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No Spin News – October 9, 2018

Rosenstein Testimony This Week

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will meet with House lawmakers on Thursday, October 11. The arrangement of the interview is with a joint panel of the Republican-led Judiciary and Oversight committees

Some House Republicans have insisted that Rosenstein sit for a transcribed interview that would be treated as an element of the panel’s broader, long-running investigation into the Justice Department and FBI. Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who invited Rosenstein to brief lawmakers, has not indicated whether he might allow Rod Rosenstein to appear in a less-formal context simply to brief lawmakers on his response to the reports.

Lawmakers say Rod Rosenstein’s visit will be connected with their long-running probe into politically explosive Justice Department and FBI actions in 2016 and 2017, which include federal investigations into Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server as well as the Trump campaign’s ties to Russian operatives.

A New York Times report released on September 21, stated that days after Trump fired James Comey in April 2017, Rod Rosenstein sought to record President Trump and suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. According to reports there were numerous individuals in the meeting, the only that have been named are: Andrew McCabe, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, four career DOJ officials and Scott Schools.

Former FBI General Counsel James A. Baker told congressional investigators during a closed-door deposition last week that then-FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe and FBI lawyer Lisa Page came to Baker "contemporaneously" after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. James Baker said Page and McCabe relayed details of the meeting where Rod Rosenstein made the comments but was not in the meeting himself. Rod Rosenstein has denied both, and his supporters say he was being sarcastic.

President Trump and Rod Rosenstein met Monday on Air Force One. They met for a half-hour, according to the White House, en route to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, FL.

Kavanaugh Midterm Fall Out

Hill.TV/HarrisX Poll: 45 Percent Say Media Coverage Was Biased Against Kavanaugh

Question: Do you believe that the media coverage of the Kavanaugh hearings was biased against Kavanaugh, biased in favor of Kavanaugh, or neutral?

• Biased Against Kavanaugh:               45%
• Biased in Favor of Kavanaugh:          20%
• Neutral:                                               35%

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: Republicans May See Bump in Turnout, Inspired by Treatment of Kavanaugh

Larger Share of Republicans Now Say that the November Elections are “Very Important”           

                        October 2018              July 2018

Republicans:   80%                             68%

Democrats:      82%                             78%

Independents:  65%                             64%

POLITICO Race Ratings: The GOP House is Crumbling

There are now 209 seats either firmly or leaning in the Democratic column, only 9 shy of the 218 needed to win control.The Republican House majority continues to show signs of collapsing, with Democrats steadily gaining ground toward erasing the 23-seat margin and ending eight years of GOP control.The GOP still has a path to keep the House, but it would require either a near-sweep of the toss-up races or a significant change in the political environment in the final four weeks of the campaign.

House Ratings and Predictions

Democratic Total: 209

• Solid Seats: 172
• Likely Seats: 20
• Lean Seats: 17

Republican Total: 200

• Solid Seats: 135
• Likely Seats: 37
• Lean Seats: 28

Toss-Up Seats: 26

Senate Ratings and Predictions

There are 35 seats up in 2018 - including special elections in Minnesota and Mississippi of which 26 are held by Democrats. The Democratic party will need to gain 2 seats to take control of the Senate.

Democratic Total: 22 seats (45 DEM TOTAL)

• Solid Seats: 14
• Likely Seats: 4
• Lean Seats: 4

Republican Total: 8 seats (50 GOP TOTAL)

• Solid Seats: 4
• Likely Seats: 1
• Lean Seats: 3

Toss-Up Seats: 5

Linda Sarsour Introduces Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at Anti-Kavanaugh Event

Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand shared the stage with controversial anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour on Thursday during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In a video that aired on CSPAN3, Sarsour is seen introducing Gillibrand and is described as “Another champion, another one of our people who works for us on the inside.”

Sarour’s comments about Israel and the nation’s supporters have been repeatedly criticized as anti-Semitic. She has also been criticized for working with activist and documented anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. In November 2017, Sarsour blamed “the Jewish media” for her controversial reputation.

