TRUMP’S DOCUMENT DRAMA BEGAN OVER LETTERS FROM KIM JONG UN AND OBAMA? … NYT: The Final Days of the Trump White House: Chaos and Scattered Papers
Although the White House Counsel’s Office had told Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s last chief of staff, that the roughly two dozen boxes worth of material in the residence needed to be turned over to the archives, at least some of those boxes, including those with the Kim letters and some documents marked highly classified, were shipped to Florida. There they were stored at various points over the past 19 months in different locations inside Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s members-only club, home and office, according to several people briefed on the events.
Those actions, along with Mr. Trump’s protracted refusal to return the documents in Florida to the National Archives, prompted the Justice Department to review the matter early this year. This month, prosecutors obtained a warrant to search Mar-a-Lago for remaining materials, including some related to sensitive national security matters. The investigation is active and expanding, according to recent court filings, as prosecutors look into potentially serious violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice. […]
[B]y early 2021, after Mr. Trump had left the White House, officials with the archives realized they were missing significant material.
They reached out to, among others, Scott Gast, who had been a lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office under Mr. Trump, and Mr. Philbin. The two men, along with Mr. Meadows and four other Trump officials, had been appointed by Mr. Trump on his last full day in office to work with the National Archives.
The archivists were particularly insistent about getting back the missing correspondence from the North Korean leader and a letter left on the Resolute Desk for Mr. Trump by Mr. Obama, both of significant historical value.
MEET THE FBI OFFICIAL WHOSE NAME KEEPS POPPING UP IN EVERY POLITICALLY-LOADED INVESTIGATION… FROM RUSSIAGATE… TO HUNTER… TO MAR-A-LAGO RAID… BRIAN AUTEN… PAUL SPERRY: FBI Unit Leading Mar-a-Lago Probe Earlier Ran Discredited Trump-Russia Investigation
The FBI division overseeing the investigation of former President Trump’s handling of classified material at his Mar-a-Lago residence is also a focus of Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation of the bureau’s alleged abuses of power and political bias during its years-long Russiagate probe of Trump.
The FBI’s nine-hour, 30-agent raid of the former president’s Florida estate is part of a counterintelligence case run out of Washington – not Miami, as has been widely reported – according to FBI case documents and sources with knowledge of the matter. The bureau’s counterintelligence division led the 2016-2017 Russia “collusion” investigation of Trump, codenamed “Crossfire Hurricane.” […]
In addition, a key member of the Crossfire team – Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten – has continued to be involved in politically sensitive investigations, including the ongoing federal probe of potentially incriminating content found on the abandoned laptop of President Biden’s son Hunter Biden, according to recent correspondence between the Senate Judiciary Committee and FBI Director Christopher Wray. FBI whistleblowers have alleged that Auten tried to falsely discredit derogatory evidence against Hunter Biden during the 2020 campaign by labeling it Russian “disinformation,” an assessment that caused investigative activity to cease.
Auten has been allowed to work on sensitive cases even though he has been under internal investigation since 2019, when Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz referred him for disciplinary review for his role in vetting a Hillary Clinton campaign-funded dossier used by the FBI to obtain a series of wiretap warrants to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Horowitz singled out Auten for cutting a number of corners in the verification process and even allowing information he knew to be incorrect slip into warrant affidavits and mislead the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court.
BONUS DETAILS FROM NYT REPORT… JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STOPPED MARK MEADOWS FROM RELEASING MORE STRZOK, PAGE TEXT MESSAGES…
In Mr. Trump’s last weeks in office, Mr. Meadows, with the president’s blessing, prodded federal law enforcement agencies to declassify a binder of Crossfire Hurricane materials that included unreleased information about the F.B.I.’s investigative steps and text messages between two former top F.B.I. officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who had sharply criticized Mr. Trump in their private communications during the 2016 election.
The F.B.I. worried that releasing more information could compromise the bureau, according to people familiar with the debate. Mr. Meadows dismissed those arguments, saying that Mr. Trump himself wanted the information declassified and disseminated, they said.
Just three days before Mr. Trump’s last day in office, the White House and the F.B.I. settled on a set of redactions, and Mr. Trump declassified the rest of the binder. Mr. Meadows intended to give the binder to at least one conservative journalist, according to multiple people familiar with his plan. But he reversed course after Justice Department officials pointed out that disseminating the messages between Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page could run afoul of privacy law, opening officials up to suits.
