Latest in Donald Trump
Federal prosecutors amended their prior sentencing memorandum which recommended that Roger Stone receive a sentence of seven to nine years in prison related to his actions related to the investigations into the 2016 presidential election. Stone was convicted on charges that included witness tampering and lying to Congress.
Federal prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum recommending that Roger Stone—longtime Trump associate—deserves a sentence of seven to nine years for making false statements to Congress and witness tampering related to his efforts to obtain information from WikiLeaks about the hacked Democratic emails leading up to the 2016 presidential election. The filing notes that this recommendation is “consistent with the applicable advisory Guidelines.” Stone’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
The Justice Department argued in an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that four subpoenas by congressional committees for President Trump’s financial records are unconstitutional, on the grounds that the committees did not make a “heightened showing, both of a legitimate legislative purpose for the subpoenas and of the need for the information sought.” The filing also accuses the committees of using their investigatory powers to harass the president and distract him from his con
The Trump administration’s high turnover in leadership is unprecedented and severely limits the role of the NSC.
A gaffe is when a politician recklessly tells the truth, Michael Kinsley once said.
Sir Kim Darroch is not a politician. He is a diplomat. And the truth he spoke was not a gaffe. It was a leak. But it functions like a gaffe, a truth blurted out in a context in which it wasn’t supposed to be uttered.
There is no reason to doubt that in seeking reelection, President Trump will consider once more breaking or skirting laws or ethical limits to win. He has already proclaimed a willingness to accept campaign support from a foreign government, retreating only somewhat under public pressure.
The president’s statements on Iran represent a dramatic improvement in the quality of his argument.
Consider the affirmative dismay with which lawyers are likely to view the actions of Attorney General Bill Barr. Even leaving aside the atmospherics of his recent performances (for example, the almost palpable disdain with which he treated the press at his press conference and the almost cloying way in which he defended Trump's actions as the product of "frustration and anger"), Barr's actions over the past month have left any reasonable observer with a number of questions about the quality of his legal performance.
Editor’s Note: Below are the executive summaries of the two volumes of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report. Volume I deals with links between Russia and the Trump campaign, while Volume II deals with potential obstruction of justice by President Trump. This article is available in audio format on the Lawfare Podcast: Special Edition:
Barr’s letter contains good news for the president, but it also raises ominous questions that only Mueller’s report can answer.