Tag: MSNBC
POLITICAL ANALYSTS: Kamala Harris, Susan Rice Among Likely Dem VP Nominees
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris will likely be presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s pick as running mate, New York Post political columnist Miranda Devine told Fox News on Tuesday.
“I think the interesting thing about Kamala Harris, though, is the fact that she’s coming out to showcase her ways just as she’s becoming the favorite as the vice president pick for Joe Biden,” Devine told “Fox & Friends,” referencing a scheduled event Harris has with DJ’s to support Biden’s campaign.
“As you see with this DJ promotion that she’s doing, she’s trying to inject some cool into the campaign and she is, after all, a good friend of President [Barack] Obama and he’ll be the sort of silent force behind the throne of Joe Biden.”
Meanwhile, The Hill is reporting that Susan Rice, not Kamala Harris, is a favorite within the Biden campaign.
Asked by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow if she is “in talks with the Biden campaign,” Rice responded: “To the extent that it is reported that I am under consideration in a serious way for the vice president slot, let me just say that I’m extremely humbled and honored to be talked about in the context of so many extraordinary women.”
“All I care about is getting Joe Biden elected president of the United States so that we again have competent, compassionate, loyal, effective leadership in the White House and flipping the Senate so that the Democrats control the Senate so we can pursue an agenda of healing for this country, one that tries to address the extraordinary racial and socioeconomic disparities that have been plain for all to see and that can restore our global leadership,” Rice continued.
” (I will do) everything I can, whether it’s the modern day equivalent of licking envelopes or raising money to serve in the capacity that he thinks is appropriate,” said Rice. “I’ll do anything I can to affect this change for our nation because I don’t think there’s any higher imperative.”
Calls for comment to a Biden campaign spokesperson were not immediately returned.
TRUMP: ‘Sorry. Dems can’t impeach me for creating the best economy in American history’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday railed against the latest call from Democrat Rep. Al Green to impeach him.
“’Democrat Texas Congressman Al Green says impeachment is the only thing that can prevent President Trump from re-election in 2020,'” Trump tweeted Monday morning.
“In other words, Dems can’t win the election fairly. You can’t impeach a president for creating the best economy in our country’s history. Also, there are “’No High Crimes & Misdemeanors,'” the president continued. “No Collusion, No Conspiracy, No Obstruction. ALL THE CRIMES ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE, and that’s what the Dems should be looking at, but they won’t. Nevertheless, the tables are turning!”
Green (D- Tx), has repeatedly called on the president to be impeached on grounds of corruption.
“He will say the Democrats had an overwhelming majority in the House and they didn’t take up impeachment,” Green said during an interview with MSNBC over the weekend. “He will say that we had a constitutional duty to do it if it was there, and we didn’t. He will say he’s been vindicated.”
Democrats are still reeling from a report released by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office weeks ago clearing the president from accusations that he colluded with Russian officials to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Despite Mueller’s report, many Democrats have continued to accuse the president of wrongdoing.
Republican lawmaker Lindsey Graham warned Democrats last November that attempting to impeach President Trump would only backfire.
“If they want to impeach President Trump, I’d give them some advice,” Graham told Fox News at the time. “Been there, done that with Clinton, didn’t work out for us. I would think twice about it. It will blow up in their face.”
OBAMA’S DHS HEAD BACKS TRUMP: Border issue ‘a crisis by any measure’
WASHINGTON– Jeh Johnson warned Thursday that anyone who is still arguing there is no crisis at the border is “clearly partisan.”
Johnson, who served as Barack Obama’s head of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017, called the influx of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border “a crisis by any measure.”
“This is, in my view, having owned this problem for three years, first, I know what a thousand a day looks like. I saw it myself at border patrol holding stations,” Johnson told Fox News. “I cannot begin to imagine what 4,000 a day looks like. It must overwhelm the system.”
Thursday marked the second time within a month that Johnson has spoken out in defense of President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the national border. In March Johnson told MSNBC “we are truly in a crisis” when it comes to the border.