FBI RAID BOLSTERED TRUMP’S GOP STANDING, AND GAVE DEMS A MIDTERM NEWS CYCLE THEY PREFER… AXIOS: Polls reveal Trump’s FBI search bump
An NBC News poll out Sunday shows Trump tightening his hold on Republicans. Several polls show him rising against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had been surging in key states. […]
A source close to Trump says the fundraising effect has been “yuge,” reengaging donors in the biggest way since he left office. […]
Sunday’s NBC News poll asked GOP voters whether they’re more of a supporter of Trump, or of the Republican Party. Trump support spiked: 41% said they support Trump more than the party — up 7 points this summer. In May, 58% of Republicans said they identified more with the party, 34% with Trump.
LINDSEY GRAHAM WINS DISTANCE FROM GEORGIA GRAND JURY… FOR THE MOMENT… REUTERS: Senator Graham wins temporary reprieve from testifying in Trump Georgia probe
An appeals court put on hold U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s scheduled testimony for Tuesday before a grand jury in Georgia probing efforts by Donald Trump to overturn the former president’s 2020 election defeat, with the case returning to a lower court for another look.
A federal judge on Monday had rejected Graham’s challenge to the subpoena to testify before the grand jury. Graham, a Republican, had argued his position as a U.S. senator provided him immunity from having to appear before the investigative panel. […]
The appeals court gave Graham a new chance to challenge the subpoena based on protections for lawmakers under the U.S. Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause. That provision can protect lawmakers from being compelled to discuss legislative activity.
BIDEN ADMIN THREATENS AIRLINES: HERE COMES THE BOOT’… NBC: After a summer of flight delays and cancellations, federal officials issue an ultimatum to the airlines (VIDEO)
The Department of Transportation is telling the airlines that they need to come up with their own improvements for customer service or the agency will proceed with a plan to order a rule change.
The department is also creating a website, eyed for a launch two weeks from now, that it hopes will easily show each airline’s policies regarding cancellations and delays.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the travel disruptions unacceptable.
“The message to the airlines is that you’ve got to make it easier for passengers to understand their rights. And you’ve got to support passengers when they experience delays or cancellations,” he said in an interview that aired Friday on NBC’s “TODAY.”
In the first six months of the year, 24% of U.S. flights have been delayed, and 3.2% have been canceled, according to Transportation Department data.
IN FINAL CNN SHOW, BRIAN STELTER REVEALS SCHOOL TEACHERS HAVE FORCE FED HIS SEGMENTS TO CHILDREN… KEVIN TOBER: .@brianstelter says his show is a “part of journalism school curriculum. Teachers across the country, teachers use segments from this show all the time in classrooms, lessons, guiding and teaching the next generation.” (VIDEO)
FINAL MESSAGE… DON’T LET MY POLITICAL OPPONENTS SPEAK… Stelter’s Final Words: ‘Don’t Give Platforms To Those Lying To Our Faces’ (VIDEO)
CNN’s Brian Stelter unironically said platforms cannot be given “to those lying to our faces,” while closing out his final episode of “Reliable Sources” on Sunday.
The network announced Thursday that Stelter would host his final episode of “Reliable Sources” and then leave the company. CNN’s new boss, Chris Licht, had previously expressed the need to get rid of certain on-air personalities who are perceived as “partisan,” including Stelter and Jim Acosta.
In his closing remarks, Stelter discussed the need for “media criticism and debate and discussion,” saying “the media ecosystem in 2022 is garbage” yet “spectacular.”
“The hard part is sorting out the treasure from the trash. These are thorny complicated things. I didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t even have all the questions.”
“I know it is not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It is not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It is patriotic. We must make sure we don’t give platforms to those lying to our faces. But we must make sure that we’re representing the full spectrum of debate and what is going on in the country and the world.”
CNN STAFF REELS AFTER STELTER CATCHES AXE… MORE FIRINGS INCOMING… HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: CNN Staff Brace for Change as Chris Licht Era Starts to Take Shape
On Friday morning, CNN CEO Chris Licht addressed the decision to cancel the Sunday show Reliable Sources, and told staff on the news channel’s 9 a.m. editorial call that there will be more changes to come.
“I want to acknowledge that this is a time of significant change, and I know that many of you are unsettled,” Licht said, according to multiple people on the call. “There will be more changes, and you might not understand it or like it.”
