Want to know the surreal backstory of the organized crime and post-Soviet blackmarket weapons trade background of one of President Trump’s top business associates? Listen to Episode #14 of The Josh Marshall Show. Listen right here.
A recently retired FBI agent, Brian McCauley, was the fact witness at the center of yet another Clinton email ‘scandal’ which broke about three weeks before the November 2016 election. This was the ‘quid pro quo’ story about email classification which broke in mid-October. It turns out that about two weeks before that story came out, McCauley had been placed on retainer by Trump advisor Michael Flynn, a retainer/consultancy agreement which eventually totaled $28,000.
Donald Trump has been saying for more than a year that he’d get rid of Obamacare, replace it with something better and no one would lose their care. We’re looking for quotes. Send in your favorite Trump health care promise, with the exact quote and a citation to the news source where you found it. We’ll be awarding an official TPM shirt to the winner! For the runners up, immortal glory. Send your Trump promise quote to talk (at) talkingpointsmemo (dot) com with the subject line “Trump Promise Contest”
Late Update: TPM Reader JF strikes early with a great contest entry. 1/15/17 Donald J. Trump: “We’re going to have insurance for everybody. There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.” Can you beat it? An official TPM shirt hangs in the balance!
Latter Update: Oooooo … TPM Reader NH is bringing it! 2/19/16: “Obamacare has to go. We can’t afford it. It’s no good. You’re going to end up with great healthcare for a fraction of the price. And that’s going to take place immediately after we go in. Okay? Immediately. Fast Quick.” (CSPAN, Timestamp 34:23)
Rep. Dan Donovan (R) from Staten Island was just on CNN trying to position himself on Obamacare, in a fairly dishonest way. But I was most interested in how he explained his refusal to meet publicly with constituents. This is from CNN from earlier this hour…
No I’m not avoiding constituents at all. I’ve had scores of individual meetings and small group meetings in my office every day that I’m back home. We’re down here a lot but every day I’m back home. I had an event with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce a couple of weeks ago, 150 members of the Chamber of Commerce came to exchange ideas about health care, tax reform, immigration reform. And the event was taken over by professional protesters, 40 of which had to be taken out.
Faced with reports that 15 million or more will lose their health care coverage, Paul Ryan says his plan would “never going to win a coverage beauty contest.” Meanwhile arch-Medicare phaseout chief Tom Price, now HHS Secretary, says some may have to be “moved” to insurance that is “much more desirable.”
3/9/17, AP: “President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him, the White House said Thursday.”
Here is a selection of published reports from November and December detailing Flynn’s lobbying on behalf of Turkish interests before Flynn was appointed.
Let’s walk through this chain of events today that mixes together Julian Assange, President Trump, Nigel Farage and Sean Spicer.
Sean Spicer was just asked about Trump ally/advisor Nigel Farage meeting today with Julian Assange earlier today. When asked whether Farage was delivering a message to Assange from Trump, Spicer said “I have no idea.”
The questioner said the actual meeting had yet to be confirmed. It actually has now been confirmed. Here’s the exchange …
VIVIAN SALAMA/AP: Thank you. And second thing is, Nigel farage was at the Ecuadorian embassy in London today where Julian Assange happens to be staying. Don’t know if they met or not. Was he there? He’s a close ally of President Trump. Was he there in any capacity?
SPICER: I don’t keep his schedule.