“I think we have to get away from Democrat vs. Republican, crisis vs. no crisis.” Johnson told MSNBC. “This is a crisis by any measure, and the solution inevitably is bipartisan. It has to be bipartisan. It requires a change in law.”
Johnson went on to warn that “swift and immediate action” must be taken if America hopes to retain it’s sovereignty as a nation.
“A little bit of context here. When I was in office in Kirstjen Nielsen’s job, at her desk, I’d get to work around 6:30 in the morning, and there would be my intelligence book sitting on my desk, the PDB, and also the apprehension numbers from the day before,” Johnson said.
“My staff would tell you if it was under 1,000 apprehension the day before, that was a relatively good number, and if it was above 1,000, it was a relatively bad number, and I was going to be in a bad mood the whole day.” he said.“On Tuesday there were 4,000 apprehensions. I know that a thousand overwhelms the system. I can’t imagine what 4,000 a day looks like. So, we are truly in a crisis.”
For his part, President Trump slammed Democrat efforts to block him from securing America’s borders as “treasonous.”
“I think what the Democrats are doing with the Border is TREASONOUS. Their Open Border mindset is putting our Country at risk. Will not let this happen!” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “Everybody is now acknowledging that, right from the time I announced my run for President, I was 100% correct on the Border. Remember the heat I took? Democrats should now get rid of the loopholes. The Border is being fixed. Mexico will not let people through!”
REPORT: ‘Fear’ prompting Cohen to reconsider testimony before Congress
WASHINGTON — “Fear” is causing former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to reconsider his planned testimony before Congress next month, his advisor said on Thursday.
Lanny Davis, a lawyer who’s been serving as an advisor to Cohen on his public relations strategy, told MSNBC that some remarks made by the president about Cohen equated to witness tampering and that Trump should be criminally investigated.
“There is genuine fear and it has caused Michael Cohen to consider whether he should go forward or not, and he has not made a final decision,” Davis said.
Davis called the president out on a myriad of issues during the interview, but particularly on comments Trump made during a Fox News interview on Saturday in which he insinuated that he may have dirt on Cohen’s father-in-law.
“That’s the one that people want to look at,” Trump told Fox.
Trump’s remarks “could be obstruction of justice,” Davis said.
“There is no question that his threatening and calling out his father-in-law, who – quote – has all the money, is not only improper and unseemly for a bully using the bully pulpit of the presidency,” said Davis, “but the very definition of intimidation and witness tampering.”
During a federal court hearing in New York last August, Cohen testified that Trump had ordered him to arrange “hush money” payments during his 2016 election campaign to two women with whom he is alleged to have had extra-marital affairs, a violation of federal campaign laws. Cohen also pled guilty to lying to Congress about a proposed Trump project in Russia.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Cohen agreed to testify before Congress in regard to several ongoing investigations relating to whether or not the president or members of his former campaign team colluded with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has denied allegations of such collusion.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: President Trump a ‘far greater threat to America’ than 9/11 hijackers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Tuesday referred to President Donald Trump as a ‘far greater threat’ to American safety than terrorists.
The controversial “Morning Joe” host made the outlandish comments during a special edition of his morning show commemorating the seventeenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
Scarborough, who’s made no secret of his disdain for Donald Trump claimed events such as 9/11 have worked to bring Americans closer together, while Trump continues to “tear them apart”.
“If you strip America of its ideas, forget about knocking down buildings in the financial district — forget about running planes into the Pentagon. Those are tragedies, but those tragedies bring us closer together,” he said. “America is an idea. You gut America of that idea, that’s when you do the most harm to America.”
Scarborough then went on to detail what he called the “negatives” of the Trump administration which he deemed a “threat” to the United States.
“You have just this week, Brett Kavanaugh who wants to be on the Supreme Court refusing to answer whether people should be banned from coming to the United States because of their race — and his reading of the Constitution,” Scarborough continued.