WHO’S NEXT? … JON NICOSIA: Source: Once the coming shakeup at @CNN is done, don’t expect John Berman, Alisyn Camerota, Jim Acosta, Brianna Keilar, Jake Tapper, John King, and Don Lemon to still be at the network OR have their current show assignments.” (THREAD)
JIM ACOSTA AUDITIONS FOR HIS FIRING… GREG PRICE: Acosta: “Our elections are fine.” [Chad] Wolf: “There is fraud in our election system.” Acosta: “You are spreading doubt and fear about our election process.” Wolf: “There has been fraud, illegalities and Zuckerbucks.” Acosta: “You’ve watched one too many conspiracy films.” (VIDEO)
THIS WEEK… ELECTION WATCH… AOC-BACKED CLINTON LOYALIST MAY UNSEAT DCCC CHAIRMAN… NYT: The New York Primary Being Watched by A.O.C., Pelosi and the Clintons
New York’s tumultuous primary season, which draws to a close on Tuesday, has no shortage of hard-fought, high-drama contests. But because of [Sean Patrick] Maloney’s standing as the chair of the House Democratic campaign arm — and given the cast of prominent politicians who have gotten involved in the race — perhaps no New York primary is of greater national consequence than the battle for the newly redrawn 17th District, which includes parts of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley.
Mr. Maloney, backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Bill Clinton, is fending off a primary challenge from State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, a left-leaning lawmaker who defeated a powerful incumbent in 2018, and now has the support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a panoply of progressive organizations. […]
In an interview in which he repeatedly muttered about his disdain for Twitter, the congressman dismissed Ms. Biaggi’s criticism as “desperate rhetoric” and the hallmark of a “failing” campaign that he suggested was out of step with what will be a politically competitive district in November.
“If you look around the country, I think what’s clear is that the common-sense wing of the Democratic Party that is focused on working with people to get things done is on the rise, and the socialist wing is on the decline and it’s about time,” he said.
HILLARY ADMINISTERED THE VOWS AT ALESSANDRA BIAGGI’S WEDDING… FLASHBACK… 2019… NYT: Team Players in Politics and Love
Alessandra Rose Biaggi and Nathaniel Smith Koloc were married July 22 at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, N.Y. Yuh-Line Niou, a friend of the couple who is a New York State assemblywoman, officiated, with Hillary Clinton leading the couple in their vows. […]
On election night at the Javits center “the energy was hopeful and exciting,” said Ms. Biaggi, who then was deputy national operations director managing state logistics and state operations teams, but by the end of the night they knew they had lost.
“We played very hard, and it was very hard to lose,’’ she said.
Before Christmas they broke up as they each tried to get to a better place personally, and got back together by June.
“We were crushed into a million pieces, but the love we had and have for each other triumphed,’’ she said. “Our relationship had a bigger purpose and continued, and it passed the test.”
THE LONGEST-SERVING DEMOCRAT WOMAN IN CONGRESS IS NOW ATTACKING JOE BIDEN IN HER CAMPAIGN ADS… DAILY MAIL: ‘I don’t work for Joe!’ DEMOCRAT rep. shuns Biden in campaign ad bragging of her ties to GOP – just weeks after she warmly embraced president for cameras
The longest-serving woman in Congress has become the most senior Democrat to launch an attack advert against President Joe Biden, accusing him of damaging job prospects in her Ohio constituency.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 76, is fighting for her 20th term in November’s election, challenged by J.R. Majewski – an Air Force veteran who was a January 6 rally participant, and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material.
In a new campaign ad, Kaptur, who has voted with Biden 100 percent of the time and welcomed him to her constituency in July, directly attacks the president.
‘Joe Biden is letting Ohio solar manufacturers be undercut by China, but Marcy Kaptur is fighting back, working with Republican Rob Portman in protecting our jobs.’
HERE’S THE AD… (VIDEO)
Joe Biden’s letting Ohio solar manufacturers be undercut by China, but Marcy Captur’s fighting back, working with Republican Rob Portman protecting our jobs. Communist China’s not happy. Neither is extremist J. R. Majewski. He opposes Marcie’s all of the above energy plan. Majewski let Ohio energy jobs die. But Marcy fights for every Ohio job. Marcy Kaptur. She doesn’t work for Joe Biden. She works for you. I’m Marcy Kaptur and I approve this message.
COULD THE GOP SQUANDER THE MOMENT? … There’s A Giant Red Flag Hanging Over The GOP’s 2022 Senate Hopes
Republican candidates in five of the most competitive Senate races are struggling to out-raise their Democratic opponents, suggesting that the GOP could squander an otherwise favorable midterm environment.