Linda Sarsour has also been an outspoken advocate in the Black Lives Matter movement. After the 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Linda Sarsour called for “radical organizing” and created the organization Muslims for Ferguson. In 2015, she helped organize a march against various police actions alongside the liberal group Justice League NYC. Linda Sarsour has said that associated herself with the Black Lives Matter movement because she saw a crossover between policing policies that affect Muslims and African Americans. In August 2017 Linda Sarsour spoke at the "United We Stand" rally in front of NFL headquarters in New York in support of Colin Kaepernick.

Linda Sarsour has a history of criticizing Israel. In September 2018, Women’s March leader Sarsour said that Muslims shouldn’t be humanizing Israelis, referring to Israel as the “oppressor.” As reported during the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)’s conference, Sarsour declared that American Muslims “are complicit in the occupation of Palestinians, in the murder of Palestinian protesters” if they’re not actively promoting the Palestinian cause.

“If you’re on the side of the oppressor, or you’re defending the oppressor, or you’re actually trying to humanize the oppressor, then that’s a problem,” Sarsour said.

Linda Sarsour has a history of being anti-Israel, including a speech in 2015 at a Nation Of Islam event, where she was critical of Israel. She has also discounted anti-Semitism, saying that "while anti-Semitism is something that impacts Jewish Americans, it’s different than anti-black racism or Islamophobia because it’s not systemic."

Nikki Haley Resigns

Nikki Haley abruptly announced her resignation Tuesday as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, catching staff and lawmakers by surprise and leaving Washington guessing about the next move for one of the administration's most prominent figures.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside President Trump, who accepted the resignation, Haley said she would serve through the end of 2018. She preemptively sought to mute speculation she might run against her old boss, stressing that she will support Trump and will not campaign for the White House in 2020.

Haley called her time at the U.N. a "blessing," but offered no reason for leaving other than a belief that government officials must know "when it’s time to step aside." Trump told reporters that Haley did "an incredible job" and is a "fantastic person." He said she had told him six months ago that she wanted to take a break "maybe at the end of the year."

"Hopefully you'll be coming back at some point, maybe in another capacity," he told her. "You can have your pick."

On why it's time to leave, Haley said she's a believer in term limits and believes it's good to rotate new government officials in from time to time.

The Clinton’s Go on Tour

Bill and Hillary Clinton announced on Monday that they would headline a series of live events together billed "An Evening with The Clintons" across the country in the final weeks of 2018 and into 2019. The Clintons will embark on an international 13-city speaking tour shortly after November's midterm elections, with tickets running as high as $745 and speculation swirling that the former secretary of state could announce yet another presidential bid.

The events, which are being produced by tour promoter Live Nation, are being billed as "one-of-a-kind conversation with two individuals who have helped shape our world and had a front seat to some of the most important moments in modern history."

"From the American presidency to the halls of the Senate and State Department to one of the United States' most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections, they provide a unique perspective on the past, and remarkable insight into where we go from here," reads the website dedicated to the tour.

The tour will start in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an event at the Park Theater on November 18, 2018. The couple will then travel to Toronto, Montreal and Texas before the end of 2018. The tour will start back up in April of 2019 with events in New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, the District of Colombia, British Columbia, Washington and California.

Mail Time!

• Bill, you mentioned that Chuck Grassley was not going to pursue investigating Dianne Feinstein at this time. He seems to be a nice guy, but you know what they say about nice guys, "they come in last", especially in the Swamp. He's either very naïve or an eternal optimist, if he thinks he can work with the Democrats who tried to pull off one of the most deceitful spectacles in the political history of the United States. What are your thoughts on Grassley?

• Bill - Last night you spoke about Senator Mazie Hirono's possible stupidity. I doubt if the Senator is stupid, but she is very definitely lacking in basic knowledge as to how her government works. During a hearing while questioning ICE Associate Director Matthew Albence she asked if he would want his child put into an ICE facility. He responded by saying that these individuals in holding centers are there because they broke the law. Then the Senator countered that illegal immigrants have broken the law only as deemed so by President Donald Trump. Albence corrected Ms. Hirono saying that Trump did not create the law that criminalizes unauthorized border crossing. Maybe not stupid, but definitely needing some further education.

• Having researched for "Killing the SS" and "Rising Sun," which theater of war displayed the worst war criminals? Germany or Japan?

Word of the Day: Pecksniffian