“The accumulation of that, the retweeting of neo-Nazi videos, Charlottesville, I mean I could go on and on, what he said about the majority black countries — that is tearing more at the fabric of America than attacks on the Twin Towers did. We rebuilt from that. We became stronger because of that,” he said. “But this seems to me a far graver threat to the idea of America.”
Scarborough’s comments follow an op-ed he wrote for Tuesday’s Washington Post Tuesday, where he proclaimed that Trump is harming America “more than any foreign adversary every could.”
“For those of us still believing that Islamic extremists hate America because of the freedoms we guarantee to all people, the gravest threat Trump poses to our national security is the damage done daily to America’s image,” he wrote.
Scarborough’s comments drew almost immediate criticism from both sides of the political spectrum with Real Clear Politics issuing a piece stating that he owed both Trump and the American people an apology.
“September 11 should not be about politics, nor about Donald Trump, and surely not about Joe Scarborough,” Real Clear Politics’ Steve Cortes wrote Tuesday. “Only 17 years separated from that incredibly painful day, the solemnity of our national remembrance should remain particularly poignant and reservedly reverent. After all, there are many thousands of still-school-aged young Americans who lost parents on that fateful day or in the global military struggle that followed.”
“But MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” callously used the calamity of 9/11 to take cheap political shots at President Trump, writing in a Washington Post op-ed that he “is harming America more than any foreign adversary every could” and declaring on-air that Trump presents a “graver threat” to America than the 2001 attacks did,” Cortes continues. “Such hyperbole would be ridiculous and disqualifying coming from some anonymous troll on Twitter, but is jaw-dropping from a former congressman and prominent cable news morning host.”
“Scarborough’s comments revealed not just a hardness of heart and total lack of decorum but also an abject hypocrisy that has marked his media career,” Cortes went on. “Scarborough should apologize for denigrating our national day of remembrance with his shameful clickbait.”
BRENNAN: Trump presser with Putin a ‘treasonous’, ‘impeachable’ offense
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Obama Administration’s CIA director John Brennan came out swinging against President Donald Trump on Monday, calling the president’s high profile press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin an “impeachable offense”.
“Donald Trump’s press performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,'” Brennan tweeted. “It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”
Moments after issuing the scathing tweet, Brennan appeared on MSNBC and demanded Trump cabinet officials resign in protest.
“I thought that there was nothing Donald Trump could say that would shock me, but I was wrong,” Brennan told MSNBC’s Brian Williams.
“I was just totally shocked at the performance of Donald Trump in Helsinki at a press conference with Vladimir Putin,” Brennan continued. “I just found that it was outrageous. And even when the press — and thank goodness the press asked the right questions — even when the press gave him an opportunity to hold Russia accountable for anything, he chose to talk about Hillary Clinton, about his election, about servers.”
“He criticized American citizens, Secretary Clinton and others as opposed to really taking advantage of a world stage, with all the world’s eyes upon them, to point out how unacceptable Russia’s behavior and interference in our election and the elections of other democratic countries around the globe is. But he just shirked those responsibilities,” Brennan went on.
“I cannot understand how the national security team can continue to abide by this and how Pompeo and Bolton and Kelly can continue in their jobs,” Brennan added. “This, I think, rises to the point of good American patriots resigning in objection to that performance by Donald Trump. I’m at a loss of words to describe just how outrageous his words, his statements, his behavior has been. And one can only conclude that he fears Vladimir Putin. And that one-on-one discussion, who knows what was discussed there. And how Mr. Putin now is the master puppeteer of Donald Trump, the person who is in our Oval Office. Outrageous.”
Brennan has been a vocal critic of President Trump and his administration, claiming that his former position with the Obama administration gives him an obligation to “speak out” against the president’s “treasonous behavior”.
