and its national allies are more likely to clobber her as out of step with the state’s mild blue hue. And if she votes to remove Trump from workplace after a Senate trial, she’ll danger dampening help from the conservative base and elevating the ire of the president himself.

“Nonetheless, impeachment also provides a chance for Collins to emphasise her independence at a time of deep polarization and an important second in historical past.” POLITICO

-- "Whistleblower willing to answer Republicans' questions in impeachment probe, lawyer says," by CBS Information' Margaret Brennan

TRUMP’S SUNDAY -- As of yesterday’s steerage the president was scheduled to depart Trump Tower at 10 a.m. and arrive back on the White House at 12:05 p.m. Japanese time. He has no occasions scheduled.

The president's week ahead:

Monday: The president meets with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then welcomes the Nats at the White Home. Later, he'll ship remarks at a campaign rally in Lexington, Ky.

Wednesday: The president delivers remarks on judicial nominees, then flies to Monroe, Louisiana, for a marketing campaign rally.

Thursday: The president presents the Presidential Citizens Medal, then delivers remarks at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C.

Friday: The president holds a roundtable with supporters,, then speaks at a fundraising luncheon in Atlanta, Ga.

POLITICO MAGAZINE: “The Massacre That Spawned the Alt-Right”: “Forty years in the past, a gang of Klansmen and Nazis murdered five communists in broad daylight. America has never been the identical,” by Shaun Assel and Peter Keating

CLICKER … NYT INTERACTIVE: “How Trump Reshaped the Presidency in Over 11,000 Tweets”

ACROSS THE POND -- “Nigel Farage says he won't battle a seat in U.Okay. election,” by Bjarke Smith-Meyer: “Farage advised the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Present that not being tied to a constituency would imply he might marketing campaign extra successfully for the Brexit Get together across the country.

“On Friday, U.Okay. Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected Farage’s name to type a ‘Depart alliance’ between the 2 parties to stop them from splitting the Brexit vote in constituencies where different parties who back Remaining within the EU might come via the center ...

“In the absence of a pact with the Tories, Farage stated his social gathering would problem each seat in England, Scotland and Wales.” POLITICO Europe

NYT’S MICHAEL CROWLEY and ERIC SCHMITT: “Russia Held Up an Ailing American Army Attaché From Leaving Moscow”: “Russian officials in August held up the evacuation from Moscow of a sick American army attaché to a hospital in Germany within the newest episode of a long-running marketing campaign of harassment towards American diplomats in Russia.

“Diplomatic protocols permit for the fast evacuation of diplomats dealing with medical emergencies. However the departure of the aircraft sent to evacuate the attaché was delayed for hours for no obvious cause regardless of protests from embassy officials and the State Department in Washington, in line with a number of Trump administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about a sensitive diplomatic challenge that another officers favor to play down.

“The Russians ultimately relented, and the American, a uniformed officer, was safely evacuated, the officials stated.” NYT

-- “Netanyahu, a Steadfast Trump Ally, Urges U.S. to Stay Targeted on Iran,” by WSJ’s Felicia Schwartz in Tel Aviv: “In current weeks, present and former Israeli officers have repeated their requires the U.S. to confront Tehran, whilst Washington basks within the success of its current raid concentrating on the head of Islamic State.

“Their calls mirror broad considerations about Mr. Trump’s angle toward Iran which have intensified in current months, following what Israeli officers seen as muted responses to alleged Iranian attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, the downing of an American drone, and a September assault, attributed to Iran, that knocked out about half of Saudi Arabia’s oil output.” WSJ

BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman (@dlippman):

-- “A Cybersecurity Firm’s Sharp Rise and Beautiful Collapse,” by The New Yorker’s Raffi Khatchadourian: “Tiversa dominated an rising online market—before it was accused of fraud, extortion, and manipulating the federal authorities.” New Yorker