Elections analysts use in-state donations as a proxy for grassroots support and voter enthusiasm, and five GOP Senate nominees are struggling in that metric. Republicans are expected to take back the House of Representatives in November, but candidate recruitment and fundraising struggles could prevent them from gaining a seat in the evenly-split upper chamber. FiveThirtyEight’s Senate model favors Democrats to hold the Senate, with the most likely scenario another 50-50 split.
“Democrats are simply out-fundraising Republicans. They pioneered small-dollar donations online, and while Republicans have made efforts to catch up, it’s just still not on par. You have a more fired-up Democratic base, and a lot of that is the Dobbs decision,” Cook Political Report with Amy Walter Senate editor Jessica Taylor told the Daily Caller. “I think the most probable is a Democrat gain of zero or Republicans picking up two seats.”
NEW STUDY: MONKEYPOX IS SPREAD ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH GAY SEX… SO WHY IS THE CDC STILL TELLING PEOPLE TO ISOLATE? … NBC: Sex between men, not skin contact, is fueling monkeypox, new research suggests
Monkeypox has been diagnosed in 38,019 people in 93 countries during this current global outbreak, according to the CDC. And the WHO reports that among cases with proper data, 97% have been diagnosed in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. The consistency with which cases have remained so overwhelmingly in this demographic, some experts argue, is further evidence that the virus transmits among them through a behavior that is exclusive to the group — anal intercourse and oral sex between men. […]
Specifically, the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine paper estimated that just 0.8% of the cases they analyzed were due to nonsexual close contact and 0.6% were due to household contact. By contrast, 95% of these cases were likely acquired during sex between men. The authors of the Lancet paper estimated that 3% of the cases they analyzed transmitted through nonsexual household contact. […]
If monkeypox is indeed overwhelmingly being transmitted through intercourse and rarely through more casual means, this challenges burdensome public health guidelines recommending that people with the virus isolate for the course of their illness, which can last for weeks, Mitjà and his coauthors argued in their paper.
CDC GUIDANCE… HIDE AT HOME AND WEAR A MASK…
CDC recommends that people with monkeypox remain isolated at home or at another location for the duration of illness, but that might not be possible in all situations. […]
Ideally, people with monkeypox would remain in isolation for the duration of illness, which typically lasts two to four weeks. […]
Wear a well-fitting mask to prevent the wearer from spreading oral and respiratory secretions when interacting with others until the rash and all other symptoms have resolved.
HISTORIAN SAYS WE NEED TO STOP JUDGING HISTORY THROUGH TODAY’S POLITICS… THE MOB CALL FOR HIS HEAD… JOHN SEXTON: The President of the American Historical Association criticized the 1619 Project and outrage followed
Professional historians are outraged over an essay that was published last week in the magazine of the American Historical Association. The author of the piece is the current president of the AHA, James H. Sweet. Sweet teaches at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and his focus is on the “social and cultural histories of Africans in the Atlantic world.”
IN NEED OF RAIN, CHINA ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL THE WEATHER… AP: China plans cloud seeding to protect grain crop from drought
CHONGQING, China (AP) — China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from record-setting drought by using chemicals to generate rain, while factories in the southwest waited Sunday to see whether they would be shut down for another week due to shortages of water to generate hydropower. […]
The coming 10 days are a “key period of damage resistance” for southern China’s rice crop, said Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian, according to the newspaper Global Times.
Authorities will take emergency steps to “ensure the autumn grain harvest,” which is 75% of China’s annual total, Tang said Friday, according to the report.
Authorities will “try to increase rain” by seeding clouds with chemicals and spraying crops with a “water retaining agent” to limit evaporation, Tang’s ministry said on its website. It gave no details of where that would be done.
PUTIN ALLY CAR BOMBED… BUSINESS INSIDER: Putin allies rush to blame Ukraine for the killing of top philosopher’s daughter, as former lawmaker points to underground anti-Kremlin group
The death of a top Vladimir Putin ally’s daughter has added a new layer of confusion and potential escalation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Darya Dugina, the daughter of an influential nationalist Russian philosopher, was killed on Saturday by an apparent car bomb, Russian officials said. The work of Dugina’s father, Aleksandr Dugin, helped influence Putin, and Dugina was also a proponent both of his thinking and Russia’s invasion.
Who caused her death — which a family friend suggested may have been the outcome of efforts to target her father — is unknown. Russia has opened a murder investigation.