THE STORM RAGES ON: Trump defends Cohen reimbursement of Stormy Daniels payment; Says it was meant to stop ‘false claims’
Washington, D.C. (Fox News) — President Trump, in his first statements since lawyer Rudy Giuliani revealed overnight that the president reimbursed attorney Michael Cohen for a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, said the money was meant to stop “false” allegations and stressed campaign funds played no role.
The president put out a three-part tweet about the $130,000 Cohen paid to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to stay quiet in the weeks before the 2016 election about accusations of an affair.
“Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA,” Trump tweeted early Thursday.
“These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,” Trump added.
Trump continued: “…despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction.”
The president was referring to a letter written and signed by Daniels in January, stating “with complete clarity” that allegations of an affair with Trump were “absolutely false.” Daniels also wrote, at the time, that rumors that she received “hush money” from Trump were “completely false.”
Trump, however, also said last month that he didn’t know about the $130,000 payment.
But Giuliani revealed Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Hannity” that Trump indeed made the reimbursement.
Giuliani, though, clarified Thursday on “Fox & Friends” that Trump “didn’t know the details of this until we knew the details of this” a couple weeks ago. He has said Trump thought it was to cover unspecified “expenses.”
Giuliani stressed that this was a personal payment and disputed any suggestion that it was an unreported campaign contribution.
“[Cohen] was trying to help the family. … I think he was just being a good lawyer,” he said.
“That money was not campaign money,” Giuliani also said on “Hannity.” “It’s not campaign money. No campaign finance violation.”
Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, added that the money was “funneled” through a “law firm and the president repaid it.”
Whether that argument holds up remains to be seen. A candidate is allowed to contribute an unlimited amount to his or her campaign. However, contributions are supposed to be officially reported.
If the payments were wholly personal, said Richard L. Hasen, an expert in election law at the University of California, Irvine, there would be no campaign finance violations.
But Giuliani’s argument that the payment was unrelated to the campaign could well be challenged. If it’s considered a campaign-related expense, the onus may have been on the president or his campaign to report it as a loan.
“The greatest significance is that it implicates the president, directly,” Hasen told the Associated Press.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday morning that if it’s “true” that Trump reimbursed Cohen, it’s a “crime” with “serious consequences.”
Cohen previously has said the money he paid to Daniels came out of his own pocket. Both Trump’s and Giuliani’s statements now seem to contradict Cohen’s account.
Cohen is currently under criminal investigation as part of a grand jury probe looking into his personal business dealings.
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Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain and Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BATTLE FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT: Trump faces backlash over ‘due process’ fiasco
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Thursday faced fierce backlash from his own constituents over comments he made Wednesday on gun control.
Speaking at a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers to discuss school safety, President Trump said he was in favor of gun confiscation without due process if it meant making America’s children safer.
“I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida … to go to court would have taken a long time,” Trump told those in attendance. “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”
The president’s comments quickly went viral on social media, outraging those who took the statement as a direct attack on the Second Amendment.
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.,said Trump’s suggestion “took his breath away”.
“I have to admit that the idea of taking a person’s property before the due process — that did take my breath away a little bit,” Toomey told Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” (https://tinyurl.com/y957huqp).
“Doesn’t work that way in America,” Toomey added.
The NRA also came out swinging against the president’s comments.
“While [Wednesday’s] meeting made for great TV, the gun control proposals discussed would make for bad policy that would not keep our children safe,” NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker told The Hill (https://tinyurl.com/yam4b98n). “Instead of punishing law-abiding gun owners for the acts of a deranged lunatic our leaders should pass meaningful reforms that would actually prevent future tragedies.”
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska also spoke out against Trump’s call to override the constitutional right to due process, stating he felt the president was being manipulated by leftist agendas.
“We’re not ditching any constitutional protections simply because the last person the President talked to today doesn’t like them,” Sasse told CNN (https://tinyurl.com/yazw5xxm).
Even Breitbart News, a media publication which has long supported the Trump agenda, came out guns blazing against Trump on Thursday. “Trump the Gun Grabber: Cedes Dems’ Wish List— Bump Stocks, Buying Age, ‘Assault Weapons,’ Background Checks,” it’s headline read (https://tinyurl.com/ybd9pjcu).
