Here’s my take on General McMaster’s statement, delivered in person a few moments ago outside the White House.
First, here’s the text. Read More
Let me add a few additional thoughts on the WaPo blockbuster on President Trump revealing highly qualified information to the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador.
This passage looks important. Read More
The Washington Post has just dropped a major story on what went down in that Trump/Sergei Lavrov Oval Office meeting last week. According to the Post, in that meeting, Trump went “off script” and provided Lavrov and Ambassador Sergei highly classified intelligence on the inner workings of the Islamic State. This is a move – if it occurred as described – that would likely gotten any other government official fired and possibly indicted. Read More
It was reported on Friday that James Comey has declined to testify before the Senate unless he can do so in open session (and presumably only in open session). The motivation seems pretty clear: Comey wants his version of events aired in public and not kept under wraps or (the bigger issue, I think) subjected to the interpretations of senators who discuss the testimony with the press.
But this is a good moment to discuss a broader issue about Comey, which I think this illustrates. Read More
Barry Strauss is Professor of History and Classics, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, and a military and naval historian and consultant. Barry will be in The Hive Thursday May 18th at 1 PM EST for a chat about leaders of the ancient world, and corporate leadership in today’s world. Submit your questions below at any time or feel free to join us on Thursday! If you’d like to participate but don’t have TPM Prime, sign up here.
President Trump’s personal tax lawyers have now provided a letter, released by the White House today, which in essence says President Trump has no financial ties with Russia. There have been reports in recent days that the President’s tax lawyers were preparing such a letter, in part for Sen. Lindsey Graham. The letter is dated March 8, more than two months ago. How that comports with its release today and what we’d been led to believe about its recent preparation, I have no idea. But I wanted to share a few thoughts on what the letter does or doesn’t mean. Read More
As is so often the case with President Trump, his latest rant – threatening James Comey with “tapes” – largely speaks for itself. But there is one point that I think calls for some elaboration. Read More
As is no surprise, we’re now hearing the first accounts of James Comey’s recollections of his interactions with the President. Today, President Trump (not terribly plausibly) claimed that Comey three times assured him he was not under investigation. The first assurance came in a private dinner; the next two came in phone conversations. Comey’s version, not surprisingly, differs from Trump’s. But just as interesting as the recollections is the date. Read More
Yesterday I let you know, flatly and deliberately, about the importance of our 2017 Prime sign up goal and how, candidly, it would be no end of help to me if people who are considering signing up could sign up now. Since this would help me focus on writing about the Comey firing and possible, subsequent, collapse of the American republic. You came through! 229 new subscribers signed up yesterday! Thank you. That is just a decent dent in the 10,000 new subscribers we need to sign up by the end of 2017. But it’s a great number for a single day. So thank you. Bigly. Want to sign up now? Click right here. Better reading experience, major karmic boost.