-- “Ibraheem Samirah Is Nowhere Close to Achieved Messing With the Means Virginia Does Politics,” by Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon: “His fashion might really feel like a serious shift in the political norms of the state, but his story foretells its future.” Washingtonian

-- “How Does the Human Soul Survive Atrocity?” by Jennifer Percy in the NYT Journal: “After the horror of ISIS captivity, tens of hundreds of Iraqis — lots of them youngsters — are caught up in a mental-health disaster in contrast to any in the world.” NYT Magazine

-- “AI Might Not Kill Your Job—Simply Change It,” by Wired’s Sara Harrison: “A brand new paper from MIT and IBM’s Watson AI Lab exhibits that for most of us, the automation revolution in all probability gained’t mean physical robots replacing human staff. As an alternative, it'll come from algorithms. And whereas we gained’t all lose our jobs, these jobs will change, because of artificial intelligence and machine learning.” Wired

-- “Ten Years Ago, I Referred to as Out David Letterman. This Month, We Sat Right down to Speak,” by Nell Scovell in Vainness Truthful: “It’s not typically that you simply converse fact to energy and power responds, ‘Oops, sorry,’ writes former Letterman author Nell Scovell.” VF (hat tip: Longreads.com)

-- “How the Trump Cupboard’s Bible Instructor Turned a Shadow Diplomat,” by Mattathias Schwartz within the NYT Magazine: “Ralph Drollinger is on a mission to increase the influence he has in Washington around the globe. Is he representing Jesus, the administration — or himself?” NYT Magazine

Ship tricks to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

HAPPENING TODAY -- The funeral for former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) will happen at 2 p.m., with the service livestreamed from Greensboro. Details… Livestream

SPOTTED: Norm Eisen at the Georgetown Apple retailer on Saturday morning.

TRANSITION -- TRUMP ALUMNI: Abe Goldschmidt is now senior director for strategic affairs at Oracle, working in their D.C. authorities affairs office. He previously was managing director for strategic investments at the Abroad Personal Investment Company and is a Trump White Home alum.

BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) is 72 … Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) is 41 … Michael Dukakis is 86 … Anna Wintour … Charlie Harm … CAA’s Rachel Adler … Natalie Johnson in Liz Cheney's office (hat tip: Tiana Lowe) ...vJames Kanter … Dennis Miller is 66 … O. Kay Henderson … former Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) is 82 … Evelyn Nieves … Katie Packer Beeson, founding associate of Burning Glass Consulting … Jared Rizzi (h/t Gena Wolfson) … Jeff Brownlee, analysis and communications strategist at Stand Collectively … Phyllis Cuttino of the Pew Charitable Trusts … Paul Brathwaite, chief strategist at Federal Road Strategies, is 49 (h/ts Jon Haber) … POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna, Renuka Rayasam and Ryan Hendrixson … Erica Moody … Gabby Adler … Amie Kershner … Quentin Fulks … Matthew Kirincic … Katie (Prepare dinner) Romano …

… Christie Stephenson, press secretary for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) … Kam Mumtaz, international communications at Tesla … Bob Van Heuvelen … Kelli Kedis Ogborn … Robina Suwol … Jack Weller … Robin (Levy) Grey, director of external comms for Southern Company Fuel … Rowan Morris, director at Guggenheim Companions, is 34 … Minh-Thu Pham of the U.N. Basis … Edelman’s Lauren Greco ... Anne Mahlum … Brian Babcock-Lumish ... Mindi Walker ... Chris Falls ... Ben Kirshner ... Christian Haines ... Pearce Godwin … Julian Baird Gewirtz ... Liz Rolnik ... Joe Cohen (h/t Nadia Szold) ... David Case ... Vinny Minchillo is 58 ... Jack McLaughlin ... Amy Rosenbaum … Scout Tufankjian … Shawn Rusterholz ... Christie Findlay … Mark Helmke … Rocco A. Mazza ... Barbara Zheutlin

Article initially revealed on POLITICO Magazine

Src: POLITICO Playbook: Robert Mueller's long tail
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