Taking to Twitter, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) said that if the president’s proposal on due process were to be implemented, it would amount to no due process at all.
“Due process comes first or it isn’t due process. This is true no matter which party is writing the bills or in control of the White House,” Paul wrote (https://tinyurl.com/y9ouw46e).
Just two weeks ago, the president complained that his former top aide, Rob Porter, was unfairly forced to resign his White House position after both of his ex-wives accused him of domestic violence, claims he said at the time amounted to “a mere allegation.”
“Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?” Trump tweeted (https://tinyurl.com/yd6l4fp3).
The president’s critics were quick to call out the president over the presumed “hypocrisy”.
“For Trump, due process is a problem when people think Rob Porter is guilty of beating his ex-wives, but not a problem when government seizes guns from citizens,” Ben Shapiro, a prominent conservative and Second Amendment advocate, tweeted (https://tinyurl.com/y9ljes7l).
Critics on the left, who have long pushed for stricter gun control laws, said if former president Barack Obama had called for a violation of due process, Republicans would have called for his immediate removal from office.
“It doesn’t seem like an exaggeration to say that some Republican members of Congress would have called for Barack Obama’s impeachment if he had ever called for taking people’s guns away without due process,” The Washington Post’s James Hohmann said on the matter (https://tinyurl.com/y8ozyrbu).
Wednesday’s meeting came in the wake of a February 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida in which 17 people were killed and more than a dozen more were wounded.
The shooting led to calls from gun control advocates for stricter gun laws and background checks.
VEGAS MASSACRE: Over 50 dead and 400 wounded in worst mass shooting in US history
LAS VEGAS, NV– Over 50 people are confirmed dead and more than 400 confirmed wounded after a shooter opened fire at a Las Vegas country music festival on Sunday night.
Police say the suspect, Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, died as a result of a self inflicted gun shot wound after committing the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. It was initially reported that Paddock was killed by law enforcement, but Las Vegas police later clarified that he was dead by the time police raided his room.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Paddock is believed to have checked in as a hotel guest, before setting up a “sniper’s nest” in preparation for the shooting.
The shooting occurred as approximately 22,000 gathered to attend the concert festival headlined by Jason Aldean, who was performing on stage when the first shots initially rang out at approximately 10:08 p.m.
Investigators have confirmed numerous firearms, including multiple long rifles, were located in the room occupied by Paddock, which was located on the 32nd floor. The suspect is believed to have opened fire from the balcony of the room.
“We heard what sounded like firecrackers going off. Then all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a machine gun. People started screaming that they were hit… When we started running out there were probably a couple hundred [people] on the ground,” said witness Meghan Kearney told MSNBC (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/las-vegas-police-investigating-shooting-mandalay-bay-n806461/). “People kept dropping and dropping… People were getting shot one foot away from us,” she said. “People were trying to save their friends. There were gunshots everywhere. Helping them would’ve meant that we got shot, too.”
Aldeen issued a statement on Monday in response to Sunday night’s tragedy, saying his heart was hurt by the violence.
“Tonight has been beyond horrific,” he said on Instagram. “I still don’t know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that me and my crew are safe. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
Country singer Jake Owen, who also performed at the concert, told Fox News the gunfire was “non-stop.”
“You couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It was loud and non-stop,” he said (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-at-least-50-dead-more-than-400-sent-to-hospitals-in-massacre.html).
A White House spokesperson said President Trump was briefed on the shooting in the early hours of Monday morning.
“My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!” the president tweeted in response to the massacre.
A companion of Paddocks, identified as Marilou Danley, was initially identified by police as “a person of interest in the case but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
A motive for the attack has not yet been confirmed. When asked whether or not he believed the attack was tied to foreign terrorist groups Joe Lombardo of the Las Vegas Sheriff’s Department said: “No not at this point” adding, “We believe we have a lone wolf suspect.”
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