Trump Gabs About Ethanol With Grassley Ahead Of Don Jr.’s Senate Interview

UNITED STATES - MARCH 17: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) speaks with a reporter as he waits for the Senate subway on Thursday, March 17, 2016. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Wednesday revealed that he received a phone call from President Donald Trump reassuring the senator that he supports ethanol production, a pet issue of Iowa politicians.

The call from Trump voicing support for an issue important to the Iowa senator followed reports on Tuesday that Donald Trump, Jr. had set a date to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Grassley chairs, in a closed-door interview. The committee hasn’t confirmed when exactly senators with interview Trump Jr., but Politico reported that it could come in the next few weeks.

A spokesman for Grassley, Taylor Foy, told the Washington Post that Trump and the senator did not discuss the committee’s probe into Russian interference in the U.S> election. The call only lasted for a couple of minutes, during which the two discussed ethanol, Hurricane Harvey, and the ambassador to China, former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Foy told the Post. Grassley also informed Trump that he’d tweet about their conversation on ethanol, Foy said.

A White House official told the Post that Trump made the call to quash rumors that he no longer supported ethanol.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1.   A White House official told the Post that Trump made the
      call to quash rumors that he no longer supported ethanol.
    

    Oh goody … Now I can go out and face the day …

  2. Can somebody in the Oval Trailer explain to Donnie what “obstruction of justice” is?

    On the other hand, don’t.

  3. “So you’ll go easy on my idiot son, huh, Chuck?”

    Yeah, it’s obvious. But wait, he’ll tweet it tonight.

  4. Gasbag talks to gasbag about gas
    Film at 11:00

  5. I’m quite certain Mr. Mueller is making a note of this and other attempts at obstructing the inevitable march toward justice.

    Donnie has been so used to getting away with being a hamfisted dimwitted thug for so long (because he wasn’t important enough to have to learn how to be a real thug) that he doesn’t realize that he is building Mueller’s case for him.

    So, please proceed, Mr (Soon-to-be-ex-)President.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

57 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for meri Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for asanders91360 Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for randyabraham Avatar for wanderer Avatar for mantan Avatar for dont Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for arc_of_the_universe Avatar for sanni Avatar for riverstreet Avatar for darrtown Avatar for gharlane Avatar for litho Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for lizzymom Avatar for timbo Avatar for demosthenes59 Avatar for outsidertrading618 Avatar for dougsanders

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: